The arrival of two Hollander with two suitcases each weighing around a hundred kilos made Maroc customs duty officers lour in 2015 . Yet they entered the land . Peter Kerkhof of LedsProtect explain below why that deform out to be of great importance to both growers there and in other countries , like the Netherlands . " I said in my proficient Gallic and Moroccan that my son and I were coming to keep the nation . "
A ultraviolet radiation ambush from LedsProtect at a Maroc agriculturalist of tropical plants
His comer in 2015 was not the first clip Peter had set foot on Moroccan grease . He was already there in 2008 , through a Dutch PUM project ( Programma Uitzending Managers ) . Back then , he encounter a Maroc tropical plant raiser who had just started to congeal up his own business sector . " He encountered the necessary start - up job . It move around out to be very hard to grow commence cloth in a unsubdivided hydrofoil greenhouse at temperatures well above forty degrees Celsius . I recollect think it was all rather primitive . Now we laugh about it together ; the company has undergone considerable development . "
PanicNot long after Peter ’s first sojourn , another Dutch PUM visitor come to take a look at the party . He find the feared pest Opogona sacchari , also eff as the banana tree borer or banana moth . " As an arboriculturalist by origin , I had never find out of it at the time , but I soon realized that it was something serious when I pick up that , after the find , there was some panic . "
To battle the pest , which now has quarantine status , Peter was asked during a subsequent visit to bring along nematodes . " The raiser want to try and hold the pest with them . Unfortunately for him , it had very footling effect . "
Forage damagePeter then started to look into the topic and discovered that the larva of the moth hold up in the dirt . " If that is the eccentric , then nematode are in effect and you’re able to control the blighter effectively . However , the caterpillars are much more likely to be find oneself in the works , often tropical plant such as banana flora , but also tropical plants that are often also grown in greenhouses in the Netherlands such as Yucca and Dracaena . There , they eat the plants completely , and it is difficult to command them . roundworm do not process , and chemical command is not possible either , because you’re able to not pertain the Caterpillar . The result is that growers see one plant after another fall dupe to the infestation , and the damage is immense . "
Opogona in the sand trap
Professional trapTo discover whether Opogona is the culprit , pheromone traps are used . Peter started testing them some ten age ago . " I presently caught quite a few moth , but only males and not the females . "
The traps were fit with a water cooler with the pheromone above it . " To catch them better , after many a test I decided to put back the pheromone with a ultraviolet light lamp . After that , I get 50 moths , Male and females , on the first night . From that moment on I started to professionalize it . "
Big catchThe road to the striking customs moment in 2015 is made . " In those travelling bag were the first professional bunker that I had had made with the assistant of an electrical engineer . At the large Maroc grower ’s premises , I set the ambush , and on the first nighttime , we caught 160 moths . That is a mountain and indicates that the problem was freehanded . By continuing to catch them , the pestilence has been under control for years .
The Maroc grower grows his tropical plants both outside and inside a greenhouse . The trap are connected to 220 volt , and outside they process on solar energy using solar panels . " With the help of adapter , we can easily touch base several of them . They have traps everywhere . In the greenhouse , we have our new simulation , and outside it is still the older one . In the come years , they will also replace those trap . "
The novel model UV light trap from LedsProtect is not to be miss at night . study more about what is newhere .
Under controlFor all growers of tropical plant , with or without traps , it is important to always detain alert for the reaching of the banana stone drill . Many growers forge with starting material imported from Central America , Peter know . " Opogona has no innate opposition there and is a major pest . Even with Q - status , you have to be very careful . By ferment with our traps , growers can quick scout and also directly control the pest dirt ball to keep the population under control . "
For more information : Peter KerkhofLedsProtect[email protected][email protected]www.ledsprotect.com
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