INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT AND PLANT HEALTH MAPPING

Villion farms is optimising the company’s grape production by utilising ongoing state-of-the art drone plant health monitoring systems offered by Aerobotics and improving the company’s economic and environmental sustainability through proactive scouting and integrated pest management systems.

AEROBOTICS PLANT HEALTH MAPPING

Villion Farms recognised the need for more regular and detailed plant health feedback from their vineyards and wanted to eliminate unnecessary chemical applications. To achieve this, the company has contracted the services of drone technical company Aerobotics to undertake a detailed aerial mapping of the production units at three critical stages annually. The mapping is done during the grape flowering period, just before harvest and again in the post-harvest period. The results from the mapping process enable the production team to timeously identify where vines are not performing optimally due to nutrient deficiencies, pest infestations, diseases, and irrigation problems. The intensity of this mapping program is detailed enough to identify a single plant that is struggling. Often the problems are caused by something as simple as a blocked or underperforming irrigation emitter. ASV Farms reports that they are very satisfied with the results achieved through the use of this technology.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

The Integrated pest management (IPM) practices implemented by Villion Farms have achieved considerable environmental and financial benefits for the company. The company has been controlling pests through proactive pest monitoring and the treatment of pests through the implementation of insect mating disruption and the introduction of natural insect predators that eliminate these pests. They follow these practices instead of using any chemicals with red labels.

This system was developed over time and Villion Farms now has six full time monitors on motor bikes, who monitor at 200 to 280 spots per week. Since  this monitoring system was put in place, the company has not sprayed or treated the soil with any red level chemicals. Not only is this alterative practice to the use of highly toxic chemicals good news for the environment, but it is also considerably affordable than the use of chemicals, and thus this practice is benefitting both the economic and environmental sustainability of the enterprise.

The three main pests that the scouts look for and control are Medfly, False Codling moth and Mealy Bug. They use Anagyrus pseudococci to control Mealy Bug eggs, and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri to control adult Mealy Bugs. These insects are commercially bred for this purpose and supplied by IPM specialist producers. The data collected by the monitors is logged and disseminated to the farm management team by means of the In Field app, and this is integrated with the application platform used by Aerobotics. The farming units are divided into IPM management blocks with green, orange, and red colour codes, indicating the level of pest pressure.

The integration of the detailed and ongoing plant health monitoring programme and the proactive scouting supported by natural pest management techniques is optimising the yields and long-term sustainability of table grape production at ASV Farms.

Fruit Fly Africa

ASV Farms is proactive in combating Mediterranean Fruit Flies and works closely with Fruit Fly Africa as part of the country-wide campaign to eradicate this serious threat to the South African fruit industry.
For more information on this visit www.fruitfly.co.za