I grow short cucumber cycles, is it worth implementing IPM?

Even for short cucumber cycles, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes can be beneficial, helping to manage pests effectively while minimising chemical pesticides usage.

It’s important to monitor pests closely, accurately identify problems early and employ targeted control measures. This approach minimises unnecessary pesticide applications, reducing costs in the long run.

Frequent and indiscriminate use of pesticides can lead to pest populations building up resistance. IPM encourages the use of multiple control methods, including various biological controls, which helps prevent, or delay, the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests.
So, it’s key to keep a close eye on pest populations and crop health to identify potential issues as early as possible. Accurate pest identification is crucial for selecting appropriate control methods. Our new automated trap monitoring system, Trap-Eye™, can help you scout your crops effectively and efficiently. Automatically taking pictures of your sticky traps, it uses AI to identify and count the insects. This consistent monitoring helps visualise pest population developments of different pests. Offering fast and accurate scouting, IPM programmes can be drastically improved.

To optimise your IPM programme, introduce beneficial insects, predatory mites, or microbial agents to help control pest populations naturally and use targeted pesticides, when necessary, carefully. Use them judiciously to knock back specific pests and take care to apply them according to label instructions.

Overall, implementing an IPM programme in your short cucumber cycles can help you achieve effective pest management, maintain crop quality and reduce costs while contributing to environmental sustainability.