Biological control of thrips in leek with Orius
Even in the middle of winter, pests like whitefly and thrips can be present in your greenhouse. Although the pest reproduction might be low in colder conditions, or the pest may be inactive due to winter hibernation, they will start to build up a population as soon as the conditions are favourable.
Overwintering pests can become a serious threat to your crop at a later stage. Therefore, it is crucial to eliminate pests in wintertime, while pest pressure is still low. It allows you to start the new season in a clean way, giving your beneficial insects time to build up a standing army before new pests enter from outside the greenhouse later in the season.
Effective whitefly control with Mycotal
Mycotal is a bio-insecticide that contains the highly effective blastospores of Lecanicillium muscarium Ve6. This product is the natural solution for whiteflies and a number of other pests in vegetables, ornamentals, nursery trees and soft fruit in protected cultivation.
Mycotal is a so-called entomopathogenic fungus, a fungus that can attack and kill pests. The bio-insecticide contains the blastospores of Lecanicillium muscarium Ve6. These spores germinate rapidly after spraying, with the hyphae penetrating the pest’s body cavity. Once inside, they proliferate and destroy the tissue.
Mycotal is safe and easy to use and can be applied using existing spraying equipment. It is compatible in the tank mix with a wide range of other plant protection products, making it easy to integrate in your current spraying program. An added benefit is that it leaves no residue which helps growers meet the increasingly demanding supply chain requirements. Due to its specific mode of action, Mycotal is safe for beneficial insects, making it a powerful weapon in an integrated IPM program.
Effective in wintertime
Although it was already known that Mycotal is effective in a wide range of temperatures, new research has shown that Mycotal can also be a powerful weapon against pests in colder conditions.
Koppert’s Product Manager, Guido Roozemond: ‘last year, our Research department conducted several trials showing that Mycotal is already active, growing, and effective from 8 °C, which is unique. Compared to other entomopathogenic fungi products available in the market from Koppert and other producers, we see that Mycotal is the only commercial available effective entomopathogenic fungi at these lower temperatures. These new insights will help growers to benefit from using Mycotal to control their pest during colder periods of the year, and benefit crops grown at lower temperatures (e.g., strawberries, tree nursery).
It means that Mycotal remains your natural partner for whitefly and thrips control throughout the year.