The system, which has been successfully piloted in tomato crops since 2010, uses a network of traps on farms that capture adult pests before they start to reproduce. The data from these traps is used to provide early warning messages to growers and advisers by SMS, fax, or email. Evalio AgroSystems provides growers and advisers with data for key pests in potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, cotton, and corn.
Giuseppe Ceparano from DuPont who developed the system says that it has the potential to optimise the total number of sprays applied to a crop by improving the timing of application and spraying only when problem pests are present.
The development of Evalio AgroSystems involved monitoring pests in tomato crops over a two-year period, working alongside 15 major food processing companies in five countries. These companies saw the tool as an opportunity to help them and their growers reduce wastage and achieve high quality end products.
“The growers who used Evalio AgroSystems during the pilot period reported increased yields, better quality produce and less in-field waste,” says Giuseppe. “A significant benefit of applying pesticides only when pests are present, rather than on a calendar basis, is that growers can adopt control strategies with improved environmental fit.”
“With more pressure on production and increasing environmental scrutiny of the entire food production process, a system that maintains or improves the quality of produce and at the same time allows growers to be more targeted in their pest management programmes and spray at the optimum time to control pests has to be good news,” concludes Giuseppe.
“Evalio AgroSystems is a free service for growers, advisers, processors and dealers. To find out more, or to sign up, visit evalio.dupont.com. Registered users will receive a weekly warning report – more frequently during key insect flight periods – and have access to the latest news and updates published on the dedicated website.
