Incorporating biological control agents into a programme with their conventional counterparts is still a 'work in progress' for many growers, but for those who have persevered, results have provided the confidence to push their use further.Growers across all sectors are grappling with the loss of fungicides and insecticides, but the impact of this is perhaps felt most acutely in the soft-fruit sector where ensuring that produce is perfect is integral to meeting supermarket specification. "Pests that were once reasonably easy to control are now increasingly difficult to manage," explains Simon Beasley, soft-fruit agronomist for Agrii. "This is compounded by the run of seasons where conditions have favoured insect spread and disease sporulation, but the impact on crops is more acute in pest control because of the limited means of protection and the long periods of pressure. As a result, 2020 is on course to be a record year for aphids, caterpillars and spider mites."
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