Enigma I | Sustainable Wireworm IPM
Wireworm continues to be a problem for potato and carrot growers and is increasingly being seen in other crops such as cereals, field beans, sugar beat, onions and maize. The pattern of wireworm damage is changing, Fera partnered with the industry to understand why and how these damage patterns are altering.
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The Challenge
Wireworms (larvae of click beetles, Elateridae) were causing increasing damage across UK crops, including potatoes, carrots, cereals, maize and sugar beet.
Damage patterns had shifted. Incidence increased, occurred earlier in the season, and affected land with no history of grass. Early harvesting was no longer a viable mitigation strategy.
Wireworm pressure limited the adoption of regenerative agriculture. Minimum tillage systems sustained populations at levels comparable to grassland, while ploughing remained one of the few effective controls.
Monitoring was a key limitation. There were no reliable sampling protocols or rapid methods to identify wireworm species in the field. This restricted the ability to predict crop risk, understand species behaviour, and assess the impact of climate change and crop rotation.
Species-level understanding was limited. It was unclear which species were driving damage, how they responded to cover crops, or whether historical misidentification had obscured emerging risks.
The Solution
A molecular identification approach was developed to resolve wireworm species and link populations to crop damage.
Next generation sequencing methods enabled rapid identification of larvae using reference DNA sequences. Where reference data was incomplete, new sequences were generated from field-collected or reared adult beetles, supported by curated specimen collections.
Field sampling was conducted across crops, soils, cover-cropped land and processing lines to build a representative dataset of wireworm presence and activity. Frass analysis and gut content identification were assessed to attribute crop damage to species, including where larvae were not present.
Species distribution and behaviour were analysed alongside agronomic practices, including cover cropping, minimum tillage and crop rotation.
Life history studies were completed under UK-relevant temperature regimes to establish development rates, lifecycle stages and environmental responses for key species.
Monitoring data was integrated into decision-support frameworks. Predictive models were developed using soil temperature and moisture to assess site suitability and future risk under climate change scenarios.
Sampling strategies were refined, and monitoring outputs were structured for practical application, including digital access and alert systems.
The Output
- Molecular methods for accurate identification of wireworm species.
- Evidence on the impact of cover crops on subsequent wireworm damage.
- Identification of which species were responsible for crop damage, and the timing of that damage.
- A wireworm identification service for larvae and damage attribution.
- Standardised monitoring approaches to support sustainable IPM strategies.
- Predictive models identifying species risk across UK regions under current and future climate conditions.
- Access to monitoring data, risk mapping and alerts via web-based tools.
