Gerbera United, together with other gerbera growers, will soon start the large-scale use of Sticky discs from Royal Brinkman in the fight against the ring leg earworm. At Gerbera United's nursery in Nootdorp, Moerkapelle, and Zevenhuizen in the Netherlands, Sticky discs will be placed under all cultivation gutters. Ringlegged earwigs are light-shy and moisture-loving and often hide in greenhouses under the cultivation system with ground cover. By placing Sticky discs around all water hoses and stands under the cultivation system, it is impossible for the ring leg earworm to reach the crop from below.
Ring-legged earworms can no longer crawl up to the crop via stands and water hoses
Ringlegged earwigs have been a threat in gerbera for several years. With the elimination of broad-spectrum pesticides, numbers are growing in the crop. The level of damage in gerbera is species-dependent, but ring leg earworms cause crop and flower damage everywhere. Attacking young flower buds causes the greatest damage and crop loss.
Approach
Gijsbert Verboom of Gerbera United tried all sorts of biological agents in the approach but with limited results. "Eventually, we started considering a method of shielding the pipes, hoses and stands. These creeping earworms move up through the cultivation system in search of the crop, and successfully, unfortunately." Gijsbert explains that tests with upside-down glued coffee cups from the canteen turned out well. Royal Brinkman was asked to think along to make this solution practical.
Gijsbert Verboom of Gerbera United (left) and René Tas of Royal Brinkman
Yellow sticky disc
The result is the yellow Sticky disc, a one-sided sticky disc with a cut-out core and equipped with a click system. The Sticky disc is available in 2 diameters: 132 mm for stands of cultivation gutters and 165 mm for drain hoses and water hoses. It is a choice to apply these Sticky discs during the cultivation change of gerbera, then all points are easily accessible.
Gerbera United has now decided to equip all cultivation departments with Sticky discs. Gijsbert: "We are going to use the Sticky discs at all our nurseries, in new and existing sections. During the crop rotation, we will then permanently eliminate ring-legged earworm in the new sections. In the sections with existing crops, we also place Sticky discs to prevent more ring leg earworms from coming to the surface. To keep the damage limited."
De Sticky disc 132 m and 165 mm.
Royal Brinkman is closely involved in the development of the Sticky disc. The Sticky disc is a great example of 'Let's improve together.' This is the way we at Royal Brinkman work on product development: improving crop results together with the grower. All lines under the cultivation gutters can be fitted with Sticky discs. There are also growers with rectangular stands under the gutter instead of round. There is also a solution for this: Sticky discs with a rectangular core. In the webshop, you can find Sticky discs, complete with dimensions, diameter, and type of core.
For more information:
Royal Brinkman
Postbus 2
, 2690 AA
's-Gravenzande, the Netherlands
Tel.: +31 174 446 100
Email: info@royalbrinkman.nl
www.royalbrinkman.nl