Duijvestijn Tomatoes has doubled the biodiversity strip next to its greenhouses, so they can collect even more data. The aim of the pilot is to see how the growers can ensure more biodiversity in and around the greenhouses without jeopardizing the plant health of the crops inside. This is a pilot together with WUR, Greenport West-Holland, the province of South Holland, and three fellow growers. The pilot will run until autumn 2027.
Increasing biodiversity may also result in more (pest) insects appearing in the greenhouse. In the greenhouse, growers work with beneficial insects to cope with pests. However, when the pest pressure becomes too high, these natural enemies can no longer cope, and that means resorting to chemicals in the greenhouse to protect the crop. And that is the last thing growers want. Moreover, it then misses its target.
With the pilot, the parties want to see how they can steer it somewhat. "We have sown and planted a large number of m2 with a special mixture of native flowers and plants that is favorable to beneficial insects (natural enemies) and less favorable to pests (insects that are harmful to crops). By monitoring the effects, we will soon be able to increase biodiversity around our greenhouses in a very targeted way without affecting the biological balance in the greenhouse. Win-win, in other words."
Source: Duijvestijn Tomaten