Development of an efficient application of entomopathogenic nematodes in vegetables.
The withdrawal of approvals for agrochemicals on many food crops within Europe is likely to generate an increasing market for bio-pesticide products, including entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). However, for the EPN to be a success, a cost-effective and reliable usage should be assured. Therefore, progress in areas like application and formulation technology is needed, next to the development of optimal application strategies. A new research project will focus on optimizing the field application of EPN in vegetables. First, both application and formulation technologies will be optimized. Then, these technologies will be tested under semi-field conditions with special attention for the effect of weather conditions and timing of the application. All the acquired knowledge will be implemented and evaluated in field experiments. In this paper, the first results of the experiments on application technology are discussed.
Brusselman
Eva
E
Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Agricultural Engineering, Merelbeke, Belgium. Eva.Brusselman@ilvo.vlaanderen.be
Beck
Bert
B
Temmerman
Femke
F
Spanoghe
Pieter
P
Moens
Maurice
M
Nuyttens
David
D
D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D004867:Equipment Design; D005060:Europe; D009348:Nematoda / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010575:Pesticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014675:Vegetables / Q000469:parasitology*
D010575:Pesticides