NA - Cooperation for R&D on cultural and biological pest control in field vegetables

The project is intended to bring together researchers in the USA, Canada and Norway all of whom are currently working on similar topics, but individually. The Norwegian project leader has established contact with each of the suggested participants, and al l of these have expressed interest in better collaboration to bring forth a synergism from our research efforts. The scientific focus of the collaboration is insect pests of root crops. Root maggots attacking brassicas are a major problem in Norway and parts of Canada and the USA, while similar species are a major problem on beets in the USA. All of the proposed collaborators have many years experience in research on these pests. The importance of these pests in Norway is reflected in the current resear ch activity funded by the Research Fund from the Food Production Levy and from Innovasjon Norge.The North American collaborators have been studying cultural methods to control these pests, such as fences of insect net, and biological methods, such as bene ficial fungi. The project will encompass visits to the participants' research centres and workshops in North America and Norway. The workshop in Norway will culminate in the preparation of a proposal for a joint research project to develop and integrate the different control methods that the participants are investigating.