Monitoring the occurrence of pests on cover crops

The Dataset brings results of a 3-year field evaluation (2022–2024) of the occurrence of insect pests and damage caused by them to ten cover crop species – Watercress ( Lepidium sativum L.), Oil radish ( Raphanus sativus L.), Mustard ( Sinapis alba L.), Purple tansy ( Phacelia tanacetifolia B.), Crimson clover ( Trifolium incarnatum L.), Millet ( Panicum miliaceum L.), Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum L.), Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum - graecum L.), Hungarian vetch ( Vicia pannonica Crantz.), and Safflower ( Carthamus tinctorius L.), grown after the harvest of winter wheat. Observations made in the respective years revealed six key pest species whose abundance was determined or leaf area damage converted to one plant. In order to allow an interspecific comparison when applying two different evaluation methods, all variables were standardized using the min-max (0-1) method and a Composite Susceptibility Index (CSI) was calculated. The data set contains the mean CSI value including zeros – no occurrence (overall risk of infestation and damage) as well as without zeros (intensity of infestation and damage), 95% confidence intervals and categorial susceptibility classes. Resulting data provide a quantitative basis for the identification of cover crops less attractive to insect pests and for the evaluation of ecological stability of the stands of cover crops in conditions of Central Europe.