Assessment Of Bruchid (bruchus Signaticornis) Damage To Lentils In Mainland France And Current Status Of Control Measures.

The lentil industry in France has been booming in recent years, but Bruchus signaticornis has put the sector at risk. This insect develops its larvae in lentil seeds, consuming the interior before emerging from the seeds as an adult after lentil harvest. Field control products are not very effective, and do not enable farmers to reduce populations. This article presents the work strategy implemented by Terres Inovia and its partners to gain a better understanding of the insect's biology, determine its impact on seed lots and support the fight against this pest. Monitoring of bruchid populations has made it possible to describe the temporality and dynamics of bruchid colonization of lentil plots, and to understand the insect's reproductive biology. The development of a reliable method for determining the rate of infestated seeds is part of the same approach. We therefore reviewed the methods used by collectors, and assessed their reliability. Monitoring of bruchid pressure on a national scale via annual surveys of lentil quality in storage has also been carried out since 2021. Lastly, alternative solutions are being developed for control in the field and in storage. In the field, several solutions are being studied: the use of biocontrol products, control using kairomone traps, the use of associated crops and push-pull confusion. Control during storage, in particular by phosphine treatment, vacuum packing or deep-freezing, remains the most effective means of limiting recontamination in the environment.