Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a farm management strategy that brings together different practices and control methods to minimise chemical use and fight weeds, pests and diseases.

By moving to a pest management system that minimises chemical use, farmers adopting IPM aim for prevention rather than eradication, with an end goal of protecting their crops reducing chemical resistance in local populations and bringing down their chemical costs.

A levy-funded project is supporting Australian potato and onion growers in adopting IPM on their farms, including through project activities like workshops, demonstration sites, and the production of useful materials that growers can refer to when managing their crops.

So far, the project team at IPM Technologies has delivered workshops across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland, and has developed IPM strategies for those regions by working with local industry members.

The project has also established 25 demonstration sites so far, covering 1,416 hectares of potatoes and 395 hectares of onions being produced with an IPM approach.

To help communicate the results that IPM can deliver on-farm, the team has produced the following case studies:

• Boosting product quality with IPM at Cummaudo Farms in Victoria
• Adopting IPM for seed potato production on Kangaroo Island in South Australia
• Using IPM to help control tomato potato psyllid in New Zealand

If you’re interested in learning more about IPM or trialling an IPM system on your farm, the project team offers telephone and e-mail support, including week-to-week advice. Visit the IPM Technologies website for more information, or call Dr Paul Horne on 0419 891 575.

This information first appeared in Hort Innovation’s quarterly Hortlink publication, available in full online. Stay in the loop by becoming a member of Hort Innovation – paying a levy doesn’t automatically make you a member, but signing up is free and easy on the Hort Innovation website.

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 31 July 2018. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!

This project has been funded by Hort Innovation using the fresh potato, potato processing and onion research and development levies and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.