Institut für ökologische Chemie, Pflanzenanalytik und Vorratsschutz
Sugar from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., Chenopodiaceae) is a product of the food industry in Central Europe, which places the highest technological demands on the plant's raw material. The beet moth, Scrobipalpa ocellatella (Boyd) (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae), is an insect that poses a threat to the future of sugar beet cultivation in the light of climate change in Germany and Europe, as warm and dry weather conditions favour its development and spread. The lack of basic knowledge on the beet moth will be provided in the project by working on the following scientific tasks: 1.) Establishment of a rearing system for S. ocellatella in the greenhouse and the development of a bioassay for the selection of tolerant/resistant sugar beet genotypes against feeding larvae. 2.) Characterization of the host-finding behaviour of S. ocellatella and identification of host preferences concerning different B. vulgaris cultivars. 3.) Identification of volatile substances from healthy and infected sugar beet plants that exert an attractive or repellent effect on adult S. ocellatella. 4.) Determination of the developmental parameters of S. ocellatella in the laboratory and development of a prediction model. 5.) Development and establishment of monitoring systems for the early detection of S. ocellatella. The development of a bioassay procedure for identifying tolerant or resistant B. vulgaris genotypes is intended to contribute in the medium term to the development of biochemical and genetic resistance markers for the breeding of resistant varieties. Cultivating resistant varieties is a preventive phytosanitary measure and thus an important component of integrated pest management. These findings are also important for organic farming.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
