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natural pest control

11/08/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Scientists investigate the use of various botanical extracts as natural insecticides

A new research paper looks into natural means of pest control for horn flies (Haematobia irritans) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) that harm domestic cattle. The paper identifies a number of plants that could potentially manage these biting flies without using dangerous chemical insecticides. The study was supported by the Agricultural Research Service. It was published in […]

11/06/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Researchers look at two parasitoids from Pakistan as potential natural pest control

The fruit orchards of California are under attack by Asian citrus psyllids (Diaphorina citri). These insect pests spread the huanglongbing disease that kills profitable citrus plants. To combat them, researchers are using two parasitoid wasps from Pakistan, the original home of the psyllid menace. The psyllids are an invasive species from southern Asia that first […]

10/24/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Looking at alternative approaches to pest control

In response to the devastating huanglongbing disease sweeping through California’s citrus orchards, researchers are testing a biological control program. They are using two wasps from Asia that are natural enemies of the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), an invasive species of insect that spreads the bacteria responsible for the disease. The study was supported by the University of California Riverside. […]

09/13/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Natural fertilizers are better than chemical ones at preventing crop disease

A study led by researchers in Paraguay suggests that treating sesame seeds with natural biocontrol agents can significantly increase their resistance against infections caused by plant pathogens. Their findings, published in the Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, identified the non-pathogenic fungi Trichoderma and Azospirillum brasilense as potential agents to protect the seeds against infections from Macrophomina phaseolina, […]

08/23/2018 / By Michelle Simmons

Natural pest management: Peach farmers are reducing crop loss to stink bugs by planting grains to lure them away

Scientists from Auburn University in the U.S. found a way to manage pest naturally. They discovered that planting different grain crops attract pests away from the fruit, resulting to lesser crop loss. For the study, the research team analyzed six winter host crops and six summer host crops as possible trap crops or attractant crops for […]

06/20/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Natural is always better: Using predators to protect crops instead of herbicides boosts profit and conserves wildlife

Farmers in northwestern Michigan may have just found a way to hit two birds with one stone, figuratively speaking: They’ve been luring falcons to their farms to naturally cull pests and protect their crops, reducing their dependency on poison and pesticide use along the process. Since the 1990s, local orchardists have been using kestrels, a […]

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