• Beneficial microorganisms

  damage. This can lead to the insect's death. Spore production: As the insect succumbs to the fungal infection, the fungus continues to grow. Eventually, it [...] like biopesticides, where they are introduced to target pests, providing an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. Well-known examples of beneficial [...] risk to the environment. They break down naturally, leaving no harmful residues. Precision pest control Beneficial microorganisms are specific to their

• Stop the spread of Botrytis with NoPath

  March 26, 2025

  could. As a grower, you have various ‘tools’ to stop the fungus. Humidity is key to Botrytis ’s ability to strike. The spores of Botrytis germinate easily [...] of infection is very high. A temperature of 15 to 20 degrees Celsius is most ideal for Botrytis spores to germinate. That doesn’t mean they won’t germinate [...] Botrytis spores to germinate. Easy entry points for infection are wounds on fruit, e.g. as a result of damage by wind. Create the right conditions How do you stop

• A dive into organic hop farming and biological crop protection

  journey in 2020, making the exciting yet challenging shift to organic farming and biological crop protection . This transition required Lukas to question traditional [...] confidence in the ecosystem of his hop farm. These natural enemies contribute to more balanced and targeted pest management, with a specific focus on addressing [...] agriculture, providing a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional crop protection methods. In conclusion, Lukas Locher's journey

• IPM app

  Scouting is a significant part of pest management which can assist the grower to make timely decisions and apply precision treatments. Koppert Biological Systems [...] uploaded from the field. Koppert iPM scouting software helps to reduce costs for pesticides, due to a highly accurate insight into pesticide efficacy and optimized [...] Systems, Inc. has developed Koppert iPM, a unique scouting software application, to assist growers with their in-depth integrated pest management program. Koppert

• Fall Armyworm

  sufficient for them to move from seasonally dry habitats to wet habitats in Central America. This makes it possible for fall armyworms to spread over large [...] appear ragged or torn (similar to hailstorm damage in appearance). Life cycle of the Fall Armyworm Adult moths are 20 to 25 mm long and have a wingspan [...] 30-40 mm long. They have six instars that vary in colour from light tan to green to black. They have a distinct white inverted Y-shaped mark on the front

• Cotton leafworm

  covers the eggs with brownish-yellow hairs from her abdomen to make them less conspicuous and to protect them from desiccation. The cotton leafworm (Spodoptera [...] littoralis) can lay up to 3,000 eggs. Each egg is roughly spherical, about 0.6 mm long and whitish yellow. They are laid in clusters of 20 to 500 pieces on lower [...] brownish head. In the last larval stage, they are 35 to 45 mm long. Coloration varies from grey to reddish or yellowish, with a median dorsal line bordered

• Cotton aphid

  therefore need to extract large quantities of sap to get sufficient protein. The excess sugar is secreted in the form of honeydew, making the crop and its [...] and the density of the population. Large individuals (up to 1.8 mm long) are usually dark green to black, while aphids produced in overcrowded colonies at [...] of growth hormones. As a result, the plant’s growth is retarded giving rise to deformed leaves or, if the infestation occurs early enough in the season,

• Towards a chemical-free future in agriculture: The vision of grower Koen

  the opportunity to continue the business. While the trend towards organic farming was growing, Koen felt that it would be too quick to completely abandon [...] abandon traditional methods. He decided to find a balance between both approaches. This way of working allows him to gain experience in using biological crop [...] protection . As a result, he acquires a lot of knowledge and is prepared to fully transition to biological crop protection when the government decides that certain

• Tobacco aphid

  therefore need to extract large quantities of sap to get sufficient protein. The excess sugar is secreted in the form of honeydew, making the crop and its [...] The tobacco aphid tends to form denser colonies, closer to the top of the plant, than the peach potato aphid. It is not known to what extent tobacco aphids [...] of growth hormones. As a result, the plant’s growth is retarded giving rise to deformed leaves or, if the infestation occurs early enough in the season,

• Tomato leafminer

  Mining by the caterpillar causes malformations. Damage to fruit allows fungal diseases to enter, leading to rotting fruit before or after harvest. Life cycle [...] creamy white to bright yellow, darkening in the embryonic phase and becoming almost black near eclosion. The first-instar larvae are whitish to yellowish [...] (Tuta absoluta), a major pest of field- and greenhouse-grown tomatoes, belongs to the family of Gelechiidae . It is oligophagous, feeding mainly on Solanaceae