In June 2021, Teagasc will complete the construction of a 12.2m high insect suction tower at Ashtown Research Centre in North Dublin. Similar towers have already demonstrated useful early detection or changes to populations of Willow Carrot Aphid and Peach Potato Aphid aphids specific, to horticultural crops. This tower will be the third of three 12.2m permanent towers, the others are already constructed and operational in Carlow and Cork. This suction tower network is based on a design from Rothamsted Research Aphid Monitoring Network, which is the longest running insect experiment in the world. These towers will allow us to build a better understanding on the impact of climatic conditions on aphid movement and the epidemiology of viruses associated with aphid vectors. Work from Rothamsted in the 1970s indicated that the aphid catch in each suction tower is reflective of the aphid catches from approximately 80 km diameter around the tower. Therefore, the network will allow us to make observations, which cover much of the East, South-East and South of Ireland, covering much of the horticultural activity in Ireland. In addition, several mobile towers have been purchased and can be extended between 2m to 6m in height. These will be used to monitor on-farm locations as need arises. This infrastructure will help to build our understanding of aphid ecology in Ireland and ultimately will allow the development of better knowledge transfer to the horticultural sector in Ireland. For more information, please contact Michael.Gaffney@Teagasc.ie.
