Wheat bulb fly hatch starts in East Anglia

UK - January 28, 2008

Mild weather has encouraged early wheat bulb fly hatch in East Anglia according to Dow AgroSciences. 

Dow AgroSciences Pestwatch, which monitors sites in East Anglia, shows that egg hatch is now between 10 and 22%. With wheat bulb fly needing treatment at around 15% egg hatch East Anglian growers should check for signs of damage now.   

“Use a Risk Assessment Chart to identify high risk fields and check for signs of wheat bulb fly damage,” advises David Roberts, Dow AgroSciences technical specialist. “If there is a problem, and ground conditions permit, then Dursban WG should be applied as soon as practical.”

Where wheat bulb fly threaten yield, Dursban WG (chlorpyrifos) should be applied at 1.0 kg/ha in 200 to 1,000 litres of water a hectare. If necessary, Dursban WG can be applied to frosty ground but should not be tank mixed. Dursban WG must not be applied in tank mix with Atlantis WG, regardless of weather conditions. An interval of 14 days must be observed between applications of Dursban WG and Atlantis WG.