6
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • JULY 2017
• NEWS
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MAPPNo:17526.Naturalis-L isanoildispersion formulationcontaining7.16%w/w
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NATURALIS
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• Ideal foruse in IPMprogrammes
•Trialshaveshowngoodactivityagainst spidermites
•Noharvest interval
•Nochemical residue
Warwick said: ‘It was clear fromour observation trials that
therewas a lack of understanding about howbiopesticide
efficacy is affectedby factors such as population sizes
of pests anddiseases, environmental factors such
as exposure toUVA andB andwater volumes.More
informationneeds tobe given togrowers on how to apply
biopesticides inpractical situations. This couldbedone
throughmodifications to improve labeling”
Within the next 20 years, the number of biopesticide
products available is likely to exceed the number of
conventional chemical pesticides. Biopesticides are low
risk products for human and environmental safety and
many are residue-exempt,meaning they are not required
tobe routinelymonitoredby regulatory authorities or
retailers. GracieEmeny, knowledge exchangemanager
at AHDB said, “There is a huge opportunity to improve
biopesticideperformanceby helping to increase growers’
knowledge in this area. Clear guidance needs tobe given
togrowers tohelp themget thebest frombiopesticides
and improve their IPDMprogrammes, particularly as the
conventional chemical options available to them continue
to reduce. A key part of AMBERwill be sharing knowledge
and experience from the trialswithgrowers and the
industry to improvebest practice guidelines.”
Biopesticides
An improved knowledge of biopesticides could lead
to improving the success rates of integratedpest
management programmes (IPDM), according toAHDB
Horticulture. Tomake applicationof biopesticidesmore
efficient and effective, growers need tobeprovidedwith
independent advice onwhichbiopesticides to use under
which circumstances andgivenmoredetails on how
they shouldbe applied inpractical situations. Research
byAHDB in the formof observation trials conducted
during 2016 highlighted several opportunities to improve
biopesticideperformance through changes to application
practices, basedon improvedunderstandingof the
optimum conditions required for goodperformance of
eachbiopesticide. This includes quantity of product used,
quantity of water, locationwithin the crop that shouldbe
targeted andother environmental parameters that could
influenceperformance, according toAHDBHorticulture.
The trialswerepart of a five-year AMBERproject funded
byAHDB, with the aimof identifyingmanagement
practices that growers coulduse to improve the
performance of biopesticideproductswithin IPDM.
DavidChandler, principal research fellow at University of
EuroReport
Apayment schemebasedon sustainablepractices should
replace theCAPonceBrexit is complete, according to a
new report by environmental consultants, Sustain.
The report, Beyond 2020: New farmpolicy, suggests a
new type of deal for growers and farmers calledLand
Management Support that it claims can ‘fix’ theUK’s
‘broken’ food and farming system.
The suggestednew scheme, which is basedon a
well-regulatedmarket for sustainable, resilient and
environmentally-friendly farming, has threemainpillars;
apoint based system that delivers outcomes for
consumers, a systematic scheme for organic farmers and
awider whole-farmpayment scheme.
The newproposed structure urges government tophase
out the current systemof direct payments viaCAP and
for that tobe replacedwith an ‘outcomebased’ contract
between farmers and the government.
Sustain suggests that subsidy support wouldbe for
all growers and farmers and landmanagerswithmore
than 1hectare of land andpaymentswouldbe related to
outcomes such as soil protection and improvement, flood
management systems and carbon reduction. Therewould
alsobe an expanded versionof the current system for
organic conversion andmaintenancepayments and also
whole-farmpayments basedon standards
of sustainability.
