Author Archives: viridaxis

Tom Van Delm, PCH (Research station of Hoogstraten, Belgium)

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PCH devotes a large part of its research to the strawberry crops. All aspects of this crop are examined. A major goal is to continuously improve the sustainability of the production of strawberries. Therefore, in respect to pest control, the PCH is resolutely turned towards IPM (Integrated pest management). Against aphids, the mix of parasitoids FresaProtect, is used in different production systems. “Strawberry growers know they must keep aphid populations under control and therefore make intervention in time. The concept of a mix of parasitoids is in this context an interesting tool because it can be introduced preventively in the crop. Furthermore, with the mix of parasitoids, it is not necessary to identify the aphids, which makes biological control easier for the grower” says Tom Van Delm. “A monitoring of aphid control is possible: by following the live aphids and mummies (parasitized aphids), we get a good assessment of the level of control. If it appears that the aphid population increases too quickly, despite the use of beneficials, it may be necessary to treat the pests chemically. In this case, the use of a compatible chemical insecticide is possible and/or new parasitoids may be reintroduced. It is also this flexibility, consistent with the philosophy of IPM, that I appreciate with the use of FresaProtect.” concludes Tom Van Delm.

Ferdinand Jolly (Ittre, Belgium)

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Mr. Jolly spends annually about 2 ha of its Farm to grow strawberries (full ground cultivation in tunnel). The total production is marketed through direct sales on the farm. To provide a safe product to its customers and in the context of a global environmental reflection on the farm, Mr. Jolly has opted for an integrated approach for crop protection. “Against aphids, I use the cocktail of parasitoids, FresaProtect. Since it is on the market, I used this product every year with satisfaction. It is very easy to implement and offers a very good control of various aphid species. The variety I grow, Lambada, is very popular among the public but it is also very susceptible to attack of aphids. Since I use FresaProtect, aphids are no longer a concern. It is obvious that I will continue to use FresaProtect in the future. “

Valérie Lenoir, red currants grower at Mondescourt (France)

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Valerie Lenoir produces soft fruits in Picardie (France) for the cooperative FRUIROSE, which are marketed by the company “Les fruits rouges de l’Aisne”. Since 2012, she specialized in the production of red and black currants. From the beginning, Ms. Lenoir has opted for an environmentally friendly production in which natural enemies are favored (e.g.: spontaneous vegetation between rows mowed once a year) and pesticides are only used as a last resort. For the control of aphids in her protected crops, she uses BerryProtect. “The mix of parasitoids brings me serenity. It is very easy to use and when installed early enough in the crop, it allows avoiding the use of insecticides, which is good from the point of view of the environment but also and especially for my health. Undoubtedly, BerryProtect will remain the basis of my aphid control strategy in the future. “

Le jardin de Béa (Biot, France)

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Beatrice Simeon is vegetable grower at Biot in the region of Nice (France). She grows various vegetable spedies in integrated production on 2 ha under protection. The production is sold directly at the farm or via AMAP (Association for the maintenance of peasant agriculture). For the control of aphids, Ms. Simeon uses VerdaProtect on her tomatoes, zucchini, beans and melons. “I chose to use VerdaProtect because I refuse any use of pesticide, in order to respect the environment and the health of workers and consumers,” says Mrs. Simeon. She adds: “I was quickly convinced by the product. Introduced preventively, it offers a remarkable efficiency in the control of the various aphid species that I encounter on my farm. For its ease of use, VerdaProtect also makes

Biological crop protection against aphids in Blue Berries Hil & Moer.

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“We have been using biological control agents against aphids for several years now, but there were still some difficulties” explains Theo van Montfort of Blue Berries Hil & Moer. In the greenhouses where two different varieties of blueberries (Duke and Nui) are grown, we use as few chemicals as possible. This means that a reliable alternative was to be found. Crop protection with beneficial insects gives the possibility to reduce the amount of treatments with chemicals and still keep the various pests under control. After Theo van Montfort has tried different strategies for several years, he can finally say:

“Since I use BerryProtect in my greenhouses and that I adopted a preventive strategy (Release of parasitoids before aphids appear), I found a really good alternative to chemical treatments against aphids”.

This mix of five different species of wasps control the most commonly found aphids in blueberries and therefore, biological control is much easier for growers.

Meffre Plant: VerdaProtect for aphid control.

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The company “Meffre Plants”, in Monteux (Southern France), products plants for the vegetable sector for many years. Coming from a family of vegetable growers, they apply the most advanced techniques to meet the demands of their customers: the use of anti-insect nets, grafting, computer-aided management and the use of a mix of parasitoids against aphids. The company manages pests extremely carefully: “We produce plants for the conventional and for the organic sector and we must deliver plants responding to customers’ requirements” explains Thierry Meffre. “Used for many years in our greenhouses, the cocktail of parasitoids, VerdaProtect offers a good protection against the various aphids that can be observed on the farm. It easily fits into our strategy to fight against pests and its ease of use allows us to focus on other important issues.”

Marc Vissers, PCS (research station on ornementals), Belgium

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The PCS (Proefcentrum voor Sierteelt) is a research station dedicated to the cultivation of ornamental plants, located in Destelbergen (Belgium). For over 20 years, a large number of researches have been conducted in the area of crop protection, with both pesticides and biological control agents. For the prevention of pest resistance to various products, the use of beneficial insects has become an important part of a sustainable crop protection strategy. Marc Vissers, coordinator of indoor plants department routinely uses predatory mites against thrips, whiteflies and spidermites and OrnaProtect against aphids. Marc Vissers: “When trials are conducted with predatory mites or pesticides, you must try to spray as little as possible with other agents. Similarly, in our side effects trials with pesticides, where the impact of products on the predatory mites is tested, we cannot spray other products, which would mean the end of the trial. That is why we are very pleased with parasitoids of OrnaProtect. They are not a miracle solution to all the problems of aphids on all plant species, but allow good control of several species of aphids in several crops. On these crops, we no longer need to spray aphicide and predatory mites remain active. It is for these reasons that I recommend to ornamental growers using OrnaProtect, and not just to those who already use biological control but also to the others: they have only a limited number of active substances and as long as they do not need to spray chemicals, no resistance against these products develops. In this way, they can reserve a part of their insecticides interventions to pests more difficult to control as mealybugs, whiteflies or thrips.