Abstract
A major problem associated with agricultural intensification over recent decades has been the development of insecticide resistance in crop pest populations. This has been a particular issue for control of the pollen beetle (Brassicogethes aeneus syn. Meligethes aeneus), a major pest of oilseed rape throughout Europe. Sustained and often prophylactic use of pyrethroid insecticides has led to the development of insecticide-resistant beetle populations, and alternatively, more environmentally benign integrated pest management strategies are sought for the pest. The population dynamics of pollen beetles and their natural enemies, and the damage caused by the pest, are influenced by processes acting at multiple scales, from the regional or landscape scale down to the local field or within-field scale. In this review, we focus on the within-field scale, and how crop management factors, including tillage, crop plant density, crop nutrition and crop rotations may be optimised and incorporated into integrated pest management strategies for more sustainable and effective control of the pest.
Highlights
The reliance of modern agriculture on intensive use of agrochemical inputs to maintain crop yields, along with habitatCommunicated by Heikki Hokkanen.loss and simplification of crop rotations, has resulted in environmental degradation and a loss of biodiversity from arable landscapes (Bianchi et al 2006; Robinson and Sutherland 2002; Stoate et al 2001)
Loss and simplification of crop rotations, has resulted in environmental degradation and a loss of biodiversity from arable landscapes (Bianchi et al 2006; Robinson and Sutherland 2002; Stoate et al 2001). This has led to a reduction in ecosystem services vital for sustainable food production, including pollination and natural pest control (Bianchi et al 2006; Vanbergen 2013). Another major problem associated with agricultural intensification over recent decades has been the development of pesticide resistance in pathogen, pest and weed populations, in response to selection pressures arising from sustained pesticide use (Heckel 2012; Busi et al 2013; Hahn 2014)
While the influence of local and landscape-scale habitat management on pollen beetle abundance, damage and biocontrol are reviewed in another publication (Skellern and Cook in press), in this paper, we review crop management influences on the pest and its natural enemies, and consider how crop management may be optimised in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for sustainable pollen beetle control
Summary
The reliance of modern agriculture on intensive use of agrochemical inputs to maintain crop yields, along with habitatCommunicated by Heikki Hokkanen.loss and simplification of crop rotations, has resulted in environmental degradation and a loss of biodiversity from arable landscapes (Bianchi et al 2006; Robinson and Sutherland 2002; Stoate et al 2001). As specific plant quality characteristics, for example relating to bud size or glucosinolate content, are known to play a role in pollen beetle host plant selection (Nilsson 1994; Cook et al 2006; Valantin-Morison et al 2007; Hervé et al 2014a), resource quality-mediated crop management effects are likely to influence pollen beetle abundance and damage in the field.
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