Entomological research is concerned with the main cereal-crop pests – chiefly, cereal-leaf beetle (CLB) and aphids which are vectors of the barley yellow dwarf virus (trapping, virus transmission, flight curve). A decision aid concerning these vectors is currently being developed. The re-evaluation of the intervention threshold for CLB is an integral part of current research.
Moreover, a study on the varietal sensitivity and biology of the orange blossom midge is being conducted. The latter is an underlying pest constituting the portal of entry for various diseases such as fusarium infection.The side-effects of the different approved insecticides on the biological-control agents in cereals has also been the subject of a study.
