• Koppert Foundation

  th anniversary in 2017. This Foundation aims to contribute to sustainable solutions for horticulture and agriculture and improvement of the health and [...] and availability of food and nutrition for those who need it most. Scope Koppert Foundation focuses on three domains: supporting projects for smallholder [...] farmers providing education about our wonderful partnering with nature in integrated crop management supporting local Koppert employees with their personal

• Tomato russet mite

  was detected for the first time in Australia and is a pest in tomatoes in all areas where they are grown. Other members of the plant family Solanaceae may [...] quickly. The damage is first seen on the lower part of the plant and moves upwards as the mites ascend. Life cycle and appearance of tomato russet mite [...] and the rest of the body. All mobile stages have only two pairs of legs, whereas other mite groups have four pairs. Eggs are roughly 0.05 mm in diameter and

• Soybean

  or soya bean is a so-called legume and indigenous to East Asia. It is extensively cultivated for its edible beans. The fruit of the plant is a hairy pod [...] pod, that grows clustered in small bunches of three to five pods. Each pod measures between 3-8 centimetres long (1-3 inch) and contains two or four seeds [...] seeds that measure 5-11 mm in diameter. Soybean seeds vary greatly in size and the hull can be black or brown, but also blue, yellow or green. When planting

• Sweet pepper

  pepper or just pepper, is part of a specific group of cultivars that belongs to the species Capsicum annuum . These different cultivars of the sweet pepper plant [...] rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants. The level of carotene is even nine times higher in red peppers. Red coloured peppers also contain twice as much [...] bear fruit in different colours ranging from vanilla/white and yellow to orange, green and red and even dark purple and brown. The sweet pepper is a very rich

• Sugar cane

  regions of South Asia and Melanesia, sugar cane belongs to the tall perennial true grass genus, Saccharum , of the family Poaceae . In terms of production [...] jointed internodes. These are rich in sucrose and can reach heights of between two and six metres. The sucrose is extracted in mill factories to be processed [...] production quantity, it is the world’s largest crop. Over time, sugar cane species were interbred and the major commercial cultivars are now complex hybrids.

• Beetles

  largest of all insect orders and displays an enormous variety of form, size and habit. A number of species are a serious pest in crops or stored products [...] group of insects that are easily recognizable on account of their hard wing covers (elytra). With more than 350,000 known species, Coleoptera is the largest [...] and adults of beetles can cause damage to crops. The larvae of some species feed on growing tips and roots or chew and bore into stems, but in other species

• Gerbera

  gerbera belongs to the family of daisies or Asteraceae . The flowering plant is originally from South Africa and grew among others in the Cape Province and Transvaal [...] orange, red and pink, but one flower can have petals in varying colours. In addition, the gerbera is also used as a model organism with regards to botanical [...] gerbera is still popular and extensively used as a decorative garden plant or sold as cut flower. Domesticated cultivars are usually the result of crossing

• Cotton bollworm

  bollworm ( Helicoverpa armigera ) occurs in the tropics and sub-tropics of all continents except for North America. Larvae of the cotton bollworm ( Helicoverpa [...] yellowish-white to reddish-brown with dark spots. In later instars the head is mottled, and the body is marked with three prominent longitudinal dark bands [...] ely 18 to 19 mm in length and have a wingspan of about 40 mm. The grey-green males are smaller. The forewings are edged with a line of black spots, and

• Western flower thrips

  leaves and the black dots of their excreta indicate their presence in the crop. The vigour of the plant is reduced by loss of chlorophyll. When infestations [...] variety of plants, including many vegetable and ornamental crops in greenhouses, and on various weeds. It is an especially significant pest in cucumber [...] insect. The eggs of the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) are laid in leaves, flower petals and in the soft parts of stalks. They are

• Flies

  pest on soft fruits in Europe and North America. Sciarid flies and shore flies are mainly a problem in greenhouses. Their larvae live in the ground and prefer [...] that is rich in organic matter. Although they cause little direct damage to plants, they are often a problem due to their large number. Larvae of flies [...] damage depends on the species of the flies. Direct damage is the immediate result of larvae feeding on root hairs and tender roots as well as stem and leaf tissue