Grow with IPM. Do it yourself, your family and the environment
1/6/2010

Want to keep the pests away without using toxic chemicals and hurting the environment? Seeking healthy and tasty crops, without hampering the quality and quantity of the produce? Looking to keep the beneficial insects in and the pesky ones out? Practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM)! IPM is the practice of long-term prevention and suppression of pests. Several methods are commonly used and include good cultural practices.

MASTERPAK is offering IPM solutions to impede insects and restrict epidemics of insect-borne viruses. Indeed, MASTERPAK’s range of agricultural and horticultural films, suitable for flowers, fruits and vegetables, allow the growth of herbs and flowers, fruits and vegetables, without the potentially harmful chemicals used for fertilizing, and for the control of insects, disease and weeds.

 

“MASTERPAK’s Disease Control Film (DCF) is one solution sustaining IPM practices”, as puts it Rany Sfeir, MASTERPAK agricultural engineer. “It blocks UV sun rays up to 380 nm causing insects to lose visual ability inside greenhouses, preventing viral, fungal diseases and crop damage caused by white flies, aphids, red spiders, leaf miners, thrips and other insects. This results in the substantial decrease in the use of agricultural chemicals and thus lower production cost for the grower”, Sfeir explains.

“The Thermal Solarization Film is another solution contributing to the IPM”, Sfeir adds. “It disinfects the soil while protecting the environment and prohibiting destruction of beneficial organisms. The fumigation process is one month shorter than the regular fumigation process and the fumigation cost is lower.”

“The Silver/Brown Mulch Film is another effective solution to grow organic”, says Sfeir. “The brown layer works as a weed controller, reducing the use of herbicides, manning and irrigation. The silver layer acts as an insect repellent given its brightness effect preventing the usage of insecticides.”