Germany: Watch out for scarab beetles in white sweet lupins

Deutsche Saatveredelung AG (DSV) announced that greater attention should be paid to the occurrence of leaf beetles in the stocks of white sweet lupins. The 4 to 10 mm long beetles are gray to brown and have an elongated shape. They have a wide range of hosts and, in addition to lupins, are also found in broad beans, grain peas, soy and small-grain fodder legumes. The beetles leave theirs from March or April at daytime temperatures of around 15 ° C Winter quarters in the soil surface and eat the typical semicircular or circular bays in the leaves of the plants. The beetles are difficult to find because they have a pronounced fall reflex. The larvae of the scarab beetles can be found on and in the root nodules from about the time they flower. They are creamy white, 5 to 7 mm long and have a brown head capsule. The greatest damage occurs when the larvae eat the root nodules, as the N-fixation capacity decreases and an entry point for pathogens is created. Yield and nodule losses of ...