Cucumber and Gherkin

Successful cucumber crops? Don’t hesitate to use biological pest control!

IPM makes the difference

Biological and natural products are an essential aspect in the cultivation of today's cucumber and gherkin crops. But why, precisely, is it such a good idea to choose IPM or integrated crop protection?

• You help prevent pests and diseases from becoming resistant to chemical pest control methods.
• You comply with the strict regulations and meet the demands of the consumer.
• You choose residue-free methods and, therefore, produce healthier cucumbers.
• You reduce the risk of yield losses.
• You reap a rich harvest by choosing IPM. How? You can count on increased cost-effectiveness and improved fruit quality to help optimise your competitive position.

Biological pest control for cucumber

Will you also take the step to implement biological strategies in your crops? If so, Biobest offers you a wide range of solutions that can be used safely at any time. You can utilise:

• a wide range of natural enemies, such as Swirskii-System, to control thrips and whitefly but also Aphidius-System against aphids;
• the nutritional feed supplement Nutrimite™, which ensures that predatory mites − such as Swirskii-System − are working at full strength when an infestation occurs;
• pheromone traps and sticky traps, such as Bug-Scan^®, to monitor and scout pests in the crop;
• biological insecticides, such as PREFERAL^®, as an extra weapon in the control of whitefly or Delfin^® against caterpillars;
• the biological fungicide Prestop^® that kills pathological moulds on the above-ground parts of the plants;
• the thrips pheromone ThriPher to lure thrips out of their shelters.

Bumblebee pollination of cucumber

Most cucumber varieties grown in greenhouses have only female flowers. Therefore, they develop fruit without fertilization. In other words, these plants have parthenocarpic properties, making pollination unnecessary.
Only non-parthenocarpic strains require cross-pollination. In comparison to the honeybee, bumblebee pollination results in less fruit drop and better fruit quality. So, for non-parthenocarpic cucumbers, bumblebees are better pollinators. Biobest would be happy to help you choose from our wide range of bumblebee hives in order to meet your specific needs.

Did you know that...

…cucumbers have a short growing cycle and are extremely susceptible to a wide range of pests? Tackle the problem right from the start and prevent pests from surviving and carrying over into the next cycle. The result is less problems now and in the future!