According to Juan Carlos Gázquez, coordinator of Innovation and Transfer of the Experimental Station Cajamar Las Palmerillas, "there are many crops where biological control has been generally implemented, such as peppers, virtually at 100%, and tomatoes, with around 80% currently produced under this technique. In the case of cucumbers, a more complex crop, there are some technical difficulties, the implementation of natural enemies is more complicated and the results have not been as successful as with other products."
Biological control has actually been implemented in most of Almeria's greenhouses, although there are still some with ample room for improvement. Cucumbers entail some of the worst difficulties when dealing with biological control. At present, and according to the Provincial Delegation of Agriculture and Fisheries, Almeria has 4,839 hectares of cucumbers, of which 2,570 hectares are grown with biological control techniques, i.e. more than 50%, so there is still a long way to go.
As noted by Gázquez, "there is no single measure allowing for a good implementation of biological control in cucumbers because it is a more complex crop that requires a protocol that combines techniques such as mass trapping using chromotropic traps, the release of natural enemies and treatments with insecticides and fungicides that are not harmful to these natural enemies, i.e. a whole protocol for integrated pest management."
Experts on the crop are optimistic and believe that this technical workshop can help in defining an integrated control protocol that will allow for an increase in the cucumber acreage protected with biological control, although, as stated by the coordinator of Innovation and Transfer of the Experimental Station Cajamar Las Palmerillas, the cucumber planting this season will already be largely complete, and in many cases, the release of natural enemies will have already been carried out. "We hope that it will increase for later cucumber varieties, as well as next spring."
