Spain: Koppert develops a new strategy to warrant biological controls on tomato

The multinational company with headquarters in the Almeria province evaluates the results of their use of natural methods.

Biological control on tomatoes became a tested reality. Main cooperatives in the province want to go completely with this new strategy, that is efficient, safe and cheap. The key to this system's success, as pointed out by Koppert, is in the presence of "Nesidiocoris" nymphs and eggs in the plants at the moment they get to the greenhouse. For that, company's technicians control the releases and feeding of them in the seedbed. Then, make sure that plants arrive well inoculated.

Later, the grower "has to do no more than take care of the few necessary health plan treatments. The technicians inform about the products that can be used and about the development of the useful bugs and the diesease", as they explained.

In the 2010-2011 campaign, the strategy of releases in the tomato seedbed was commercially applied in more than 300 ha in Andalucia. Several cooperatives, CASI, Eurosol, Ferva, Consumomar, Vicasol, Casur, La Palma and SAT La Caña participated. At the same time, Koppert tuned the automation of the releases with a Minibug® machine. "The results were impressive. Treatments with insecticides on those parcels with "Nesidiocoris tenuis", were few and far between. In no case were problems of "Tuta absoluta", "white fly", or the "Cuchara" virus", they explained.

In the year 2004, Koppert tuned the mass production techniques for "Nesidiocoris tenuis", for use against the "white fly", "trips" and "red spider". In 2008, there was a new disease - "tuta absoluta" - in the Spanish tomato cultivations. A year later, Koppert showed that "Nesidiocoris" once well established in the cultivation can control and kill the "tuta absoluta" population with great efficiency.

Although, the use of "Nesidiocoris tenuis" as a biologic solution for "tuta absoluta" didn't have much success in Almería. The main reason is that for releases made some weeks after plantation, the population created wasn't big enough to stop the first "tuta" and "white fly" that got into the greenhouse. In the case of later releases, the arrival of low temperatures in Autumn slowed down even more the development of this bug.

Starting 2009, Koppert started the development of the strategy of realising this bug in the seedbed, with the objective of taking plants to the greenhouse with a population large enough that allows the control of disease from the first weeks of cultivation. The results were conclusive: releasing the "Nesidiocoris tenuis" in the seedbed in the correct doses, the adequate food and a good handling, allows a population large enough to kill the main tomato diseases from the start. At last, a biologic solution that is trustworthy and profitable can be applied in cultivations in the most important greenhouse of Almeria.
Source : http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=83396

Publication date: 7/14/2011