Replacement task on oilseed rape pests

Please document the following oilseed rape insect pests and damage patterns by photo in
an oilseed rape field in your area. Please insert the respective photos into a word document,
indicating the pest species and/or damage pattern in the order of the tasks, and answer the
questions, which are mentioned in the task instructions. After completion of the replacement task,
please send the word document to the email-id karthimrgn@gmail.com before end of 9th May,
2021.

Material:
- Introductory lecture on oilseed rape pests.
- Videos on rape pollen beetle, rape stem and cabbage shoot weevils
(will be made available on StudIP soon)
- Informational brochure on oilseed rape pests:
https://www.rapool.de/index.cfm/nav/46/action/shop.html

Tasks:
1. Cabbage stem flea beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala
The adult flea beetle lays its eggs in the soil near the host plants (winter rape) starting
from end of September. After hatching, the larvae colonize the petioles and mine in the petioles
and later move to the shoots. Overwintering larvae stay in the plant and can be found in the
petioles of the lower leaves before they move to the shoots.
1.1 Pick the lower leaves that have already turned yellow from some plants and
inspect the petioles for larval infestation.
Tip: Infested leaves often have dark spots and the base of the petiole is darkly
discolor. The larvae usually stay close to the base of the petiole. Take photograph
of the larvae in the petiole.

1.2 List the damage done by the beetles and the larvae. Evaluate whether the beetles
or the larvae predominantly cause the economic damage.

1.3 Explain why more attention is needed when treating with pyrethroids. What needs
to be taken into account?
2. Rape stem weevil Ceutorhynchus napi
2.1 The adult weevil secretions released into the plant stem during oviposition lead to
bending, compression and bursting appearance of the stem. Photograph a plant
showing these typical damage symptoms.

2.2 Open the stem of an infested plant (break it or cut it) and take photograph of the
larva.

2.3 Oviposition by rape stem weevils leaves characteristic dark spots on the outside
of the stem. Try to find such egg-laying spots and photograph them.

2.4 Describe the differences between the rape stem weevil and cabbage stem weevil
by mentioning at eight major differences (e.g. size, appearance, life cycle, damage
pattern, control threshold, etc.).

3. Rape pollen beetle Brassicogethes aeneus (syn. Meligethes aeneus)

In spring, adult pollen beetles migrate into oilseed rape fields and feed on rape flower
buds and flowers.
3.1 In order to collect the adult beetles, shake the inflorescences of 10 plants and
count the beetles. Calculate the average number of beetles per plant. Evaluate if
the spraying threshold is exceeded. In the case it is exceeded, would you advise
pesticide treatment at the time of the sampling?
The following two tasks are optional because the symptoms described above may not yet be there
due to the delayed development of the oilseed rape as cause of cold weather. If you wait for a few
more days with sampling, you may be able find these symptoms.

3.2 Beetle feeding on buds that are still closed causes them to dry out and fall off.
Take a picture of a plant with many empty buds on inflorescences (mostly located
at the bottom of the inflorescences). Note: Drought stress and nutrient deficiency
can also cause buds to dry up. In this case, the bud stems will be much shorter and
are often deformed. Try to find a plant with, due to drought stress or nutrient
deficiency, withered buds and photograph them as well. Compare these two
symptoms.

3.3 To lay eggs, females chew a small, slit-shaped hole in a closed bud. Try to find
such a bud, open it and photograph the egg or larva inside.