Insect plague threatens Germany's potato harvest
An insect known as the reed glass-winged cicada is spreading a devastating disease to Germany's potato and vegetables, with some farmers facing total crop failure. What will this mean for consumers?
Insect threat
Inconspicuous but highly dangerous, the reed glass-winged cicada is behind the rapid spread of the plant disease Stolbur. In southern Germany, it's already considered a "serious threat" to the supply of domestic potatoes, vegetables and sugar beet, according to the Baden-Württemberg Agriculture Ministry. The insect has already spread as far as Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
Farmers facing crop failure
The cicada transmits a bacterium to plants that causes potatoes to wilt and beets to become rubbery, resulting in significant losses. Agricultural scientists Anna Dettweiler and Natasha Witczak have been busy preparing vegetable samples and cicada larvae for laboratory tests at the Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers in Worms.
Sounding the alarm
The samples are examined closely under a microscope. According to the chairman of the Sugar Beet Growers Association, the reed glass-winged cicada is undoubtedly the greatest threat ever posed to sustainable food supplies in the European Union. Farmers have urgently called for effective help.
Vegetable quality suffers
The cicada carries the bacterium Candidatus Phytoplasma solani, which is transmitted to plants through bites and often leads to Stolbur disease, characterized by wilting plants and rubbery tubers or roots. Vegetables become difficult to store, yields decline and taste and quality suffer, due in part to lower sugar content.
Not just potatoes
Onions, celery, cabbage, carrots and in some cases rhubarb and peppers are also susceptible to the disease. In a rhubarb field, these scientists are analyzing the damage caused by the cicada infestation.
Blame climate change
The spread of these unwanted insects is due to various factors, especially the weather. Climate change is making summers warmer and winters milder, creating ideal conditions for pests. This extends their period of activity, increases reproduction and allows them to spread more widely into new regions and cause greater damage.
Local produce may be scarce
Covering plants with nets can help to contain the disease. According to authorities, Stolbur poses no threat to human health — and potatoes and vegetables with a rubbery consistency or visible signs of rot are not allowed to be sold. However, if the disease continues to spread, locally grown produce may become scarcer in the autumn.