Innovative applicator helps growers reap the benefits of precision biological control

Let's take a closer look at the technology, developed by Koppert Biological Systems, which is now being extended for use across a range of protected crops.

Natutec Drive, Koppert’s applicator for predatory mites and other biocontrol agents in protected crops, has gained a strong following among UK strawberry growers just four years since its launch.

Over 30 machines are now on farm, and feedback from growers highlights the cost effectiveness and heightened efficacy of the system compared with traditional hand application, says Koppert UK’s commercial manager, Darren Bevan.

This has helped underpin the use of natural predators as a mainstream precision tool to control key strawberry pests, including spider mite, thrips and aphids, he says.

″Growers are facing a continued reduction and availability of active ingredients for crop protection, as well as the ongoing impacts of increased labour costs and low output costs. We believe Natutec Drive is an obvious counter to this margin squeeze.″

The strawberry crop version of Natutec Drive is typically mounted on a tractor-drawn tri-axle trailer. Product is fed from a 30-litre drum through a patented dispersal system into an airstream for distribution through boom-mounted tubes.

This gently applies equal amounts of natural predators to each crop row to deliver effective pest control. The operator can select product and dose accurately and quickly, using touch screen controls mounted on the tractor.

Natutec Drives are custom built and available on lease hire from Agrovista, Koppert UK’s partner on fruit crops in the UK.

Agrovista’s head of fruit, Mark Davies, says: ″Over the 15 years we have been working with Koppert UK we have focused on the quality and efficacy of biological controls.

″That has given us access to excellent quality, fresh beneficials and now, thanks to Natutec Drive, every row and every plant receives an even application at the right time, which is a massive help to growers when it comes to implementing our agronomists’ recommendations.″

Salih Hodzhov, chief operating officer at Kent-based WB Chambers Farms, agrees.

Strawberries are a key crop for the business, producing about 3,500t per year from 80ha across four sites, mostly from six-row tabletop systems under plastic. Crops are in production from February to November, so pests cannot be allowed to gain a foothold, he says.

″We started with one Natutec Drive in 2021. Now we have three, and will have another this year, one for each site to reduce downtime.

″Any biocontrol product that can be applied by machine on strawberries will go through a Natutec Drive – about 80% of the programme.″

Given the ongoing loss in traditional plant protection products, they are a welcome development. ″It’s not just the loss of actives, but the fact we have fewer to work with,″ Salih explains. ″That makes it harder to implement rotation strategies, so the risk of resistance is increasing. We’ve seen that with thrips.

″Having the right biological controls and being able to implement them effectively is crucial for the business, and is now a mainline strategy for us.″

Improved timeliness and better application accuracy have been key benefits compared with hand application. ″When you are investing several hundred thousand pounds a season in biocontrol products you want them to work to the optimum,″ he says.

″If it’s too hot, humid or windy this can affect product performance and placement. But we can now treat the whole farm over three days, so we can afford to wait for better conditions.

″We can now be much more prescriptive and precise in our use of biocontrols. We can go little and often to top up predator levels, concentrating on preventative treatment.″

Reduced labour costs are a further benefit. Salih calculates a machine can do about 15ha per day, which would take at least 10 people to do by hand, costing about £1500/day.

″The machines cost next to nothing to run, and I reckon they will save the business over £70,000 this year, and labour costs are only going to go one way.″

The availability of labour, or lack of it, is even more pressing, he adds. ″The last thing we want is to have to use 30 people on doing biocontrol – we want them to be picking.

″We now consider Natutec Drive to be a key part of our crop control programme. We wouldn’t consider anything else.″

New developments

Koppert is expanding the Natutec Drive system into other protected crops and field situations, mounting modules into a range of customised vehicles and even drones.

″The strawberry machine is just one platform within a suite of products,″ says Darren. ″Currently we have several handheld devices that can be used across a range of crops, in glasshouses and polytunnels, and two new raspberry machines will be on farm at WB Chambers this year.

″We are developing a growing family of products that we believe will be real game-changers for crop protection in protected crops and eventually, in open-field situations too.″

Natutec Drive key points

• Uniformity of distribution

  
  

• Accurate for multiple products and densities

  
  

• Excellent biological control

  
  

• Significant labour saving compared with manual application