Mr. Jari Vilppula grows Raspberries on 2 ha under plastic tunnels in Asikkala (Finland). “My father started strawberry farming in 1972, and nowadays the farm has passed on to my brother and me. We have specialized in growing strawberries and raspberries. The freshness and the quality control throughout the whole chain of production, from the field to the consumer, is the most important thing to us”, states Mr. Vilppula.
In order to insure the sustainability of his production, Mr. Vilppula opted for an integrated pest management strategy. For the control of aphids, he uses BerryProtect. Jari explains: “BerryProtect is an excellent solution for aphid control in raspberries. It controls all the aphid species found on the farm. Because the canopy of the crop can be very dense, it is very difficult to spray with an insecticide. On the contrary, the parasitic wasps can reach the aphids on any part of the plant. Using parasitoids for aphid control, hence not using insecticide, also allows me to safely use other beneficials for other pests improving the global biological equilibrium in the crop. Furthermore, with BerryProtect, residues and harvest interval are no longer a concern.  No doubt that BerryProtect will become the base of my aphid control strategy.”

Southesk Farm is a soft fruit farm situated in Brechin (Scotland), growing strawberries and blueberries for the Angus Growers group. It applies the principles of IPM (integrated pest management) to all its crops. Crop production manager James Grantham uses BerryProtect to control aphids in the blueberries. “The mix of parasitoids is very efficient at controlling aphids in the blueberries,” says James. “There are only a few insecticides available for blueberries. Especially at the end of the season, when the canopy is extremely dense, it is difficult to spray all of the leaves with insecticides. In these conditions, parasitic wasps are the only way to reach all the aphids. By reducing the need for chemical insecticides, BerryProtect also preserves the other beneficials active in the crop. The product is easy to use and, with some precautions, can be easily combined with conventional products. And, of course, BerryProtect leaves no residue”. James concludes: “A useful product within an IPM programme in blueberries”.

Susanne Früh, crop advisor at the producers’ association “Obstgroβmarkt Mittelbaden” in Oberkirch (Germany), grows raspberries and blackberries for variety tests in tunnels. Pests are controlled with as less pesticides as possible. The application of pesticides in the tight vegetation being very difficult, Mrs Früh chooses to use beneficial insects, as they can find and fight the pests even in these dense berry crops. Particularly aphid control has been a major problem in raspberries and blackberries in tunnels. Since BerryProtect is available, Mrs Früh uses this parasitoid mix with good results: ”It is a very well thought concept – from the composition of the different parasitoid species for controlling all aphids in berry crops to the design of the tubes for easy application. And I am glad that I participated with my comments in the development of the release stations: the entire system is really optimal and – most important – user friendly.”

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. “

“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.

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.”