New trail results from ProCam and Orion Future Technologies have shown that strengthening oilseed rape crops can reduce indicators of cabbage stem flea beetle and improve yield potential.
Flea beetle remains a key concern for UK crop establishment and the trail using Deneb, a biostimulant with 4% silicon and natural plant extracts with a strong scent profile demonstrated reduced interest from the pest. This resulted in a lower larval count and infestation score.
The trial also showed yield increases and an improvement of stem width after two applications, one at a rate of 0.5 litres/ha and one at 0.25 litres/ha.
“The infestation score fell from 4.5 in the untreated crop to 3.3 with two applications of Deneb at 0.5 L/ha — a reduction of approximately 27%. At 0.25 L/ha the score was 3.8, representing a reduction of approximately 16% against the untreated,” says Orion FT agronomist Mike Stoker.
“Silicon helps to improve plant’s natural defences and one of the main takeaways from this trial was stem width which saw up to a 0.3mm increase compared to the control. While this seems like a very small gain, it is an important reference point for the overall development and establishment of the plant,” he adds.
He points to other benefits that silicon biostimulants provide, including helping plants to develop deeper seeking, stronger root structures that help build resilience during and after establishment.
“Gains made during establishment ultimately help to improve yield and, in this trial, the 0.5 L/ha application crop showed a 7.1% increase in yield compared to the untreated crop. This produced 4.9 t/ha which represented an increase of 0.3 t/ha — an increase of 0.4 t/ha, equivalent to approximately 7.8% over the untreated crop,” he says.
He concedes that, while the results are encouraging, Deneb and other biostimulants should not be viewed as a solution for insecticidal control. Instead, he sees the benefits of applying such products as an enhancement of any chosen integrated pest management (IPM) strategy.