International Pest Control – January/February 2024 – Vol 66, Nr.1

IPCadmin | February 2, 2024

COVER IMAGE: Tropical termite, Coptotermes formosanus.
Picture by Partho Dhang, PhD

AI to predict yields, ag tech to cut billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, a database to help the understanding of the problems of European forests, a futuristic agricultural solar park – agri-PV – and NASA spotting grape disease from space before it is spotted on the ground. There seems no end to the role of technology in pest control and tomorrow’s professional will need to be comfortable working with AI.

Once again, we carry a comprehensive report from the BCPC Congress 2023, the first day of which focused on global food security, regulatory affairs, and alternative approaches to crop protection. The second day will be reported in our next issue. And in March 2024 the BPCA’s PestEx 2024 promises to be the biggest ever.

Company news also contains yet more technology, on the spot nutritional analysis from BASF, digital monitoring of flying insects and a collaboration between Bayer and Microsoft to connect farm data. BASF digital has linked up with Case, New Holland and STEYR to share field data, Koppert has a digital assistant and IRIDESENSE a laser to analyse plant health. Syngenta has announced a research sponsorship, Certis Belchim a new biorational fungicide, Biobest an acquisition and there are key leadership changes at Bayer’s Crop Science.

novIGrain report on the latest developments covering insights into pest resistance, ULV equipment development and user workshops.

Our special feature this issue looks at the impact of climate change on all aspects of crop and pest management. We start with articles by our Technical Consultants Dr Partho Dhang on termites and Dr Terry Mabbett on oaks. We go on to look at mapping impacts from space, a Bayer survey that suggests 70% of farmers are already impacted, and research that suggests numbers of beneficial microbes in the soil are being reduced by climate change.

The public health section includes the second part of our introduction to the EPA VERV programme, looks at the detail of the programme and how to submit a VERV registration. Also in public health is some guidance on how to avoid non-target anticoagulant poisoning and a look at the control of bed bugs which came to the fore during last year’s Rugby World Cup in Paris.

In Agriculture we look at how the wild potato may come to the rescue of its blight infested domesticated cousins and how intercropping preserves insect diversity without cutting yields.

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and its control is considered in Horticulture while in the Forestry section Terry Mabbett investigates the alien invasive spruce bark beetle Ips typographus which continues to crop up in the UK. Also, in this section Dr Mabbett considers the impact of nutrients on successful plantation management.

This issue concludes with a full index of 2023. In 2024 our Special Features list includes Urban Pest Management, Vertebrate Pest Control, Control of Biting Invertebrates, Managing Storage Pests, and Technology in Pest Control. We are always happy to receive articles whether linked to the special features or to our regular sections.

Chris Endacott, Editor International Pest Control magazine
editor@international-pest-control.com