1 Biological Control at Biological Control at Jeffery Jeffery ’ ’ s Greenhouses Inc. s Greenhouses Inc. Jeffery Jeffery ’ ’ s Greenhouses s Greenhouses Greenhouse Operation in St Catharines, ON 3 rd Generation family business In operation approximately 65 years Approximately 8 hectares under cover at 2 locations About 2 hectares outdoor production Bedding plants and perennials for spring and summer Cyclamen, Garden Mums, and Poinsettia for fall/winter All but Cyclamen exclusively shipped to Big Box stores Market covers much of Ontario and Western New York Jeffery Jeffery ’ ’ s s Greenhouses Greenhouses Jeffery Jeffery ’ ’ s Greenhouses s Greenhouses Most Plant material propagated in-house Better success with pest control (biologicals) Better overall crop control
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Biological Control at Jeffery ’s Greenhouses Jeffery ’s ... · Aphid control at our greenhouse In spring of 2006 we failed to control peach and foxglove aphids with pesticides
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Biological Control at Biological Control at
JefferyJeffery’’s Greenhouses Inc.s Greenhouses Inc.
JefferyJeffery’’s Greenhousess Greenhouses
Greenhouse Operation in St Catharines, ON
3rd Generation family business
In operation approximately 65 years
Approximately 8 hectares under cover at 2 locations
About 2 hectares outdoor production
Bedding plants and perennials for spring and summer
Cyclamen, Garden Mums, and Poinsettia for fall/winter
All but Cyclamen exclusively shipped to Big Box stores
Market covers much of Ontario and Western New York
JefferyJeffery’’s s
GreenhousesGreenhouses
JefferyJeffery’’s Greenhousess Greenhouses
Most Plant material propagated in-house
�Better success with pest control (biologicals)
�Better overall crop control
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JefferyJeffery’’s Greenhousess Greenhouses
Biocontrol at Jeffery’s Greenhouses since 2005
�Personal experience with biocontrol since 1988
�Whitefly control failure in 2004 Poinsettias was trigger
�Duponchelia ‘crisis’ amalgamated commitment of
company management to biological control
�Reduced use of synthetic pesticides by more than 95%
What Makes ModernWhat Makes Modern
Biological Control Biological Control
So Complex ?So Complex ?
And What Can We Do About It ?And What Can We Do About It ?
Full Circle Full Circle ……
“If you would have asked any American
Farmer in the early 1890’s what is the best
way to control insects, they would have
said ‘biological control’…”
James MacWilliams – Yale University
Author of “American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT”
Listen to the podcast @ http://wordforword.publicradio.org/programs/2008/07/18/
Pest Control Pest Control -- The DilemmaThe Dilemma
• With each new generation of pesticides:
�we have improved pest control tools - temporarily
�pest control costs/efforts decrease - temporarily
� it becomes comparatively more expensive to
apply alternative pest control strategies
�we can not afford NOT to use the new pesticides
�we return to the same dilemma each time when
the new pesticides begin to ‘wear off’
• the more successful we become in controlling
pests with a given tool - the more dependent
we become on the success of this tool
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Why Biological Control ?Why Biological Control ?
Biological Control
�Not a choice based on ethics
�Not (merely) an issue of economics
�But a necessity due to evolution of pests / farming
We are using biological control
not as the result of conscious choice, but
because we have no effective alternative
Pest Control Pest Control -- The DilemmaThe Dilemma
� Growers can not afford Pest Control failures
� But at the same time, “Good” Pest Control:
�must be simple – not require detailed know-how
�must be cheap - it is a “non-productive” input cost
� “just has to work” - failure = economic disaster
� This is not realistic
�We had a few years of good/easy/cheap control
�versus 4000 years of “documented plagues”
� We have to re-invent pest control
No Easy Way to go No Easy Way to go ‘‘Back To The FutureBack To The Future””
% of American population working in farming
69%
49%
38%
27%18%
7% 2%
Major Pest Control Developments
We need new paradigms in Pest ControlWe need new paradigms in Pest Control
� Pest Control can no longer be easy,
AND reliable
AND cheap
� New Pest Control
� is complex and information intensive
(means: we all have a to learn a lot … fast)
� is not cheap (mostly preventative cost)
� is not guaranteed to be succesful
(requires “leap of faith” for the farmer)
� is inevitable (consequence of evolution/nature)
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Pest Control vs. Pest ManagementPest Control vs. Pest Management
• We can no longer focus on:
�responsive control vs. preventative control
�chemical control vs. biological control
�cost comparisons between different methods
• Instead, we need to focus on:
� anticipation of potential new pest/disease threats
� concurrent use of multiple methods
� reduced cost through understanding of
interactions between pests, crops, and controls
� factor ‘insurance premiums’ into pest control cost
We have learnedWe have learned
Biological Control does not merely mean
�Replacing chemical control products
�with beneficial insects or mites
Instead
� it requires us to look at the greenhouse as a
complex eco system
� controlling pests becomes synonymous with
managing this eco-system
� rather than trying to eliminate individual pests on
individual crops
Biological Control is a System ApproachBiological Control is a System Approach
� Biological Control is a Systems Approach
� Systemic approach to Pest Control
�creates systemic problems
�with ripple effects through the entire system
� requires knowledge of all parts of the system
�or a lot of experience in operating the system
�Deals not just with individual pests,
�but with the complexity of entire system
In Complex SystemsIn Complex SystemsYou cannot treat individual parameters as entities
A change to one parameter of the system
can create changes to all other parameters of the system
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You cannot treat individual parameters as entities
A change to one parameter of the system
can create changes to all other parameters of the system
In Complex SystemsIn Complex Systems
Aphids
Aphidius
Whitefly
Encarsia
More
Fuchsia
Less
Petunia
Thrips
Amblyseius
Example: AphidsExample: Aphids
� Aphid control at our greenhouse
� In spring of 2006 we failed to control peach and
foxglove aphids with pesticides
�Result: in spring of 2007 first attempt at biocontrol
of all aphids in bedding plants
�Need to control Thrips with biologicals because all
effective pesticides disrupt aphid beneficials
�As a result, we developed effective Thrips control
�while biological control of Aphids in bedding plants
is still very difficult
AphidsAphids -- PesticidesPesticides
� In bedding plants
�Aphids feed on the petals of open flowers
�No stomates on petals => No Xylem flow to petals
�Not enough systemic insecticides from rootzone
drench (e.g. Imidacloprid) transported to flowers
�Spray Applications of systemic aphidicides very
disruptive to beneficials used for other pests
�Pymetrozine (Endeavor) currently the only option
�Pymetrozine not effective at cool temperatures
�Some tolerance/resistance to Pymetrozine ?
Systemic Pesticides wonSystemic Pesticides won’’t reach these Aphidst reach these Aphids