Development of integrated strategies to control cabbage root fly on radish

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The aim of this project is to develop an integrated control strategy for the cabbage root fly (CRF) on radish. G's Marketing supplies ca. 65% of all the radish to the UK market and is forced to rely on routine application of chlorpyrifos, an organophosphorus insecticide, to control CRF. This pesticide has a number of undesirable characteristics. Chlorpyrifos is rarely 100% effective and over-reliance on one treatment is risky. We will investigate all potential components of an IPM strategy that may have commercial application, including cultural, physical, biological and insecticidal control. Development of the strategy will be at a landscape scale and underpinned by requirements of the radish production cycle and knowledge about the fly. This includes a phenological model developed at Warwick University. The project plan will be as follows 1) review historical data on crop management and damage levels and use phenological model to link this to the cabbage root fly life cycle; 2) review potential components of an IPM strategy; 3) design and implement experiments (field-scale and smaller) to evaluate individual components; 4) design and implement trials to evaluate the most promising components in combination to develop a strategy; 5) evaluate the IPM strategy in a commercial context 6) summarise and disseminate information. The project will evaluate a number of control methods and techniques, several of which are innovative in themselves. The key innovation will be the development of an IPM strategy for a rapidly-growing root crop, grown to a high specification that is based on a sound understanding of the biology and behaviour of the target pest.