Integrated Management of Pea Leaf Weevil (Sitona lineatus) in Pulse Crops

The pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus, is a widespread pest of pulse crops such as field pea, faba bean and broad bean. Adults feed on foliar tissue, reducing photosynthetic capacity, while larvae consume root nodules and disrupt symbiotic nitrogen fixation, leading to yield losses and diminished soil fertility. Integrated pest management (IPM) combines cultural, biological, chemical and monitoring tactics to keep weevil populations below economic thresholds. Cultural measures include crop rotations away from legumes, the use of trap crops and strategic sowing dates to avoid peak adult emergence. Biological control exploits natural enemies such as predatory ground beetles and entomopathogenic nematodes to suppress larval stages. Chemical interventions emphasise seed treatments and foliar applications timed by monitoring data to minimise non-target effects. Accurate monitoring using pheromone-baited traps and rapid assays of nodule damage informs decision-making and reduces unnecessary pesticide use. Recent advances in climate modelling and diagnostic assays have refined risk prediction and improved damage quantification, enhancing the precision of IPM programmes and supporting sustainable pulse production worldwide.

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Integrated Management of Pea Leaf Weevil (Sitona lineatus) in Pulse Crops publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in integrated management of pea leaf weevil (sitona lineatus) in pulse crops across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Integrated pest management (IPM): A decision-support approach that combines multiple control methods to maintain pest populations below damaging levels with minimal environmental impact.

Semiochemical: A chemical signal released by plants or insects used to attract or repel pests, often employed in lures for monitoring traps.

Root nodule: A specialised structure on legume roots housing nitrogen-fixing bacteria, vulnerable to damage by weevil larvae.

Leghaemoglobin: An oxygen-binding protein in legume root nodules whose concentration reflects nodule integrity and nitrogen-fixation activity.

References

1. Abundance, Harmfulness, and Control of Pea Leaf Weevil in Broad Beans (Vicia faba Linn.). Agriculture (2022).
2. Pheromone-Trap Monitoring System for Pea Leaf Weevil, Sitona lineatus: Effects of Trap Type, Lure Type and Trap Placement within Fields. Insects (2018).
3. Use of semiochemical-baited traps to monitor the range expansion of the invasive Sitona lineatus (Curculionidae: Coleoptera) and the presence of associated ground beetles. The Canadian Entomologist (2024).
4. A fluorometric assay to estimate pea leaf weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) larval feeding damage using leghaemoglobin in root nodules of faba bean (Fabaceae). The Canadian Entomologist (2022).