Modern substrate cultivation offers possibilities for a minimum of residues in strawberry

Strawberry production has developed strongly toward a more sustainable, integrated and even high tech cultivation. Especially with substrate cultivation, growers are realizing great achievements like year-round production and crop protection based on a tailor-made integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. Because of pest tolerance for chemicals, the elimination of certain approved active ingredients and the demand for less residues in the fruits, this IPM strategy was developed. Although growers can respect maximum residue levels (MRLs) with chemical strategies, the switch toward an IPM approach proves to be highly rewarding slowing down the resistance build up against applied chemicals. We found biological solutions that can cope with the cold climate and short span of a strawberry cultivation. Beneficial mites like N. cucumeris, A. limonicus, P. persimilis and N. californicus together with the predatory bug O. laevigatus dealt with common plagues like thrips, spider mite and white fly. The main decrease in residues we could obtain by using biological products against powdery mildew. Also for Botrytis, first steps are being made for a successful IPM with entomo-vectoring systems or biological products. Our research team showed in different cultivation systems great success by using an IPM approach in strawberry, resulting in on average 2 residues in the fruit.