Learn New Solutions for Familiar Greenhouse Crop Protection Problems

Whitefly greenhouse biocontrols

Photo credit: University of Florida/IFAS

Keeping up with pest management is a never-ending challenge. Over time, insects, diseases, and weeds seem to adapt to whatever we throw at them. And with fewer novel crop protection active ingredients being introduced these days, it often seems like there’s not enough “new” in the way of solutions to keep up with all the problems.

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But as growers head into spring, one area that does continue to evolve in a pretty vibrant way is biological control. As such, Greenhouse Grower is focusing closely on that subject over the next couple of months.

For starters, there’s updated greenhouse biocontrols content you’ll find on this site, including management of top cannabis pests and diseases, how to rid your greenhouse crops of botrytis blight, and more.

And if you’re in need of a deeper dive on the latest tools and techniques in biological control, consider attending the upcoming Biocontrols USA Conference and Expo in Portland, OR, March 4-6. It will be a busy three days, including:

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  • A pre-conference field tour of operations employing biological tools;
  • In-depth conference sessions, including breakout tracks on biocontrol in ornamentals production, biostimulants, cannabis production, and more;
  • A session on new biological products being introduced for your crops in 2020, as well as an advance look at the latest biocontrol tools and services on the expo floor; and
  • Opportunities for one-on-one networking with the experts, as well as your grower peers who are successfully incorporating biologicals in their own production.

Here’s a closer look at the greenhouse-related presentations:

BCAs: Best Practices for Biocontrol Success: In this session, attendees will learn how to handle a shipment of BCAs, the best ways to release them into the crop, and how to avoid pitfalls that can lead to ineffective control and wasted money. We’ll also cover the use of biopesticides in a BCA program.

Taking a Stab at IPM: Piercing and Sucking Pests: Jennifer Browning from BASF covers biological, chemical, cultural, and mechanical approaches to seasonally changing populations with piercing and sucking pests such as aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs.

Tips for Using BCAs and Pesticides Together Effectively in Greenhouse Production: Caroline Reid with Bioline Agrosciences will discuss compatibility indices and strategies for getting the best out of your BCAs in situations where you have to make pesticide applications to protect your crop.

By attending any of these tracks, you’ll walk away with an advanced education on biocontrol that you can put to work this season.

I hope you’ll be able to take advantage of some of these exciting new developments happening in biologicals, and I hope we see you in Portland!

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