News Arable
Beetle terror destroys Austrian beet cultivation
At least 10% of the sugar beet acreage in Austria has been covered by farmers after the crop was eaten by the weevil. According to the Austrian organization of sugar beet growers, this is about 4.000 hectares, reports agraheute.
As in other European countries, Austrian beet growers have not been allowed to use neonicotinoids for a number of years. There is a ban on the active substances Imidacloprid, Thiametoxam and Clothianidin, which means that seed coating of sugar beets with these products is no longer possible. As a result, many hectares of beets have been eaten by the weevil this spring. The animal does not occur in the Netherlands.
60.000 tons of sugar
Of the 38.000 hectares of sugar beets, 4.000 have been eaten so badly that the crops had to be incorporated, says the growers' association. That is good for about 60.000 tons of sugar production. Growers have sown again on most of this area, but those crops have also been largely eaten up. Growers hardly have any alternative means to act against the beetle. These are broad-acting pyrethroids, which not only combat harmful insects, but also useful critters. An alternative is to work with pheromone traps, but that solution is hardly effective. Certainly not with a high beetle pressure, according to the experiences of growers.
Insurance
They are already holding their breath for next season, when the beetles could again be a problem. The conditions for reproduction have been perfect, so it is likely that pressure will be high next spring. Growers can insure themselves against damage caused by the weevil through the Austrian beet processor Agrana.
Niels van der Boom
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