Scouting fields and selecting the right product for the situation is vital to achieve high-quality produce at Limit Farms, in the Lockyer Valley in southern Queensland.
Agronomist Ant McConville said Limit Farms, owned by the Cluck family, grow multiple crops. They include red and green cabbage, kale, sugar loaf cabbage, celery, iceberg lettuce and coloured lettuce.
“Quality is the number one aspect for Limit Farms,” he said.
“They are supplying processors and all the supermarkets. They have stringent standards and quality that they expect, and that's what we strive to provide.”
He said keeping on top of a range of pests was a key to achieving quality.
“You can lose a crop really, quickly if you're not on the ball."
"Coming into spring and summer, everything gets a little bit harder. The insect pressure jumps, but healthy crops help to minimise insect and disease damage.”
“The secret is crop scouting. You never really know unless you're out there in the paddock having a look. During the summer months, the generations of these pests go through a lot faster, so you have to take that into account.”
“Our main pest from a brassica point of view, is the diamondback moth. Thrips and heliothis are two more big ones. Recently, serpentine leaf miner and fall armyworm have been here as well.”
Not a one-size fits all approach
Mr. McConville said there were different strategies for different times of the year which also depended on the pests being targeted.
“It's about understanding what the major pest is for that crop and the ability to know a threshold at a certain crop stage as well.”
He said broad spectrum sprays that take out all the species have been replaced by softer chemistry which encourage beneficial insects to stay and thrive in the crops.
A key softer option being used on the enterprise is Success® Neo insecticide containing Jemvelva® active from Corteva Agriscience.
“Success Neo is integral to our program,” Mr. McConville said.
“It's registered on every crop we grow. The label is broad enough that it's a perfect fit for us. We can spray multiple crops with one tank without having to stop. It's flexible enough with its label rates that I can target an insect at a certain stage of its growth.”
He said in cabbage and lettuce, Success Neo is used at the cusping stage before the leaves curl over to control any grubs that might otherwise hide in the heart of the plants.
“It does have good residual. I find Success Neo is quite persistent, and it works really well. I find a back-to-back application seems to give you quite a good residual control.”
“Later in the season, thrips can move into the crops and rasp the heads, so Success Neo is also utilised at that stage.”
Soft on beneficial insects
“I can still use it fairly early in the crop and not have an impact on building up those beneficials. It targets all Lepidoptera pests and is great on thrips. It’s also been great on leaf miners. There are not many products that are good on leaf miners so, strategically used, it is critical for our enterprise.”
“Compatibility is another huge benefit of this product. It does get tricky with multiple other products, but I've never had an issue with Success with compatibility.”
“Withholding periods are also important. For most of our crops, it is three days, which works well with our harvesting schedule.”
Mr. McConville was also focused on rotating through different chemical groups to reduce the risk of resistance.
“From an insecticide point of view, it's critical not to target more than one generation of an insect with a particular product,” he said.
“In the Lockyer Valley, we have our own strategy for the diamondback moth. The principles are very good, and they are trying to protect these products for as long as they can.”
He said another reason he uses Success Neo is the benefits Corteva Agriscience bring to the table with the actual product, the backup and the research and development pipeline.
“We've always had a good rapport with them. They get back in a timely manner to questions or queries on the products.”
“There is a lot of time and effort that goes into the registration of a product.”
Mr. McConville said that product performance is critical and he would always choose Success Neo over other imitations.
This article was written by Corteva Agriscience for Seasons magazine.
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