Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in cannabis  

Integrated pest management (IPM) is important when it comes to keeping cannabis plants healthy and productive. This is because cannabis can attract a lot of different pests and diseases that can cause problems. Biological control is a key component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in cannabis cultivation. It involves the use of natural predators, parasitoids, or beneficial organisms to manage pest populations.

Some of the common pests that you might find on cannabis plants are aphids, whitefly, thrips, spider mites, and leaf miners. These pests can damage the plants, which results in less yield and quality.

Next to pests, cannabis plants can also suffer from plant diseases like bacterial infections, mold, and other fungal diseases. These diseases can make the plants weaker, slow down their growth, and affect the leaves and buds if you don't manage them properly.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is vital in cannabis cultivation because it effectively controls pests and diseases, promotes sustainable practices, delays pest resistance, ensures product safety and quality, offers long-term cost savings, aids regulatory compliance, maintains crop predictability, and aligns with consumer preferences for safe, eco-friendly products.

Pest monitoring and scouting in cannabis crops  

Scouting and monitoring are fundamental practices in integrated pest management (IPM) for cannabis growers. These proactive approaches involve regular and systematic inspection of crops to identify the presence and severity of pests and diseases. Growers use various techniques, including visual inspections, traps, and modern technologies like remote sensing and digital image analysis, to track potential threats.

Scouting typically begins before planting and continues throughout the growing season, with a focus on early detection. Early identification of pests and diseases allows for timely intervention, reducing the risk of widespread infestations or outbreaks. Monitoring involves recording data on pest and disease populations, their distribution, and environmental conditions. By identifying issues promptly, growers can minimize the impact on crop yield and quality while reducing the environmental footprint associated with chemical treatments.

Pheromone and lures (Pherodis, Lurem-TR, Attracker) in combination with traps (Deltatrap, Funnel Trap) or sticky traps (Horiver) play a crucial role in monitoring and scouting for plant pests in agriculture and horticulture. Rollertraps are used in case large numbers of whiteflies and thrips are present. These tools are designed to attract, capture, and help identify specific pests, allowing growers to assess pest populations and make informed management decisions.

Crop scouting with Natutec Scout

Using a crop scouting tool can lead to more effective, sustainable, and profitable crop production by providing precision pest monitoring and real-time pest detection alerts. Natutec Scout is a crop scouting tool for effective and efficient pest monitoring.

With Natutec Scout you can use your preferred scout method. Record scout observations by mobile phone manually or use the scanner for Horiver sticky cards for automatic detection of pests. The dashboard provides you with a complete overview of your scouting data which can be extended by uploading historical scouting observations. The real-time pest detection alerts let you stay ahead of potential crop damage.