PDM Solutions cc

30/11/2020

Please see the latest edition (Dec 2020/Jan 2021) of the South African Fruit Journal, pages 87-91, for key findings and insights on a recent comparative study of French and South African apple and nut growers' appetite for Codling Moth SIT. https://www.safj.co.za/publication/sa-fruit-journal-dec-2020-jan-2021/

Publications SA Fruit Journal Dec 2020 / Jan 2021 Print Print Page Download Download Page Download Right Page Open 1 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-35 36-37 38-39 40-41 42-43 44-45 46-47 48-49 50-51 52-53 54-55 56-57 58-59 60-61 62-63 64-65...

27/08/2020

With the grape harvest in Southern France in full swing, many bunches are missed and end up rotting on the vine. Ceratitis and Drosophila sp. successfully complete their life cycles in these neglected bunches and add to continued population growth. also in wine grapes is a crucial part of

21/08/2020

We spent the past week consulting in Corsica on Mediterranean fruit fly management. Lots of work needs to be done, starting with orchard sanitation. Neglected, damaged and fallen fruit are an ideal host for continued and re-infestation, negating all previous control measures.

18/07/2020

According to the Farm to Fork Strategy , EU food waste accounted for an approx. 227 million tonnes CO2, or about 6% of total annual (2012) EU emissions. 20% of all food produced is wasted, with up to 53% of edible and inedible food discarded at household level (EU Fusion 2016). 75% thereof ends up as municipal solid waste, with only 8% composted.

Spoilage and decay due to pathogens largely contribute to the complete waste of a vegetable or fruit, even when only small parts are infected. Careful integrated pest management is crucial in preventing spoilage by diseases such as Alternaria sp., starting with seed treatments, crop rotation and various plant protection product applications during the growing season.

14/07/2020

Climate change leading to an increase in "...interactions between diseases and host plants..." (Agroscope). Particularly the 'favourable' change of environments making establishment by phytosanitary pests possible, is a worrying concern. Existing plant protection products are already under strain, with various EU directives aimed at drastically reducing use over the coming decade. Together with biologically based pesticides Sterile Insect Technique can play an important part in managing invaders.

Agroscope investigates potential land-use strategies prompted by climate change in Europe, as well as the risks associated with novel insect pests. The analysis shows that interactions between diseases and host plants are on the increase, and that land uses overlap with ever-increasing frequency.

10/07/2020

Yesterday I picked up the phone and called a Cape Town supplier whom I did business with 8 years ago. I needed an original technical drawing. It’s his IP. He was like; "Martin, hey, how are you, long time? I'll chat with my director, sure, let me see what I can do." I received the drawing this morning!

Every interaction we have is a chance of building a relationship. It is a bridge we build. Nurture those bridges; you never know when you or others will walk it again. Never burn a bridge!

Kooltron is a Cape Town-based engineering firm that can custom design, adapt or upgrade any industrial ventilation system to client-specific needs.

09/07/2020

Presented training at CTIFL Balandran, Bellegarde, France, today on facility layout and equipment specifications for rearing of insects for Sterile Insect Technique. Back to to the old 'blackboard'...

07/07/2020

Let’s clear up some misconceptions here; Fallen fruits are not ‘compost’… They are a host for pests, particularly fruit flies and Drosophila sp. to name just a few, causing spoilage of those still on the tree. A big problem with urban or backyard fruit growing is the lack of management of the crop. Urban gardens often lead to an infestation of adjacent commercial agriculture. Hence the Fruitfly Africa SIT programme in South Africa, actively treats home gardens with sterile flies, while OKSIR in BC, Canada has statutorily removed unmanaged fruit trees. Pick up fallen fruit and properly compost them or in commercial plantings, rake them to row centers and mulch mechanically.

28/06/2020

Bees still hard at work on some late-blooming sunflowers, while a heavy crop load is ripening in the field in southern France. Truly fascinating flowers, from their sun orientating mechanism to the Fibonacci floret arrangement resulting in the most efficient packing of seeds.

21/06/2020

The High Brown Fritillary or Waldhügelland-Perimuttfalter (Ger.)
(Fabriciana adippe), a species already severely threatened in the UK and under protected status, due to major habitat loss. Inspecting a managed transition zone between forest and agriculture in the Klettgau, Switzerland, we found an incredible diversity of plants and insects, with this butterfly occurring in drier lime-rich patches. Among this vegetation Common Knapweed or Schwarze Flockenblume (Ger.) (Centaurea nigra) also occurred in abundance; often considered a ‘weed’ in commercial agriculture, it is an important source of nectar and pollen for birds, butterflies and pollinators.

05/06/2020

5 June is World Environment Day. The environment is something most of us still take for granted, or when we think about preserving it, we think about saving South America Rain Forests or African Gorillas. Yet every day we consume goods shopped, wrapped in plastic, paper, cardboard, glass… Some of this is necessary. Yet, how consciously do you shop, actively recycle and make sure not to waste food? Food waste alone accounts for 4,4 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas or about 10% of annual emissions. Think about how much environment (and resources) could be saved and carbon sequestering vegetation could be maintained by reducing YOUR food waste.
Think again before you throw away that shrivelled potato; this is the cost of your waste.

20/05/2020

While we celebrate International Bee Day today (20 May), take a moment to think about bees critically. With history of bee keeping dating some 9000 years back to the North America’s, it counts among the earliest domesticated ‘animals’, about the same time as a ‘house cat’. Yet while we have perfected the latter’s diet, served moist from cans and dry from bags, little attention is given to bee diet. Habit loss and vast tracks of monoculture contribute to a bad diet of bees. The 2018 ban of some Neonicotinoids by the EU, due to its link to bee death, largely due to incorrect application and off-label use, has resulted in a 20% reduction of Canola (Rapeseed Oil) yield in the EU. This has since been replaced with production elsewhere in the world by developing 500’000ha (2x the size of Luxembourg) ‘new’ land (Noleppa, 2017). This loss of biodiversity has been far greater to bee’s diet and health. We need to focus more efforts on cover crops, green strips and biodiversity management, within commercial agriculture and conserve the pest management tools we have.