The broadbean seed beetle (Bruchus rufimanus) is a significant pest of faba bean (Vicia faba) both in Latvia and in many other parts of the world. The objective of this study was to check the susceptibility of the faba bean variety ‘Merkurʼ to the broadbean seed beetle in Latvia, comparing it with other popular varieties: ‘Boxerʼ and ‘Lauraʼ. The trials were conducted in 2021 and 2022 at the Research and Study Farm ‘Peterlaukiʼ in Jelgava County and at a commercial farm in Cēsis County. The larval infestation rate of seeds of different varieties, the survival rate of individuals (larvae, pupae, imagines) in the seeds, as well as the percentage of seeds damaged by the pest in the yield were compared. It was observed that ‘Merkurʼ seeds were significantly less infested than ‘Boxerʼ and ‘Lauraʼ seeds. However, the survival rate of larvae in the seeds of ‘Merkurʼ was similar to that in ‘Lauraʼ seeds and higher than in ‘Boxerʼ seeds. The highest proportion of seeds damaged by the pest was found in the ‘Merkurʼ and ‘Boxerʼ yields, varying between 5–75% between years and trial locations. Therefore, it was concluded that the variety ‘Merkurʼ, evaluated from a practical point of view, does not differ from the other two varieties. Without taking additional plant protection measures, the percentage of seeds damaged by the broadbean seed beetle can significantly exceed the maximum limit (3%) specified in the buyersʼ quality criteria.

Tan spot is an economically important disease of wheat in Latvia, but there is still insufficient information about its causal agent’s Pyrenophora tritici-repentis diversity in Latvia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the disease phenotype in the field and the possible presence of necrotrophic effectors Ptr ToxA, Ptr ToxB and Ptr ToxC in the P. tritici-repentis population in Latvia. Typical differential wheat lines ‘Glenlea’, ‘6B662’, ‘6B365’ and ‘Salamouni’ were evaluated under the field conditions in 2023 in the central part of Latvia. The highest tan spot severity was observed during the flowering stage with no significant difference between wheat genotypes. During the experiment, the typical disease phenotypes corresponding to all three known effectors were noted. Additionally, typical tan spot symptoms were determined on the resistant cultivar ‘Salamouni’, confirming the presence of new, currently uncharacterised effectors that are not compatible with the existing race model. Future studies should focus on searching for new effectors and further characterising known necrotrophic effectors, as knowledge about P. tritici-repentis and wheat interaction is still incomplete.