Seeing is believing. While beneficial insects and mites can be spotted at work in the crop with a magnifying glass, many of our natural solutions (such as beneficial nematodes and fungi) are only noticed once growers see the pest or disease disappear. Koppert Agronomical R&D is changing that assumption by ‘making the invisible visible’.
“Understanding begins when you don’t just apply the product, but by recognizing that the product is alive and it has a specific mode of action”, says Raul Masteling, Global Team Lead Biofungicides at Koppert. What started as a demo display in petri dishes for groups of colleagues from the sales department grew to an educational experience for our customers. Growers, suppliers, universities and industry associations have already experienced our microscopic solutions in action.
During the ‘Making the Invisible Visible’ experience, we aim to show our different solutions at work in a simple and clear way, supported by time-lapse videos and displays under the microscope. We zoom in on different solutions that, in practice, will work together to create an Integrated Pest Management strategy. “Everything we show has been scientifically proven and validated”, says Masteling. “This way we can ensure that the way we show it to our customers is also the way it acts in practice.”
Beneficial nematodes
Beneficial (or entomopathogenic) nematodes are microscopic worms that are widely used to control soil-borne and foliar pests.
After application, nematodes actively search for insect hosts, enter them, and release bacteria that kill the pest. To make this process more tangible, we literally bring it into view. By showing visitors under the microscope what an infected insect looks like, we help reveal how these invisible allies are working to protect their crops.
