LEARNING TO PUT YOUR TRUST IN CROP SCOUTING

On 26 January Vegetables New Zealand Inc (VNZI) held a crop scouting workshop at the Pukekohe Demonstration Farm, facilitated by renowned entomologist Graham Walker from Plant & Food Research. Over 40 growers, their staff and support industry people attended the workshop to hear and learn from Graham’s extensive 30 years of experience in New Zealand and internationally.

Olivia Prouse and Stuart Davis added their experience to the workshop in the areas of agronomy and other research supporting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches; namely the ‘A Lighter Touch’ research programme. The target crop for the day was lettuce, because this was the crop being grown at the Demonstration Farm. Graham’s focus was typically on the pests that would damage commercial lettuce production. He was confident that the data to prove that IPM for lettuce was working for growers was sufficient to argue that no grower should be calendar spraying. Moreover, to do so would defeat the IPM balance by destroying the beneficial insect predators. Graham was categorical in his assessment of IPM for lettuce – all you needed was contained on one sheet. Identify three caterpillar pests, know what eats them and then trust in scouting to measure the balance between pest and predators. The key activity for the workshop was to have the growers crop scouting for pests. Understanding the entomology of the pest and then applying that to a decision matrix z. Graham was at pains to explain that the grower had to crop scout, crop scout and crop scout.

What was significant from a VNZI perspective was the turnout of growers to the workshop. If this learning and knowledge can be transferred back to the farms, IPM will be alive and thriving in New Zealand growing systems.