Biological pest management gaining ground

The offerings and emergence of biological-based solutions for pest management have been growing. A report by research firm Frost and Sullivan suggested that the value of biopesticides was $594 million in 2008 and predicted it would nearly double to $1.02 billion by 2015. Growers are gravitating toward the products, based upon demands from their buyers, and also after learning how to sort out the various products on the market and make effective use of them on the farm.

Grower acceptance is increasing, as Rick Melnick, Chairman of the Biological Products Industry Alliance, noted during the recent Biocontrols USA West 2017 Conference and Expo. “The ‘Wild West’ time for biopesticides is over,” he noted. “The products that didn’t work are gone.”

Duda Farm Fresh Foods has effectively blended biocontrol products into their production programs. Perry Yance, a Farm Manager for vegetables with Duda, says these products are not new to its operations.

Yance says the specific targeting of pests offered by biopesticides is desirable, too, because that generally means they are friendly to beneficial insects in fields. That in turn also means the products are safer for workers handling the materials or in the field.

source: growingproduce.com

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