To me, to you developing a push pull system for sustainable management of aphid pests in seed and ware potato crops

The value of seed and ware potato crops is reduced by a range of aphid transmitted viruses, collectively known as 'persistent' and 'non-persistent' viruses. Persistent viruses can only be transmitted by species of aphid that settle on potato plants, such as the peach-potato aphid. Meanwhile, non-persistent viruses can be transmitted by both colonising and non-colonising aphids, such as the pea aphid. Growers use certified seed with low levels of virus, however production of sufficient high-quality certified seed has become more difficult in recent years with withdrawal of key insecticides. This situation has been compounded by development of widespread resistance to remaining insecticides in both colonising and non-colonising virus vectors. 'Push-pull' is a crop protection method in which an intercrop or repellent is applied to the crop ('push') and a highly attractive trap crop is grown around the main crop, which acts as a lure for the pest ('pull'). When effectively applied this approach minimises damage to the crop and concentrates the pest in field margins where natural enemies are more numerous where flowering strips are used. Several candidates for inclusion in a 'push-pull' system for virus vectors of potato crops are already known but their effectiveness is currently unknown. This project has the following objectives: Objective 1: Confirm positive behavioural responses, e.g. landing behaviour, of aphid species to one or more potential trap crops. Objective 2: Confirm negative behavioural responses, e.g. landing behaviour, of each species of aphid to one or more plant essential oils and/or companion crops. Objective 3: Investigate aphid landing behaviour within prototype push-pull systems. Objective 4: Optimise push-pull systems e.g. modifying plant mixes within trap crop, spatial arrangement of trap crop plants, use of novel formulations of plant essential oils. Objective 5: Field evaluation of optimised push-pull system under commercial conditions.