Now Available: 2024 e-Field Research Report on Cereal Leaf Beetle (Year 2!)

This past summer, Tilmon Lab Student Research Assistants, Stephanie Pflaum and Maddie Brillhart collaborated for a second year with Dr. Ryan Haden (OSU ATI) to assess cereal leaf beetle (CLB) presence on a variety of organic small grains. Students collected data to determine if there was a difference in the number of larvae and visible plant damage on 13 different varieties of organic small grains. Data was collected by counting the total number of larvae per 20 plants in each plot. In addition, damage was also assessed on a visual rating scale. A major difference between 2023 and 2024 was the overall number of CLB that were observed. In 2023, the population of CLB was much higher than in 2024. CLB is known to be a sporadic pest, making it difficult to target year to year. Despite the overall reduction of numbers, there were significantly less cereal leaf beetle larvae on triticale compared to the oats.