Biostimulants have an interesting role in overall integrated pest management (IPM) systems. While the materials are designed to improve things like yield and overall crop health, they can also provide …
MSOB: Biological Materials for Arthropod Management in Organic Vegetables
Biological materials play an important part in integrated pest management, particularly in organic systems. Vegetable crops have a variety of arthropod pests that impact production, including different types of thrips, …
MSOB: Questions to Answer in Future Biological Research
The future of biological research will take a variety of different forms as the products become more widely adopted. As the number of biological products increases and implementation expands, there …
MSOB: Making Informed Choices About Biological Approaches
Having a clear understanding of how biologicals and biostimulants function helps maximize the efficacy of biological approaches. Negative experiences with biological products can sometimes be attributed to a lack of …
MSOB: Using A ‘Fear Effect’ to Combat Aphid Populations
Researchers are looking at a method of using the scent of lady beetles to control aphid populations. The concept is similar to releasing predatory insects as a form of biological …
MSOB: Biological Control of Botrytis Shows Potential
Recent research has found that biological control methods for botrytis can be as effective as a chemical approach. A trial conducted earlier this year in a commercial strawberry field in …
MSOB: Biological Protection for Grapevine Trunk Disease
Researchers have found that biological protection against grapevine trunk disease has tremendous potential. Cooperative Extension Specialist and Plant Pathologist in the Department of Plant Pathology at UC Davis, Akif Eskalen …
MSOB: Beneficial Bacterium Helps Grapevines Fight Pierce’s Disease
A beneficial bacterium, Paraburkholderia phytofirmans, is proving to be a valuable biological approach to combatting Pierce’s disease. Researchers have been working with the bacterium for quite some time. In greenhouse …
MSOB: Delivering Biological Materials Through Bee Vectoring
The process for dispersing biological materials using bees is known as entomovectoring, or bee vectoring. UC Cooperative Extension Entomology and Biologicals Advisor, Dr. Surendra Dara has been exploring the process …
MSOB: Improving Soil Health Supports Beneficial Nematodes
Nematodes are everywhere, and growers are most familiar with parasitic nematodes that create significant damage in cropping systems. However, Post-Doctoral Researcher with Oregon State University, Ashley Shaw said that certain …
MSOB: Biocontrol Treatment Mitigates HLB Symptoms
Huanglongbing (HLB) continues to be an issue for citrus growers, but a biocontrol treatment shows promise in combatting symptoms. Using a benign strain of Xylella fastidiosa bacteria in infected trees …
MSOB: Biological Options for Western Flower Thrips
Western flower thrips can be a big issue for certain growers, especially lettuce producers. There are a few biological tools available to growers but they require some planning. “Definitely, we …
MSOB: Biologicals Market Growing Fast With Lots of Opportunities
The biologicals market in agriculture continued to grow rapidly over the last few years, but is it overcrowded? The latest episode of the Making Sense of Biologicals campaign discusses the …
MSOB: Why is Seaweed Well-known in Biological Industry?
Other than Bacillus thuringiensis, seaweed may be the most well-known ingredient in today’s biological products. But why is that and what does it do? The latest episode of the Making …