New grower training videos for assembling and assessing insect traps
The videos include an introduction to the benefits of using insect traps and specific instructions on how to assemble and use traps for blackberry leaf midge, common green capsid, European tarnished plant bug, raspberry cane midge, raspberry beetle, strawberry blossom weevil and light brown apple moth.
HDC Knowledge Transfer Manager Scott Raffle said, “HDC has funded many research projects, which have led to the development of both sex pheromone and other insect lures used within a range of trap designs to monitor for the arrival of insect pests in soft fruit plantations. Many of these are now commercially available for grower use, however many growers and their staff are not aware of how to use and assemble the traps. These videos have been produced to train farm staff to make full use of them.”
ADAS soft fruit consultant Robert Irving, who co-ordinated the production of the training films said, “With growers now working so hard to reduce the use of crop protection products and integrate them within IPM programmes, these traps will help growers to refine the timing of their application. They will be particularly useful for everbearer strawberry and primocane raspberry crops, during their extended flowering period, where growers are keen to avoid the use of spray applications unless absolutely necessary.”
HDC thanks Robert Irving of ADAS for leading the production of the films and Mike Abel of Agralan for supplying the traps.
More videos, which complement HDC’s new biocontrol training videos, are now available for viewing in the Soft Fruit area of this website, here.