Prevention can outsmart pests and diseases

Successful pest and disease management depends on scouting and monitoring crops. Magda du Toit spoke to a major citrus producer, as well as pest-control experts from various organisations.

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Plant pests and diseases can affect the health and growth of crops as well as reduce a farmer’s profitability. Most producers understand the critical importance of monitoring the spread of diseases in humans, but the same principle needs to be applied to plant pests and diseases. It is essential for farmers to deal with them effectively and in good time. Nonetheless, the list of harmful pests and diseases can make this a daunting task.

Many experts agree that the best way for farmers to know if they need to implement control measures is to look for pests or diseases where they are likely to be found. Plant monitoring is therefore seen as one of the most important managerial tasks in any farming environment, because correct prevention is better than a hasty cure.

Nadine Botha, technical field services representative at Insectec, says that farming practices are increasingly driven by the trend towards implementing sustainable agriculture and ensuring a lower impact on the environment.

“An integrated pest management (IPM) system offers a combination of biological, cultural, physical and chemical control methods to manage pests and diseases sustainably,” she says.

According to Hiresh Ramanand, stewardship coordinator at CropLife South Africa (CropLife SA), the organisation firmly believes that pest monitoring, whether for weeds, disease or insects, forms the basis of any IPM programme.

REGULAR MONITORING