The Enigma series of projects headed up by Fera Science has been expanded, with Enigma IV focused on controlling spraing in potatoes and Enigma V addressing cabbage stem flea beetle issues in oilseed rape.
Adam Bedford, projects director, says: “As with our previous Enigma research projects, we’re uniting growers, agronomists and scientists to address critical challenges facing the agri-food sector, and very much welcome other organisations to join this journey.”
Enigma IV
The goal of this project is to improve predictive diagnostics for tobacco rattle virus, which is a leading cause of spraing. This has been reported to damage up to 50% of potato crops.
Adam explains that Fera will work closely with potato specialists to develop more efficient testing.
“Currently, the standard tests used for detecting TRV in potato seed require huge volumes of soil and take more than four weeks to produce results,” he says.
“We want to put spraing control in the hands of potato growers, using research insights to develop an infield diagnostic service that’s more cost-effective with a faster turnaround time.
“The ultimate aim is to help growers manage the disease more accurately and minimise crop wastage.”
Enigma V
The Enigma V project aims to arm oilseed rape growers with reliable methods for managing cabbage stem flea beetle.
“Since the neonicotinoid ban in 2018, growers have had little choice but to rely on pyrethroid insecticides to control CSFB,” says Adam.
“An over-reliance on a limited number of active ingredients has led to resistance issues and control failure – with less than 10% insecticide efficacy in some cases.”
Scientists aim to transfer the efficacy of botanical biopesticide products in the laboratory into practical, real-world conditions, explains Hannah Fenton, senior scientist at Fera.
“Initial glasshouse trials show that combining pesticides registered for use in horticulture settings with pyrethroids could offer a CSFB control solution with up to 90% efficacy.
“With the support of our project partners, we’re looking forward to evaluating how this method performs when applied to OSR seedlings in field trials.”
Collaborative success
The Enigma concept was designed around collaboration, as has proven successful in the past.
Enigma I was launched in 2022 with partners Syngenta, G’s Growers, Pearce Seeds, Blackthorn Arable Elveden Farms and Inov3PT, to provide insights on wireworm control.
The project resulted in a photographic key that will help growers identify, monitor and control populations more accurately.
“The results of our first Enigma project have shown that, by bringing scientists and industry partners together, we can make rapid progress in producing actionable insights for farmers and growers,” concludes Adam.
For more information go to www.fera.co.uk