Author Archives: viridaxis

Clock House Farm (Kent, UK)

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Clock House Farm in Maidstone specialises in the production of fruit (soft fruits, stone fruits and top fruits). It has been using FresaProtect in its strawberry crops, with excellent results. In Elsanta, control of the potato aphid has been spectacular. Production director James Dearing believes he has saved two to three sprays compared to previous strategies. In everbearer production (Amesti), FresaProtect even managed to keep aphids below the observation threshold. James affirms: “I am very pleased with the results of FresaProtect on the farm. Aphids were one of the pests for which we lacked a reliable biological solution, and the use of insecticides for aphids also affects the beneficial insects that control other pests. With FresaProtect, we can greatly reduce our insecticide use and maintain healthy populations of beneficials. We will certainly keep using FresaProtect on our strawberries.”

Béatrice Simeon (Biot, France)

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Beatrice Simeon produces strawberries (charlottes and other everbearers varieties) in the region of Nice (France). Because she is convinced of the environmental benefit and because there is a growing demand from consumers for healthier products, Ms. Simeon chose to work with an IPDM (integrated pest and disease management) strategy. “The use of beneficilas is obvious to me because I do not want to put any chemical pesticide on my crops and I did not find any alternative treatment. Against aphids, I use FresaProtect, the mix of parasitoids from Viridaxis. It is very simple to use and allows good control of various aphid species found on strawberries. “Mrs. Simeon concludes: “Since I use FresaProtect, aphids are no longer a concern and it is really appreciated.”

Langdon Manor Farm (Kent, UK)

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B R Brooks & Son at Langdon Manor Farm near Faversham in Kent, growing  strawberries and raspberries. In the past, aphid resistance to certain chemicals has been observed around the farm. The owner, Mr. Alastair Brooks, needed a reliable alternative, so FresaProtect was trialed in strawberries. Mr. Andrew Reeve, production manager affirmed, “ We used FresaProtect in our June bearer sonata production and had very good encouraging results with this product. A heavy infestation of potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) was controlled almost completely with lots of mummified aphids found in the crop. We are very impressed with the product and its ease of use even under fleece.

LWG Bamberg

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The unit for Vegetable Horticulture at the LWG Bamberg (Germany) applies biological plant protection in different strategies:  (a) preventively in a conventional setting and (b) only biological in an organic context. The conventional vegetable growing has the possibility for a chemical curative correction, in case this should be necessary. The objective, however, is a pesticide-free strategy if possible. In this conventional strategy, VerdaProtect has been used preventively in three sets of cucumbers (Proloog,  Greenfit/ Bornand, Bornand/Proloog).

In the organic part, guidelines from ‘Naturland’, an Association for Organic Agriculture promoting organic agriculture, are applied. Chemical crop protection is strictly forbidden. In this setting, VerdaProtect has been used in tomatoes and beans. Peter Gäcklein, managing the vegetable crops within this research station, and the responsible engineer for the conventional trials, Martin Schulz, summarised: “During the entire crop cycle from January until mid-October, aphids have not been an issue at all. We could find some cotton aphids beginning of July in the organic part, but those have been controlled immediately. We will continue to use VerdaProtect  in our greenhouses.”

Wichmann Farm

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The Wichmann farm in Bassum (Germany) grows in about 1,5 ha tunnels raspberries and some blackberries. Mister Nordmann, among other tasks responsible for crop protection, was looking for possibilities to control aphids in a natural way: “In the previous years, we were experiencing problems with aphids. This led to losses, especially during the harvest period. With BerryProtect, we had an excellent start in using beneficials. It was easy and efficient – the aphid were successfully controlled, and harvest interval was not a subject anymore.”