English 
搜索
Hebei Lansheng Biotech Co., Ltd. ShangHai Yuelian Biotech Co., Ltd.

Biological crop protection is so much betterqrcode

Nov. 3, 2008

Favorites Print
Forward
Nov. 3, 2008
Sweet pepper grower José Rodriguez, in Berja, Spain, switched over to biological crop protection in 2006. Now, in the third season, he says that he is extremely satisfied with the system. "It's safer for humans and the environment, it's extremely beneficial to the crop, and the hazards that confronted our sales positions are gone".

In José Rodriguez' opinion, biological crop protection cannot be compared to chemical crop protection. The approach is so much better, he says, without mincing words. José Rodriguez’ use of predators such as Amblyseius swirskii (Swirski-Mite), Amblyseius californicus (Spical) and Orius laevigatus (Thripor) on his 4-hectare greenhouse enables him to keep the major infestations confronting his sweet pepper crops – thrips, red spider mite, whitefl y – under his thumb. "They all do excellent work", José says. The high temperatures in the south of Spain occasionally contribute to this success, since in some instances the predators can build up a population very rapidly. This is evident, for example, in mid-July – with temperatures above 3 0°C – when the population of Swirski- Mite builds up very rapidly. The nymphs were introduced ten days ago, and mature mites can already be found on the plants. "That’s a spectacular result", according to José. "It gives me the certainty of having a strong population in reserve when I need it".

José Rodriguez (right), José Gomez (middle) and Kris de Smet discuss the results achieved by biological crop protection. The system offers José Rodriguez sustainable solutions fot difficult problems.

Very reassuring
According to José's calculations, his greenhouses biological crop protection costs about the same as the chemical crop protection he previously used. However, he says that that’s not the most important point. "Biological crop protection is
safer for my staff – and me. Moreover, there are no chemical residues, and that's better for our health. Furthermore, we no longer have the fuss and bother with
waiting times. And, last but not least: my crop benefifits greatly from the environmentally-friendly approach. The plants no longer suffer from treatments with chemical sprays, which always briefl fly halted the plants' development. The plants are now stronger. Furthermore, our operations are simplifified by the absence of thrips, red spider mites and whiteflfly; it's very reassuring".

Sustainable solutions
However, not all his greenhouses issues have been solved to date; for example, José Rodríguez has recently been confronted with problems with Nezara, a harmful capsid. The crop is also damaged by caterpillars, although this problem resolves itself when temperatures fall in the autumn. Nevertheless, José intends to tackle this problem with Koppert's Capsanem, the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Biological crop protection is a godsend for José. "A very large number of chemical agents are already prohibited for Spanish sweet pepper cultivation. If we couldn’t
do anything then we’d have our backs against the wall. However, biological crop protection offers powerful and sustainable solutions for infestations and diseases. Moreover, we have retained our sales position, and two years ago we couldn’t believe that was possible".

0/1200

More from AgroNewsChange

Hot Topic More

Subscribe Comment

Subscribe 

Subscribe Email: *
Name:
Mobile Number:  

Comment  

0/1200

 

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe AgroNews Daily Alert to send news related to your mailbox