October 15, 2012
Landscape Ontario has recently produced a new manual to help nursery growers improve their pest management programs.

Following an extensive research process, best practices were written into a manual, entitled Practical Integrated Pest Management: A framework for pest management in nursery crop production.

To create the IPM best practices, researchers met with growers to determine which best practices would improve biosecurity for nurseries.

Consultants Mario Lanthier of CropHealth Advising and Research in B.C. and James Dennis, who wrote the manual, were hired by LO, with funding from Growing Forward and administered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.  

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) focuses on the prevention of, rather than the reaction to pest outbreaks. “While IPM requires more effort up front in monitoring and identifying pests, the results are that new pests can be identified sooner, fewer chemicals are required, and the treatments tend to be more effective as they are specific to a certain pest at a given developmental stage,” says Dr. Jeanine West, an independent consultant contracted by LO to provide training and advice on biosecurity and other phytosanitary management practices.

See following story for more information on Dr. West.

“The transition to IPM from a traditional, reactive approach takes time, and relevant resources are required to make decisions throughout the growing season. This new IPM manual provides those resources, along with a self-assessment tool to determine your current nursery status,” says West.

Growers may access the manual through the Landscape Ontario website at www.horttrades.com/integrated-pest-management-and-biosecurity-manual as well as through onsite consultations with Jeanine West.