A life-long commitment to help growers thrive

Added on 22 January 2025

Transforming perspectives on biocontrol

In the early days of her career, Rianne often faced resistance from growers. "Convincing them that biological solutions work required a shift from a curative mindset to a preventive approach — aiming at a natural balance in their crops and how to maintain it," she explains. Yet, the results spoke for themselves. Once growers witnessed the impact of beneficial insects and predatory mites in action, many exclaimed, "We’ll never go back! This was the most rewarding response of growers you can imagine", Rianne proudly adds.

Koppert has always continued innovating and has expanded its portfolio during the years. We have the most extensive biocontrol portfolio tailored to diverse growing environments. Our predatory mites have become central to pest management strategies in horticulture. We have the most experienced consultants in the industry with years of practice in the field. We know our natural products and devise IPM strategies for each of our customers to suit their specific needs.’ Our successes are well recorded and we have an enormous database of trial results, both locally and abroad. This is very important when growers start out and our consultants play a vital role during the introduction and rollout.’

Making biocontrol the norm

In the Netherlands, the use of biocontrol has become the norm when it comes to cultivating greenhouse vegetables and ornamentals. Our consultants are at hand to let individual growers and companies know when to introduce our beneficial organisms and in what numbers. ‘We really understand our beneficial insects and mites and how they work, and we have the advantage of producing the best quality on the market.’

‘We know that it is better to introduce Limonica than Swirski-Mite at low temperatures and we have a great deal of experience when applying them in different types of crops grown both locally and abroad. The connection between product, crop and consultant is close, so that the produce is optimal by harvest time. This requires knowledge, timing, and accuracy in application. We also know all about the interaction between our products and different crops. Our consultants have a long training period and their knowledge is continually updated.’

While Rianne is a specialist in our macro-organisms, she also has knowledge of our microbial products such as nematodes and fungi which combat pests and diseases but can also support plant health. ‘A healthy plant is far more resilient and can withstand pest infestations far better. It’s a winning combination and gives us the best results and a great deal of satisfaction.’

A soft spot for Spidex

Spidex or Phytoseiulus persimilis was the first predatory mite introduced by Koppert in the 60s, and it remains Rianne’s favourite. ‘It stands talls on its legs, is perfectly round and runs over the leaves like crazy. They’re easy to spot with the naked eye giving growers the reassurance that they are doing their job. Years of innovation have made it a real gamechanger when it comes to controlling spider mite effectively.’

Phytoseiulus persimilis

Preparing for the future

‘The future holds many challenges and one of them is the severe reduction in the use of chemical agents. In fact, a lot of them are going to disappear over the next three to five years due to more stringent regulations. Growers who are already using biological solutions for their crops will be better prepared to meet these changes,’ Rianne adds. ‘They will need to work preventatively rather than curatively to better control and contain pests as chemical correction products are phased out. Drones, robotics and blower systems are all in the Koppert pipeline so we can face these future challenges.’

With rising labour costs, Koppert has a number of technologies that make the distribution of our predatory mites and other natural solutions even more accurate and time saving. Special blowers ensure that the beneficial insects are spread evenly and gentle, enabling them to do their valuable work in the crop. ‘Koppert very recently introduced an advanced handheld blower, that really sets us apart in the market. This device uses a unique gentle airflow to disperse natural enemies safely over crops limiting mortality enormously! In addition, it distributes the predatory mites very accurately.

Koppert remains dedicated to driving innovation in sustainable agriculture. From robotics to drones, we are actively preparing to meet future challenges head-on. "Nothing beats the original!" Rianne adds proudly.