Challenges
Before Sera, Koppert Cress faced significant challenges in managing pest outbreaks, including:
- Unpredictable pest activity leading to delayed interventions.
- Overuse of pesticides during large-scale outbreaks, increasing costs and crop stress.
- Lack of insights into how climate conditions influenced pest behaviour.
Solution
- We implemented a climate-based forecasting system to manage pest outbreaks more effectively:
- Climate Analysis: Analysed greenhouse climate data to identify periods conducive to pest proliferation.
- Outbreak Forecasting: Developed predictive models to anticipate pest outbreaks before they occurred.
- Targeted Interventions: Enabled early, precise pesticide applications to prevent large-scale outbreaks.
- Pest Size Mitigation: Reduced the severity and spread of outbreaks through proactive management.
Outcome
- Reduced Intervention Costs: Lowered pesticide costs by 11% through more efficient and targeted applications.
- Improved Pest Control: Minimised outbreak sizes, reducing damage to crops and maintaining greenhouse productivity.
- Sustainable Practices: Decreased pesticide use, promoting healthier crops and a more eco-friendly approach to pest management.
Why it matters
With proactive climate-based forecasting, Koppert Cress transformed their pest management strategy, achieving cost savings and a healthier, more sustainable greenhouse environment.
