“Nursery” for the pest: science saves rapeseed from total destruction

In the laboratories of Chernogolovka, work is boiling over to create an unusual “incubator”. Scientists form a permanent population of rape sawmill - an insect that sounds like a sentence to farmers. This pest can leave farmers without crops, destroying up to 95% of rapeseed and cabbage crops. To find control over such a dangerous enemy, specialists need to watch him live, without leaving the walls of the laboratory.

To launch a scientific experiment in Chernogolovka brought a live “cargo” from Mordovia – the larvae of the rape sawmiller. Now the researchers are faced with the task of creating ideal conditions for insects to go through all stages of development and give stable offspring. This artificially created, but as close as possible to the natural population will be tested the latest plant protection products. This will allow scientists to accurately simulate situations that occur in real fields and test the effectiveness of chemistry or biological methods before they fall into the hands of farmers.

Grain flies are in business, too

However, the ambitions of Blackhead biologists are not limited to rape sawing. Together with the dangerous larvae of the cabbage enemy from Mordovia, larvae of cereal flies were also brought. For these insects, the laboratory also selects special conditions of detention. This is part of a large-scale program to study and control the complex of pests that threaten agriculture.

Creating such a “living collection” is a painstaking work that requires precision. But it is thanks to such laboratory populations that scientists have the opportunity to wage war against pests not blindly, but with accurate calculation, preserving crops and ecological balance.