Output 1: By 2029, deliver practical management strategies and forecasting tools for earwigs affecting grain crops.
Description:
- Focus on key species relevant to crop establishment and growth, particularly the European earwig (Forficula auricularia).
- Building on previous research, undertake practical field studies assessing both chemical and non-chemical management practices that growers would consider feasible.
- Develop a forecasting tool to predict earwig infestations ahead of the season, ideally based on observations from the previous spring.
- Implement economic impact studies to quantify the direct and indirect losses attributed to earwigs in different cropping systems, including long-term monitoring of affected and unaffected fields for a more accurate assessment.
- An advisory group including relevant growers and advisers will provide real-world feedback to ensure practicality, field relevance, and improve adoption of the management strategies.
Output 2: By 2029, deliver practical management strategies and forecasting tools for slaters affecting grain crops.
Description:
- Focus on key species relevant to crop establishment and growth, including the Pill bug (Armadillidium vulgare) and the Common rough woodlouse (Porcellio scaber).
- Prioritise research on disentangling the roles of A. vulgare and P. scaber as grain pests, particularly in southern and western regions.
- Conduct microcosm studies to assess crop susceptibility to Porcellio scaber and compare it with previous work on A. vulgare.
- Based on the above and building on previous research, undertake practical field studies assessing both chemical and non-chemical management practices that growers would consider feasible.
- Develop a forecasting tool to predict slater infestations ahead of the season, ideally based on observations from the previous spring.
- Develop a guide for accurate slater identification and understanding of the damage they cause.
- Develop a framework for longitudinal studies to track the population dynamics of slaters and their economic impact over multiple growing seasons and varying environmental conditions.
- An advisory group including relevant growers and advisers will provide real-world feedback to ensure practicality, field relevance, and improve adoption of the management strategies.
Output 3: By 2029, equip growers and advisers with tools to accurately assess and manage millipede damage in crops.
Description:
- Focus on key species relevant to crop establishment and growth, particularly the Black Portuguese millipede (Ommatoiulus moreleti).
- Emphasise understanding the impacts of O. moreleti in grain crops, especially in the southern region, and determine if millipede damage is often misattributed to other pests. Provide practical examples/case studies illustrating scenarios where millipedes may or may not be the primary cause of damage.
- Undertake practical field studies assessing both chemical and non-chemical management practices that growers would consider feasible.
- Develop a forecasting tool to predict millipede infestations ahead of the season, ideally based on spring observations.
- An advisory group including relevant growers and advisers will provide real-world feedback to ensure practicality, field relevance, and improve adoption of the management strategies.
Output 4: By 2029, provide enhanced integrated pest management strategies for earwigs, millipedes, and slaters.
Description:
Consolidate new knowledge on these pests and investigate practical, economic, integrated management practices. The work will address, but is not limited to:
- Investigate drivers behind population outbreaks to enhance pest forecasting accuracy.
- Explore the feasibility of using spring/summer monitoring techniques to predict autumn outbreaks.
- Enhance the reliability of existing monitoring methods for precise pest detection.
- Build upon prior research with targeted field trials to quantify the impacts and determine optimal timing for cultural controls.
- Collaborate with growers to implement and monitor cultural control strategies, generating evidence-based recommendations.
- Investigate the economics of registered insecticides and baits and provide guidance on application methods, rates, and timing.
- An advisory group, including relevant growers and advisers, will be consulted to review and refine IPM strategies, ensuring they are field-tested, practical, and suited for broader adoption.
Output 5: By 2029, consolidate and extend existing and new knowledge on earwigs, slaters and millipedes, including their management, in formats suitable for uptake by growers and advisers
Description:
- Assist growers and advisers in accurately identifying damage patterns, predicting pest outbreaks, and implementing practical, integrated pest management strategies.
- Include economic impact reports and case studies in educational materials to highlight financial implications and benefits of effective management.
- Disseminate findings and recommendations in practical formats such as factsheets, videos, podcasts, including, where needed, guides on identification and life histories.
- Communicate through interactive fora including field walks, workshops, and webinars to ensure accessibility and actionable knowledge.
Output 6: By 2029, deliver an impact assessment of earwigs, slaters, and millipedes affecting grain crops to more accurately estimate value losses and inform future management strategies.
Description:
- Collaborate with growers, agronomists, and economists to gather both anecdotal and empirical data on crop losses, resowing costs, and yield impacts.
- Ensure that the collected data is presented in a format that can directly inform future pest management strategies, making them economically viable and practical for growers.
- Use the assessment to provide detailed insights into the economic implications of these pest infestations, guiding decision-making for both immediate and long-term management approaches.
