Do different field bordering elements affect cabbage seed weevil damage and its parasitism rate differently in winter oilseed rape?
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Gabriella Kovács, Riina Kaasik, Kaia Treier, Anne Luik & Eve Veromann
Pages: 75-80
Abstract: The cabbage seed weevil, Ceutorhynchus obstrictus, is an important oilseed rape crop pest in Europe. Its abundance is usually managed by synthetic insecticides that can be harmful to neutral and beneficial organisms, including parasitoids, occurring in the agricultural fields. Parasitoids can play an important role in the control of the population size of seed weevils. This experiment was conducted to see if and how different field bordering element types affect cabbage seed weevil infestation and parasitism rate in conventionally grown winter oilseed rape crops. The percentage of damaged pods was low (between 8.5% and 10.9%), but even with such low pest abundance the parasitism rate was sufficient for efficient biocontrol; varying between 55.5% and 68%.