Red alarm level: Zikade threatens potato harvest in the Ludwigsburg district!

Red alarm level: Zikade threatens potato harvest in the Ludwigsburg district!

Ludwigsburg, Deutschland - The concerns of farmers in the Ludwigsburg district are large. The threat from the reed glass inging cigade, a small insect of less than one centimeter in size, assumes alarming dimensions. According to a report by Krzbb.de, potato manufacturers such as Sarah Escher-Gauß, Werner Escher and Alexander Gauß from Remseck are particularly affected. They warn that the cicada transfers diseases that lead to significant grain losses. As early as 2024, over 100,000 hectares of potatoes and sugar beet were affected, with losses of over 50 percent.

The reed glass weling culinary hibernates in the bottom of grain fields, and then flying into the neighboring sugar beet, where it transmits bacteria that damage the plants. The two main diseases caused by the cicade - SBR and Stolbur - lead to visible damage to the beets that become weak and yellowish. Affected plants have a rubber -like character and a low sugar yield, which is financially burdened by farmers. Vegetable cultures such as carrots, parsnip and beetroot are also not spared, as the reports suggest.

The spread and its consequences

The spread of the cicada, which has been on the advance in Germany since 2008, is considered worrying by experts. Affected regions, such as in Heilbronn, Franconia and Bavaria, have already suffered considerable damage. Christian Lang, Managing Director of the Association of the Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Bübauer, emphatically warns of possible supply bottlenecks in Europe. "The cicada can hike up to 50 kilometers a year," he informs. This combative insect species spreads purposefully in the arable and vegetable space in the southwest, where the district of Ludwigsburg is considered a hotspot.

Despite the possibility that infected vegetables and potatoes are theoretically edible, the food is hardly usable due to the discoloration and an impaired storage capacity. Substantial efforts to combat the zikade are still at the beginning. At the Institute for Sugar Beet Research in Göttingen, research is currently being carried out to breed cicadas in order to better understand their properties. The aim is to develop plant breeding programs that produce resistant varieties. However, this could take up to ten years.

measures to combat

The farmers in the region carefully react optimistically to the latest developments. Emergency registrations for several pesticides to combat the zikade in sugar beet cultivation have been granted since April, and initial attempts show promising results. The use of insecticides has significantly reduced the number of cicada nymphs in the soil. But the problem is complex: a sole solution with pesticides is not sufficient. Rather, a combination of various measures is required to stabilize the yields in the long term. The call for an intelligent crop rotation and the practice of the black wasteland becomes louder - even if their implementation is not without challenges in winter.

The alarm bells ring clearly in the Ludwigsburg district. The zicade is not just a small insect, but a serious threat to food supply in the region and beyond. The affected farmers need support and innovative solutions to master this challenge. Time is pushing and the eyes are directed at the missing answers.