Halfway through its investigation into sustainable Wireworm control—a pest that causes large annual yield losses in many root vegetables, including potatoes—the Fera-led R&D project Enigma I is reporting outstanding findings.

“Over 1,100 samples of click beetles have been collected on-farm by project partners, such as Syngenta, G’s Growers, Pearce Seeds, Blackthorn Arable, Elveden Farms, and Inov3PT, enabling Fera scientists to analyze differences in species and damage patterns,” according to a recent press release.

With these newfound insights and advanced analytical techniques, the scientists have created a photographic key that will aid producers in more precise Wireworm population identification, monitoring, and control.

Growers are gaining from the scientific know-how at the core of the R&D strategy, according to Enigma I partner and Blackthorn Arable owner Martyn Cox.

“Before becoming involved in the Enigma project, we had a good idea of the direction needed to control Wireworm, but the industry was desperate for a greater understanding of the pest, to help us come up with more effective management strategies and minimize commercial risk,” Cox declared.

Encouraging others to support upcoming Enigma research projects, he added that Enigma I partners are impressed with how the market-focused scientists have delivered fast-paced progress.

“The Fera team’s scientific rigor and expertise has been world-class. The scientists are working with us on a peer-to-peer level and get what we’re trying to achieve on the ground,” Martyn Cox also mentioned.

These joined-up efforts have been crucial to changing the status quo for IPM.

“Insights from the Enigma I research have helped us develop an on-farm Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy I’m proud of, and this will help achieve better wireworm control,” the Blackthorn Arable owner also declared.

Fera Science’s projects director, Adam Bedford, is excited to use the lessons learned from Enigma I to address other urgent agri-food problems.

“Our upcoming projects, Enigma II and III, will again bring growers and scientists together to address knowledge gaps more effectively. This time, to uphold productivity and food safety in fresh produce crops,” he explains.

The next research project, Enigma III, is being driven by the need to ensure the highest levels of food safety across the fresh produce sector and to give further confidence to vertical and controlled environment farming companies and retailers.

It will involve developing industry-led, scientifically validated guidance on food safety issues, Bedford explains.

“In partnership with the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), we’ll be working hand-in-hand with vertical farming companies to further develop effective food safety guidance they can implement. This will help the supply chain realize the benefits of precision-driven food production while continuing to ensure consumer safety. We’re keen to ensure the research outcomes deliver practical support for growers, and welcome organizations in the fresh produce supply chain to partner with us on Enigma II or III,” he concluded.

Wireworms are the soil-dwelling larvae of click beetles. Several wireworm species occur in western potato soils.

Adults do not damage potatoes, but the larvae, or wireworms, may damage seed pieces and young root systems during stand establishment, resulting in poor stands. More commonly the damage is seen as shallow to deep holes in the potatoes, caused by wireworms burrowing into the tuber while feeding. Wireworms bore perpendicularly or diagonally to depths up to 0.5 inch, but do not tunnel through the tuber.