Enhancing natural enemies in sugar beet fields: The impact of flower strip types and landscape elements

Flower strips (FS) enhance predators that can help regulate aphids. In sugar beet crops, early-season aphid populations can spread viruses, so timely FS resources are key to attract aphid predators to reduce virus transmission. This study aims to identify the optimal FS type(s) for supporting aphid antagonists in early spring, track their abundances in the different FS types, and analyze the landscape factors influencing antagonist presence. We selected three different seed mixtures, each sown on 10 sugar beet fields managed without insecticides. FS types were compared to sugar beet strips in fields without insecticides and conventionally managed fields, both served as controls. We assessed the strips by counting flowers and collecting insects with a sweep net in mid-April, early May, and early June. Autumn-sown annual and second-year perennial FS produced greater and earlier flower volumes than other treatments. Over time, the flower compositions of these two FS types also became incre..., , # Data from: Enhancing natural enemies in sugar beet fields: The impact of flower strip types and landscape elements

**Column description for flower_measurments_20240827.csv**

* name_scientific Indicates the scientific plant name

- nema_german indicates the German plant name

* diameter_in_mm indicates the diameter of a spherical flower unit (exception in the Asteraceae family, the whole capitulum, including petals, was measured)

- height_in_mm indicates the height of a spherical flower unit (exception in the Asteraceae family, the whole capitulum, including petals, was measured)

* length_in_mm indicates the length of a tubular flower unit (exception in the Asteraceae family, the whole capitulum, including petals, was measured)

- width_in_mm indicates the width of a tubular flower unit (exception in the Asteraceae family, the whole capitulum, including petals, was measured
- Comments that were made are noted there and missing data represented as NA.

**Column description for flowe...,