IPM in Action: From research to practice in horticultural crops

Andy Dibben

• Natural pest management can be a practical, commercially viable system (it pays its way) rather than an idealistic extra.
• Everything begins with the soil – good structure, organic matter and carefully managed fertility create crops that are inherently more resilient.
• Maximise biodiversity and avoid monocultures; mix crops, families and varieties, through good rotation.
• Create year-round habitats (hedges, wildflowers, agroforestry, under-sown green manures) within fields for predators.
• Tolerate low pest levels so predators persist; most damage is cosmetic.

Rosemary Collier

• It is important to know your enemy, particularly in relation to understanding the impact of climate change on pest activity.
• Use aphid forecasts (Rothamsted Research) to assist with time monitoring and interventions, and consider using emerging technologies such as smart traps with cameras and AI-based identification to improve monitoring.
• Maximise on diversity i.e. using companion cropping combining lettuce with plants such as Alyssum to bring in hoverflies.
• Partial resistance to pests and diseases may make a system more resilient than breeding for full resistance.

Dave Barfoot

• Core strategy – grow strong crops, then back them up with habitat for predators rather than pesticides.
• In main crop brassicas, he sows a dense flower strip (Cotswold cornfield annual mix at double rate) right through the block, timed so peak flowering coincides with peak cabbage white and turnip sawfly pressure, and removes nets after the first few weeks so predators can access the crop.
• He creates ‘wild corners’ in polytunnels, allowing self-seeding flowers at block ends, and under-sows with low-growing flowers, chicories, clovers and vetch.
• Across the farm he lets some crops flower and go to seed, treats paths and edges as habitat, and constantly transplants weed species into desired ‘wild’ areas.