New tool helps growers manage BYDV spray decisions

Developed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the free resource is the result of more than £500,000 of industry and levy-funded research.

It aims to support growers in making informed decisions about insecticide applications by identifying when treatments are likely to be financially justified.

Dr Sacha White, lead crop protection scientist at AHDB, said: "The new BYDV tool accounts for many important risk factors not considered by the T-sum tool, such as the number of aphids flying, the proportion that carry virus and the relationship between infection and yield and financial losses in susceptible varieties.

"Our research shows that using the tool’s spray and sow-date assessments, alongside local knowledge, can help reduce the number of insecticide applications and protect more yield compared to the T-sum tool when BYDV is present."

BYDV is spread by aphids and can cause yield losses in winter wheat and winter barley.

The tool incorporates regional aphid activity, virus prevalence, weather data, drilling dates and crop economics to provide a more comprehensive risk assessment than the traditional T-sum method.

It is primarily based on the bird cherry-oat aphid, currently regarded as the most important BYDV vector in much of the UK.

Growers can enter field-specific information, including location, crop type, sowing date and whether the field is surrounded entirely by arable land.

The system then compares the predicted value of yield losses against treatment costs to guide spray decisions.

While the tool is designed to improve autumn management decisions, AHDB emphasised that it should be used in conjunction with local knowledge.

The tool is now available on the AHDB website.