• Parasitic wasps

  efficient at targeting specific pest insects. By introducing these beneficial insects, growers can significantly reduce the damage caused by pests, ensuring [...] introduction of parasitic wasps into commercial growing environments can promote biodiversity, as the use of harmful chemicals decreases. This, in turn, creates [...] species of parasitic wasp, as they often exhibit host specificity. The female parasitic wasp carefully inserts its eggs either inside the host's body or attaches

• Persea mite

  emergence. Depending on temperature, the life cycle from egg to adult can be completed in as little as two to three weeks, resulting in multiple overlapping [...] leaf tissue, resulting in small, round necrotic spots that can merge into larger brown or bronze patches as the infestation increases. Affected leaves lose [...] Oligonychus perseae ) a key pest in avocado production worldwide. It lives and feeds on the undersides of avocado leaves, where it forms small webbed feeding

• Onion thrips

  instance in cucumber, only occurs if the crop is heavily infested. In some countries, the onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) has been identified as an important [...] General The onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) is distributed throughout the world. It is found outdoors on many plants and particularly damaging on onions, [...] leek, and in greenhouses on cucurbits, tomato, sweet pepper, eggplant, roses, chrysanthemum, gerbera, carnations, bulbs and many others. Life cycle and

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

  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 [...] ty and environmental friendliness, but that gap is getting smaller. In 15 years, I expect there will be no difference at all, especially due to the rapid [...] In Dronten lies Koen's farm, where traditional and organic agriculture come together. Koen shares his personal experiences and insights about the future

• Leaf miners

  leaf-fall and cosmetic damage. In (sub)tropical areas this can lead to burning in fruit such as tomato and melon. Loss of leaves also reduces yield. In full-grown [...] plants can be totally destroyed as a result of the direct damage caused by leaf miners. The relationship between population size, leaf damage and yield [...] fungi or bacteria enter the plant tissue via the feeding spots. Life cycle of leaf miners Leaf miner control videos Take a look at the video or go to our

• Cotton bollworm

  armigera ) are highly polyphagous, feeding on crops such as cotton, sorghum, tomato, sweet corn, beans, soybeans, tobacco, sunflowers and various fruit [...] fruits or on leaves. They are almost spherical with a flattened base and a diameter of about 0.5 mm. They are at first a shiny yellowish white, with their [...] General The cotton bollworm ( Helicoverpa armigera ) occurs in the tropics and sub-tropics of all continents except for North America. Larvae of the cotton

• Pumpkin, squash and gourd

  substantially. Wild fruit species can be as small as 4 centimetres (1.6 inch) and some commercial specimens can weigh more than 300 kilograms (660 lbs). [...] Cucurbita or gourd is a genus of herbaceous vines belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae . Cucurbits, as they are also know, are indigenous to the Andes [...] region and Mesoamerica. Currently, five species are cultivated for their edible fruit and seeds. This fruit is alternately known as pumpkin, squash or gourd

• Gerbera

  Cape Province and Transvaal region. Nowadays, the gerbera is still popular and extensively used as a decorative garden plant or sold as cut flower. Domesticated [...] generally known as Gerbera hybrida and there are now many cultivars that differ greatly in size, shape and colour. The main colours are white, yellow, orange [...] 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

• Turf and grass

  for a wide variety of sporting grounds around the world. It is also prized as a ground cover for recreational purposes such as green urban areas and private [...] lawns and sports fields, such as stadiums, golf courses, horse-racing tracks, athletic grounds, cricket pitches and football fields, turf provides the perfect

• Beneficial nematodes

  What are nematodes? Nematodes, commonly referred to as roundworms, are a diverse group of worms belonging to the phylum Nematoda. Nematodes are characterized [...] animals, or humans. There are about 25.000 named species, but estimated numbers of species are in the millions. Nematodes are also referred to as roundworms [...] threadworms, and eelworms. Beneficial nematodes for pest control Nematodes for pest control, often referred to as entomopathogenic nematodes or beneficial