Observations on the Occurrence of Larval Infestations of Wheat Bulb Fly, Leptohylemyia coarctata (Fall.)

Abstract

The efiect of the previous crop on the subsequent infestation of winter wheat by the Wheat Bulb Fly, Leptohylemyia coarctata (Fall.), mainly on the clay-loam of Rothamsted Experimental Farm has been investigated for the years 1954 to 1956. By far the highest larval populations followed fallows, the next highest potatoes, which are a low, open cover crop, whilst much lower populations followed the tall crops of beans and wheat, and very small infestations followed the grass mat covers. This confirms the results of previous workers under different agricultural conditions.Previous applications of dung and straw influenced the infestation following fallow in dry summers but not in a wet year. The effects of other manurial treatments were inconclusive.An experiment designed to determine the effect of the crop density on oviposition was inconclusive due to the failure to establish an infestation.Wheat was shown to influence the flight path and to interfere with local egg-laying behaviour, producing a horizontal effect of up to twice its own height.Apart from the foregoing factors, at Rothamsted, where the wheat fields are well separated, the differences in the level of infestation that were observed could be explained by close proximity or otherwise to a centre of heavy fly infestation.Reasons are put forward for suggesting that the effect of the previous crop on oviposition may be interpreted in terms of the opportunity existing for contact with the soil rather than as a preference on the part of the fly.