Biology, Ecology, and Management of Flea Beetles in Brassica Crops

Abstract

Brassica vegetable and oilseed crops are attacked by several different flea beetle species (Chrysomelidae: Alticini). Over the past decades, most research has focused on two Phyllotreta species, Phyllotreta striolata and Phyllotreta cruciferae, which are major pests of oilseed rape in North America. More recently, and especially after the ban of neonicotinoids in the European Union, the cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephala, has become greatly important and is now considered to be the major pest of winter oilseed rape in Europe. The major challenges to flea beetle control are the prediction of population dynamics in the field, differential susceptibility to insecticides, and the lack of resistant plant cultivars and other economically viable alternative management strategies. At the same time, many fundamental aspects of flea beetle biology and ecology, which may be relevant for the development of sustainable control strategies, are not well understood. This review focuses on the interactions between flea beetles and plants and summarizes the literature on current management strategies with an emphasis on the potential for biological control in flea beetle management.

Effective target genes for RNA interference-based management of the cabbage stem flea beetle

“…The larvae feed inside petioles and stems through tunneling, while the adults feed on the leaves and cotyledons of the crops (Ortega-Ramos et al, 2022). Managing CSFB has become increasingly challenging due to the ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments and the emergence of pyrethroid-resistant populations, the primary insecticide group used against CSFB in Europe (Højland et al, 2015; Willis et al, 2020; Ortega-Ramos et al, 2022; Li et al, 2024). In a previous study, we showed that RNAi has the potential to control CSFB (Cedden et al, 2024).…”

“…The cabbage stem flea beetle is an important pest of winter oilseed rape crops, particularly in northern Europe (Sivčev et al, 2016; Li et al, 2024). The larvae feed inside petioles and stems through tunneling, while the adults feed on the leaves and cotyledons of the crops (Ortega-Ramos et al, 2022).…”