Costa Rica: Identification of pests and diseases in pineapples

Upala Agricola is an agroindustrial company that is dedicated to the production, packaging, and marketing of fresh pineapples. To do this, it aims to be environmentally friendly and take into account the health of its employees as well as the final consumers.

That's why the company is committed to support and train its staff with talks and workshops, which offer common alternatives in the management of its crops, so that it can be more competitive and increase its production and marketing rates.

Upala Agricola's annual training plan, which has the support of the company's commercial partner, UPL, includes training to increase knowledge in the identification and detection of pests and diseases that attack pineapple crops. The training was imparted by researcher, university professor, and consultant Agricultural Engineer, Zulay Castro Jimenez.

Nearly 40 collaborators of Upala Agricola received the training, refreshed the information they had, and exchanged experiences and plans for the prevention of possible sources of infection.

"The excellent sampling in pineapple crops can allow producers to make decisions in a timely manner, guaranteeing good agricultural practices and performing actions that are environmentally friendly and pose no risks for humans," Castro told the audience of Upala Agricola at the training.

Producers should conduct a timely management of the crops throughout their entire cycle so that there isn't a drastic impact of pests or diseases, and to reduce costs and applications at the right time, the researcher said.

Upala Agricola takes care everyday to conduct a proper analysis in the field, the correct application of good cultural practices, and the appropriate use of products. In addition, the company performs integrated management of pests and diseases, using a technological package that allows it to reduce the incidence and severity of pests and diseases in pineapple.

This crop requires a lot of observation on a day-to-day basis and "you can not neglect the preparation of land, the sowing, the harvest, or anything in the process, to achieve having a product that is good for international markets, and meets all the demands to be exported," said Castro.

Speaking about good agricultural practices, Castro said that "all human intervention must take into account the best alternatives to mitigate, as much as possible, any imbalance it may cause in the environment, without forgetting the great social and economic impact that this activity has on the country. There are areas that are currently being used to cultivate pineapple, which were used for other activities before, and, prior to that, used to be forest areas."

Zulay Castro ended her training by emphasizing that producers could currently prevent and mitigate the risks that may arise in the cultivation of pineapples. It all depends on having a good plan, conducting timely controls, and correctly applying good agricultural practices in the farms.

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Luis Alberto Vásquez Ovares

Head of Communication Department