FEATURE
with other “environmentally-friendly” pest
control methods such as selective, “low-
risk” chemical pesticides and microbial
biopesticides.
These caveats are echoed by GreatRex: “There
are definitely obstacles to market growth
in terms of formulation and application
methodology.” But these obstacles are
now beginning to be addressed, with the
development of a range of new products
and technologies. For example, according
to GreatRex, one of the other factors that
influenced the uptake of biological control by
farmers in Almeria was the availability of a
novel predatory mite for the control of whitefly.
Another example is the joint development by
the Dutch biological control company Koppert
Photo: Ward Stepman, BCP Ltd
and the Israeli company Bio-Bee Biological
Systems of a new production technology
for beneficial invertebrates, which utilises
encapsulated liquid diets and gel substrates
for egg laying. The companies claim that this
production technology is cheaper and more
reliable than existing techniques.
Meanwhile, Biological Crop Protection (BCP),
which is the UK-based biological control
business of Certis Europe, has developed an
automated application system for predatory
mites known as the Mite-y applicator. To
demonstrate the potential of this applicator,
Certis Europe recently conducted a study
on the control of mites and thrips in
chrysanthemums. This involved comparing the
financial returns for Dutch chrysanthemum
growers of four different pest control
Photo: Ward Stepman, BCP Ltd
programmes: one conventional pesticide
programme and three biological control
For instance, the UK research organisation
programmes.
Growers were able to achieve an
CABI is developing biological control agents
Certis Europe found that the best financial
for weed control, which could find use in
operating margin per 1000m2 of
return was generated when the flowers were
the non-crop pesticide market. This includes
treated with the biopesticide BotaniGard,
chrysanthemum crop of €3,364, investigating the potential of two different
which contains the thrip-infecting fungus
an increase of 7.5% on the
species of weevil for controlling the floating
Beauveria bassiana, and the predatory mite
pennywort and the floating water fern, both
operating margin achieved when
Phytoseiulus persimilis, which was applied
of which were introduced as ornamental
using the Mite-y applicator. The costs of
using the conventional pesticide aquatic plants but have escaped into the wild
this programme were only slightly greater
programme
to become damaging weeds.
than those of the conventional pesticide
GreatRex, for one, sees a great future for
programme, with the Mite-y applicator greatly
biological control, especially as it expands
reducing the number of personnel and length
Indeed, biological control seems to be
into new markets and takes advantage of the
of time needed to apply P. persimilis, but the
becoming an increasingly popular pest control
increasing restrictions on chemical pesticides.
growers were able to obtain higher prices
strategy for growers of cut flowers. “My
“I think that the growth should accelerate
for their flowers because they hadn’t treated
company is seeing substantial growth in cut
over the next few years,” he predicts.
them with pesticides. This means that they
flowers, especially chrysanthemums and
were able to achieve an operating margin
roses, in the Netherlands,” reveals GreatRex. Jon Evans is a freelance science writer
per 1000m2 of chrysanthemum crop of
And with the continued development of new and contributing editor to Agrow
€3,364, an increase of 7.5% on the operating
products and technologies, biological control magazine
margin achieved when using the conventional
should be able to expand into many other
pesticide programme.
new markets.
www.agrow.com  •   November 2007 7
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