Identify innovative solutions for monitoring and forecasting wireworm (Agriotes spp.) in potato crops to improve sustainability for English farmers (DETECT-PEST)

在英国，每年大约种植550万吨土豆，约有%的种植者在英国(AHDB，2021年)。通常，40%的新鲜土豆不符合客户要求，其中约20%归因于包括虫害在内的田间损害。线虫正成为马铃薯种植中的一个主要害虫问题，因为以前用于根除的化学物质正从市场上撤出。虫害通常不会被发现，除非通过小规模的作物采样发现，否则往往为时已晚，无法保护/恢复受影响的作物。我们的项目将专注于识别技术解决方案，以检测、量化和预测线虫活动。

In the UK, approximately 5.5 million tonnes of potatoes are grown every year with around 64% of growers in England (AHDB, 2021). Typically, 40% of fresh potatoes do not meet customer specification, with around 20% being attributed to damage from the field including pest.Wireworm is becoming a major pest issue in potato farming as chemicals previously used to eradicate are being withdrawn from the market. Infestations usually go undetected, unless uncovered through small scale crop sampling, frequently too late to protect/recover affected crop.Our project will focus on identifying technology solutions to detect, quantify and forecast wireworm activity.