New Solutions for Familiar Crop Protection Problems
February 11, 2020 
Biological control options, such as bacteriophages, are showing promise for agriculture applications. What’s next?
Photo courtesy of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Staying a step ahead of pests is a never-ending challenge. Over time, insects, diseases, and weeds seem to adapt to whatever we throw at them. And with fewer novel crop protection active ingredients being introduced these days, it often seems like there’s not enough “new” in the way of solutions to keep up with all the problems.
But as we’re heading into a new season, one area that does continue to evolve in a pretty vibrant way is biological control. We’re focusing closely on that subject over the next couple of months.
For starters, there’s the Biocontrols Special Report content you’ll find on this site. The latest report will introduce you a new technology — bacteria-destroying viruses called bacteriophages — that are being used for management of fire blight and other bacterial diseases. Science has known about these tools for decades, but they are only recently being used to target some of our most challenging specialty crop pests.
You’ll find an interesting new perspective on another topic that’s been around for years as well: integrated pest management, including a look at how biological tools can play a role. We also cover a new set of recommendations on maintaining healthy levels of soil biological activity.
And if you’re in need of a deeper dive on the latest tools and techniques in biological control, consider attending the upcoming Biocontrols USA Conference and Expo in Portland, OR, March 4-6. It will be a busy three days, including:
- A pre-conference field tour of operations employing biological tools;
- In-depth conference sessions, including breakout tracks on biocontrol in fruit and vegetable production, biostimulants, organic production, and more;
- A session on new biological products being introduced for your crops in 2020, as well as an advance look at the latest biocontrol tools and services on the expo floor; and
- Opportunities for one-on-one networking with the experts, as well as your grower peers who are successfully incorporating biologicals in their own production.
You’ll walk away with an advanced education on biocontrol that you can put to work this season. Learn more and register at BiocontrolsConference.com.
I hope you’ll be able to take advantage of some of these exciting new developments happening in biologicals, and I hope we see you in Portland!
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