A pest control company has been awarded a share of a £5 million (US$8 million) U.K. government grant aimed at helping agricultural innovations in England and Wales become a commercial reality. 

Russell IPM (integrated pest management) is working on a new technique to combat fruit flies and other pests that damage crops.

It has been given a significant financial boast for its knowledge transfer partnership with Keele University in Newcastle, England, to design improved traps for the control of thrips and whiteflies.

A spokeswoman for Russell IPM told www.freshfruitportal.com how western flower thrips caused extensive financial losses of at least £3,000 (US$4,800) per hectare per season to soft fruit growers.

"The market is large and with 4,969 hectares of strawberries grown in Britain, the cost of the damage in that area could run to £15,000,000 (US$24.1 million) each year," she said.

The whitefly attacks vegetables grown in greenhouses and open field crops. There are around 57 whitefly species that are particularly damaging, not only by feeding on the plants themselves but by carrying disease-causing viruses as well.

These insects are major pests in the U.K. and worldwide.

According to Russell IPM, the economic loses are estimated into the hundreds of million of dollars and the use of traps is an environmentally-friendly method to control these pests as it reduces the need for insecticides.

The entity has already designed a pest control product called OPTIROLL Super, which is claimed to significantly improve the capture rate of pests.

It works by attracting pests on a sticky trap that goes around a particular crop. The key is the contrasting colored pattern on the design of the trap that includes different horizontal and vertical lines and circles.

Keele University scientists, led by internationally renowned insect trapping researchers Dr William Kirk and Professor Gordon Hamilton, will work with Russell IPM to transfer knowledge and skills during a two-year partnership.

This is the second round of funding to be distributed through the British government’s Agri-Tech Catalyst program designed to support collaborative research between scientists and businesses with the aim of springboarding projects from the laboratory to the market place.

"Russell IPM is one of the leading manufacturers of insect pheromone based monitoring and control products. The core expertise is behavior modifying insect pheromone and natural material based bio-pesticides," added the spokeswoman.

"We translate science into innovative products that provide safe, effective and ecologically friendly solutions to the agriculture industry worldwide."

www.freshfruitportal.com