A series of workshops aimed at cultivating understanding of integrated pest management (IPM) practices in vegetable crops has growers who attended reviewing their crop protection approach.
Running for 10 weeks, the workshops were held at the Pukekohe demonstration farm and hosted by Vegetables New Zealand, with the support of A Lighter Touch, Plant and Food Research and Balle Brothers. The workshops were led by pest and disease experts responsible for developing and improving the industry’s IPM programmes.
One of the objectives of setting up the demonstration farm as part of the A Lighter Touch programme was to provide a venue to demonstrate best agroecological techniques and extend knowledge, tools and techniques to growers – both in-person and remotely.
The 90 minute sessions include both in-field and classroom learning, with the classroom discussions attracting growers from around the country, including Gisborne, Manawatu, Nelson and Canterbury. An average of 40 people attended each workshop, with half online and half attending in person.
Lettuce was used as the focus crop, though the practices demonstrated were applicable to any vegetable crop. As well as the educational aspect, the other key outcome was to produce a marketable crop using IPM practices and with no use of insecticides on-farm. This was achieved, with the harvested crop having been accepted at market.
A comparison crop, grown nearby, had five applications of crop protection products, being a combination of fungicides and insecticides. The IPM crop was grown using just three applications of fungicide only, from planting to harvest.
This was achieved through growing the IPM lettuce crop in an area where beneficial insects were supported and encouraged through the use of perennial native planting, annual floral strip planting and moveable pods planted with perennial natives.
Feedback from attendees, both online and in person, has been very positive, with people now able to identify beneficial insects in the crop which they could not do previously, and growers considering their own practices in light of what they have learnt.
Based on knowledge gained from the workshops, a grower reported having much more in-depth conversations about what they are spraying and why, how products are applied, and the need to consider best practice in terms of resistance management.
Based on the positive feedback from the first series of workshops, a similar series of IPM workshops in summer broccoli will be held next year. Registration details are to come, but anyone wanting more information can contact Daniel.Sutton@freshvegetables.co.nz.
Graduates of the spring IPM series of workshops with their certificates attesting to their areas of knowledge growth.
