January marks the month sweet peppers officially begin their growing season in Murcia in Spain. Given the Government of the Region of Murcia reported Murcia’s peppers exports reached 100 million Euro in 2013 (41% more than in the previous year), the pressure growers face each season to continue bettering the number of high quality and nutrient rich peppers that predominantly feed the European Union is expanding.

With this weight in mind, we decided to speak to our IPM technical specialist based in Murcia to provide you with some valuable hints and tips on how to optimise biocontrol in your Murcia sweet pepper growing strategy for 2018.

Check out Mercedes Lorca’s Murcia Sweet Pepper guide below.

1. START CLEAN AND MONITOR WITH STICKY TRAPS

Start with the greenhouse disinfected, free of rest of crops and weeds. Put 1 blue sticky traps/100 m² for testing and capture populations of thrips in the first states of the cycle. Remove and replace plants affected for TSWV.

2. USE AMBLYLINE IN EARLY PLANTATIONS

Release Amblyline (Amblyseius cucumeris) sachets ( 2500 sachets/ha) 5-6 weeks after planting with the first flowers to maintain protected the young plants against the thrips. Introduce Swirskiline from February.

3. ADD SACHETS 5-6 WEEKS AFTER PLANTING

Release Swirskiline (Amblyseius swirskii) sachets 5-6 weeks after planting with the first flowering or 6 weeks after Amblyline.

4. APPLY ORILINE

Apply Oriline (Orius laevigatus) 2 weeks after Amblyseius application at rate of 3 ind/m²

5. IMPLEMENT APHID CONTROL

Add Aphiline (Aphidius colemani) to combat aphids (Myzus persicae & Aphis spp.), 0,25 ind/m²x5

6. DON’T FORGET RED SPIDER MITE TREATMENT

Preventive application of 400-1000sachets/Ha of Californiline on the risky areas of the greenhouse (usually close to paths and edges) is recommended. Add Phytoline 5-10 ind/m² from presence of red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae).