CARROT FLY RESISTANT CARROT VARIETIES

Carrot fly is the most problematic pest of carrots, and generally undetected until the crop is ready for harvest. Typical symptoms are rusty brown scars that ring the tap roots, making the carrot inedible, and susceptible to secondary rots.

The best carrot fly resistant seeds varieties are listed below:

Healthmaster

Carrot fly larvae damage

Resistance lies in them having low levels of chlorogenic acid, a chemical which the larvae of the carrot fly needs for survival. This means that they appear to be unattractive to the fly and even if your crop is attacked to some degree the larvae will soon die after doing relatively little damage.

Flyfree

Like the Healthmaster cultivar, resistance to the carrot fly lies in them having low levels of chlorogenic acid,

Carrot Maestro F1

A reliable and excellent quality Nantes type with excellent pest and disease resistance (including Carrot Root Fly). RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. This carrot has been trialled, tested and recommended by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.

Flyaway

Carrot fly larvae

The result of over 15 years breeding, this is perhaps the closest a carrot variety has become to being completely carrot fly resistant . In recent trials it came out top when grown against over 20 other 'resistant' varieties. Again, its resistance lies in it having low levels of chlorogenic acid, a chemical which the larvae of the carrot fly needs for survival.

Its is a Nantes type with cylindrical roots and a good blunt end and, perhaps most importantly, they are succulent and sweet. This variety is based on original breeding work carried out by Dr Bob Ellis and sponsored by MAFF funding.

For related articles click onto the following links:
GROW PURPLE CARROT SEEDS
HOW TO GROW AUTUMN CARROTS FROM SEED
HOW TO GROW CARROTS FROM SEED
WHEN DO YOU HARVEST CARROTS