Andrew Gladman (ADAS) talks about alyssum companion planting for control of thrips - both drawing the thrips away from the crop and also boosting populations of biocontrols like Orius. Exciting potential, should be interesting to see the system getting optimised.

Other parts of Europe have a predatory thrips licensed for biocontrol releases to control herbivorous thrips on strawberry - not yet in UK but maybe in future...? #AAB_IPPM #Thrips #CompanionPlanting #IPM

Allah Bakhsh showed us some results of dsRNA bioassays on colorado beetle - exciting prospects for control. It has high potential to be a safe and effective technique to manage pests, but I don't know how consumers will respond?

Then Rosemary Collier discussed IPM in fresh produce, and what needs doing as more plant protection products disappear from growers' toolkit. We will need to look at more resistant varieties of crops, and the role of biodiversity in natural pest regulation.
#AAB_IPPM #RNAi #IPM #CropProtection

Entomovectoring with Mojgan Rabiey at Warwick - bumblebees can carry bacteriophages to cherry flowers, allowing control of cherry canker on flowers (and thus fruit) - bees can find the flowers better than we can to distribute the phages.

I've never heard of it with phages before but seems an exciting and promising (and environmentally safer) route to part of canker management. Also means bees don't spread the pathogen as the phage "disinfects" them.

#AAB_IPPM #Entomovectoring #Bumblebees #IPM