virus yellows

As sugar beet drilling reaches its conclusion, focus will shift to carefully managing the crop to reach its yield potential, with close monitoring required to avoid a bad infestation of virus yellows and ensure nutrition needs are met

Unlike last year, when land was already on the verge of being ready to drill in early to mid-March, sugar beet drilling has only recently started on the lighter soils

While mid-May's cooler weather saw lower early aphid counts in sugar beet crops, late-drilled crops are likely to present an easy target for aphid colonisation and challenges for insecticide targeting

A root crops update from Hutchinsons agronomist, Daryll Shailes

Beet growers could face a virus epidemic on the scale of 2020, with aphids expected to be flying into new crops as they emerge

Delays to sugar beet planting could increase the risk of virus yellows infection at early crop growth stages, where emergence coincides with warmer weather and greater aphid pest activity.