Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Banker plants and chemical resistance in cut flowers

Описание: This webinar was developed as part of a project supporting New South Wales cut flower growers to adopt more sustainable practices and strengthen their resilience to natural disasters. This project is being delivered by RMCG on behalf of AgriFutures Australia, with funding from the Australian and NSW Governments’ Storm and Flood Industry Recovery program.

The webinar explores practical ways to boost beneficial insect populations and manage pests more sustainably on a flower farm. It includes two recent case studies on banker plants in capsicums and cut flowers, identifying suitable host plants to help grow predatory insect populations and reduce key pests. It then discusses chemical resistance, how it develops and practical strategies to reduce the risk of it developing on farm.

The session ended with an open Q&A with the presenters, where these topics were explored in more detail.

Presenters
Dr. Bernardo O’Connor moved from Bolivia to Australia to study Zoology and Ecology in 2012. In 2021, Bernardo completed his PhD in Ecology at The University of Adelaide, where he researched how native parasitic plants could be used to control invasive weeds, and how this impacted native plants and arthropods. Bernardo specialises in monitoring capsicums, cucumbers, tomatoes and some flower crops such as chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, gerbera and hydrangea in the Adelaide area.

Dr. Robert Spooner-Hart is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Plant Production Systems at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He has over 40 years of experience in entomological research and development, with a major emphasis on IPM, sustainable pest management, biological control, and beneficial insects in horticultural production. He has conducted numerous research and extension projects on IPM and sustainable production with growers in Australia and overseas.

Camilla Humphries is an agricultural scientist with a broad skill set across horticulture, perennial tree crops, natural resource management and broad acre cropping focused on research, development, and extension. She has ten years of industry and project management experience with strong stakeholder engagement skills. Her career goal is to innovate and ultimately help to improve productivity and sustainability of horticulture and food production systems in Australia as well as in developing countries.