2
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MAY 2018
CRO0 0ROTECTION •
adjuvantswhere necessary.”However, while traditional
biological control agents andbiorational productsmay be
good for the environment and reducepesticide residues,
there are challenges to their use. “For some of the non-
ediIle JYVW seJ[VYs i[»s X\i[ediMfiJ\l[ MVY WeVWle [VTV]e
quickly intogoodbio control practices andprogrammes,”
commentsMartinDonnelly of ICL. “But aswe go forward
with less chemicals beingoffered for horticulture and
more resistance issues come through I think it’s going
tobe an evenbigger problem. Growers are going to
needmore andmore help frombio control companies to
get programmes and toget a feel for how theymonitor
effectively andget this kindof pest under control.”
Hepoints out that diseases such asPythium and
Phytophthora canbeparticularly problematic in
ornamentals due to thedamage caused. “Losses canbe
siNUifiJaU[ iM [Oesediseases [aRe OVld aUd a YVI\s[ 074
programmemust be inplace. The use of Prestoppre-
mixed in the growingmedia can save the grower a lot of
time and effort whileprotecting theplants against these
damagingdiseases for up to6weeks.Withornamentals
the appearance is
everything, and that’s another challenge going forward.
Withbio-control we need to educate the endusers and
the supermarkets, and their buyers, that these are living
VYNaUisTs aUd [Oa[ [Oe` aYeIeUefiJial I\[ [OeYe is NViUN
tobe a residual amount left on the crop sometimes. There
is aIeUefiJial eMMeJ[ e]eU^OeU [Oe` lea]e [Oe U\YseY` aUd
we need to explainover the coming years that if we use
bio-control theremay be a littlebit of pest andpredator
remainingon the crop.We’ve got toget over topeople
that this is theway forward.”
“As protected cropgrowers haveproven so effectively
withpestmanagement, a truly integrated approach,
involving all the cultural controls possible, allied to
appropriate andwell-timed chemical applications, can
help assureboth thequality and the sustainability for
futureproductionof edibles andornamentals,” stressed
Fargro’sDavidHide. “There is also increasing interest in
plant health enhancers and elicitors, which could help to
build up stronger plants better able towithstand stresses
andbe less susceptible todisease attacks. Such tools
could soonhelpgrowers to alleviateplant stress and
produceplants that utilise resources of nutrients and
watermore effectively – ultimately producing
higher yields andbetter quality.”
SelchukKurtev, IPMManager, CertisUK.
DavidHide of Fargro.
MartinDonnelly of ICL.
Adult VineWeevil (Certis)
