Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 19 P RODUCERS are reporting that regenerative farming practices are adding complexity to the challenge of effective wireworm control. The Enigma I R&D project, established by Fera Science, aims to find a solution. Established as a model to support continued R&D and knowledge transfer across the agri-food sector, the first collaborative Enigma project is focussed on investigating sustainable wireworm control techniques within modern farming systems. The Enigma I partners, several of whom are potato and fresh produce producers, are closely involved in shaping industry research requirements that are subsequently delivered by world class scientists within Fera Science. By providing a platform for open Innovation, the Enigma model is supporting growers in finding answers to industry-wide problems. Dr Larissa Collins, Entomology R&D Team leader at Fera, who has been leading the team undertaking Enigma I wireworm research, explains more. “We’re four months into the three-year project, and thanks to the contribution of our partners, we’re well underway with collecting soil samples and extracting and identifying click beetles which produce wireworm larvae. “It’s a joint effort, with our Enigma I partners, who have all seen wireworm damage get ever worse in their crops, helping us to pinpoint 18 different species of click beetle so far. Over the coming months we’ll be meta-barcoding to find out which species cause damage to which crops, providing valuable insight and signposting us to sustainable control strategies that work.” Working together A collaborative approach means Enigma partners all have a say in steering the project’s aims, she said. “One of the first revelations from Enigma I was the volume of questions we received from our partners about the challenge of wireworm control with regenerative agricultural systems. “Hence, we’re evolving our project to include lab investigation into the effect of different cover crops on wireworm larvae and we’re hopeful to offer practical guidance on IPM techniques that deliver for regenerative agriculture.” ‘The right thing for our sector’ Andrew Francis, former Farms Director at Elveden Estates, Co-Founder of TEAM AG (UK) Ltd and Enigma I partner, said he is pleased to support a research project that addresses the challenge of balancing wireworm control with regenerative strategies. “Investing in regenerative agriculture is absolutely the right thing for our sector to be doing, but there is a risk that including cover crops in a rotation can actually make a wireworm problem worse,” Andrew said. ➜ PEST CONTROL Working in tandem? Team considers whether wireworm control and regenerative agriculture can go hand-in-hand.