Pest research for cereals and oilseeds

Withdrawal of chemistry has made the management of several crop pests – including cabbage stem flea beetle, aphids and slugs – more challenging. With insecticide resistance present in some species too, our research focuses on the delivery of integrated pest management (IPM) options.

Invertebrate pest control often requires the use of insecticides and molluscicides. However, key chemical options have been withdrawn from the market – including neonicotinoid seed treatments and metaldehyde slug pellets. Pesticide (pyrethroid) resistance in key pest species, such as grain aphid and cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), means alternatives to chemical control are urgently required.

AHDB research focuses on:

• Non-chemical and novel approaches to CSFB control in oilseed rape
• Decision support tools for aphid control in cereals
• Development of insecticide resistance management guidance

A major collaborative project started in 2025 to take CSFB management in winter oilseed rape to the next level. CSFB Research+ is:

• Evaluating the field performance of novel control products
• Improving guidance on cultural control measures
• Fine-tuning understanding of CSFB development
• Generating data on natural enemies
• Priming innovation in CSFB management

Running for nearly five years, the work builds on a long-term series of AHDB- and Defra-funded projects that has dramatically improved understanding of the pest’s life cycle, crop risk factors and effective cultural control strategies.

It also underpinned the release of a top 10 list of CSFB management strategies in 2025. CSFB Research+ will further strengthen the IPM strategies that can form part of a comprehensive CSFB management programme.

Aphids can transmit barley/cereal yellow dwarf viruses (BYDV) to cereals. Pyrethroid insecticides are often used to manage the principal aphid vectors (bird cherry-oat aphid and grain aphid), especially during autumn, which is the main period for virus transmission.

However, an overreliance reliance on pyrethroids is not sustainable. UK grain aphids are already associated with moderate levels of pyrethroid resistance. Every spray increases the risk of selecting for stronger or new forms of resistance in aphid vectors.

To help target sprays, the AHDB BYDV management tool uses weather data to indicate when a second aphid generation (associated with an increased risk of BYDV spread) is likely to be active.

Our current research is improving this decision support tool by incorporating a wider range of information sources, including aphid numbers, the proportion of aphids with BYDV, drill date and spray costs.

It is driven by a computer model that has shown potential to time sprays more accurately. The current research is improving the model and helping deliver an easy-to-use software solution to help deliver effective BYDV control in the field.

One of our PhD studentship projects studies the potential use of trap crops to reduce the number of virus vectors entering nearby commercial crops. It also examines the volatile chemicals that attract aphids, which may be used to develop novel tools for monitoring and control.

Arthropod pests evolve to contend with the chemical control tactics used against them. This process has resulted in various forms of insecticide resistance developing in many major crop pests, including aphids, whiteflies, thrips, beetles and spider mites. AHDB invests in long-term research to monitor the sensitivity of key pest species to insecticides and to ensure resistance management guidance is robust.

Insecticide Resistance Action Group (IRAG)

AHDB works with IRAG to develop, produce, and promote guidance on insecticide resistance.

Information on all pest research projects is available in our research archive:

• In the ‘Sector’ drop-down box, select ‘Cereals & Oilseeds’
• In the ‘Topic’ drop-down box, select ‘Pest management’

Note: A report is submitted at the end of each project. After review (which can take several weeks), the final project report is published on the corresponding project page. At this stage, the project is official complete.