INDUSTRY NEWS
From the grower
Reducing chemical sprays in the orchard
Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) involves using pesticides alongside alternative pest control methods to improve the safety and efficacy of pest control . Based on the premise that pests and diseases are not a problem until they cause economic losses , IPM principles focus on preventing pest establishment rather than completely eliminating pests from the orchards . Implementing an IPM program can lead to reduced reliance on pesticides amongst other benefits . Peter Freeman is an experienced almond grower and a passionate advocate for IPM . He has been using IPM principles in his Renmark orchard for the last 20 years and has seen tangible results . In this article , Peter talks about his success with IPM and how it can benefit the industry going forward .
BY PETER FREEMAN
OVER the last 20 years we have proven in our Renmark orchard that by using Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ) principles , we have been able to eliminate all use of insecticides and pesticides . However , it would be useful for a research project somewhere to see if the same results could be achieved on other orchards with different soils and different management systems . Vital to our success has been our swing to sowing a mixed species of cover crop , every year by the end of May . We include short rotation perennial ryegrass in the mixture which does not present the risk of developing the glyphosate resistance of annual ryegrass . Continued page 27
industry . australianalmonds . com . au
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