How to minimise damage by aphids in organic faba bean production? (Liveseed Practice Abstract)
On-farm cultivar trials have to be planned carefully to avoid bias and errors. The Organic Seed Alliance provides
worksheets for planning and evaluating trials.
Aphids represent one of the key insect pests in organic faba bean production, where aphicides are prohibited. Damage by direct feeding generally does not lead to crop failure. The main damage occurs by the transmission of viruses, causing virus mosaic and virus yellowing. Faba beans are most susceptible during the seedling and vegetative stage.
Solution
Control methods on the field:
● Avoid early sowing. It might maximise yield but increases the exposure of crops to aphid flights.
● Control weeds that host aphids.
● Avoid sowing of faba beans next to other pulses and forages.
Cultivar choice:
● Choose faba beans with a higher resistance to viruses. On-farm cultivar trials help to identify resistant cultivars (see practical recommendations).
● Desirable traits in faba beans are earliness of flowering. If beans flower early, they will be less vulnerable to aphid attacks.
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