The basics of pest and disease control

Unsure of how to spray your crops effectively? Follow these simple guidelines to get the best results and keep your costs down.

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Before launching a spray programme, it’s crucial to read the label instructions of the chemical, get to know how your equipment works, and understand your crop and the pests or diseases that are a threat.

THE ESSENTIALS

Here are some general spray programme principles that apply in all cases:

Always wear protective clothing

Bottled concentrations of chemicals are so toxic that they can be lethal even in small quantities. Make sure you and your workers wear the best possible protective clothing and that it’s in good condition. Don’t use protective gear that has holes, cracks or is ill-fitting.

Follow the instructions on the label

Chemical products are always supplied with instructions on the label. If you don’t bother to read and follow these instructions carefully, you could end up wasting money, making the pest/ disease problem worse, or causing harm to yourself or other people.

Know the pest that you want to control

Don’t spray simply because you thought you saw insects flying around the land. There are beneficial insects as well as pests. It is only the plant feeders that you may have to control, not the predators, as they kill the plant feeders for free!

If you spray the wrong pesticide, you may end up not killing the problem insect on your crop and you will have wasted a lot of money. Not only that, you could kill many of the predators that control pests. In this case, pest numbers may grow very fast and you may end up with more damage and a lower marketable yield. If you don’t know what pest is attacking your crop, ask your local chemical supplier.

Spray where it’s needed