9_2_rec_soft_fruits

In berries, most of pests and diseases have a rapid lifecycle (spider mites, thrips, aphids), hence frequent monitoring of the crop is very important. This consists of, at least weekly, checking of the crop for possible pest and diseases on plants, on colored traps with or without pheromones, lure trapping, and training of crop workers to identify and report problems. Recording these data helps, over time, to define economic thresholds.

In addition to monitoring traps it is very important to check the fruits regularly as they begin to ripen. Monitoring should continue right up until harvest and beyond.

Monitoring of natural enemies should be done alongside pests to enable informed decisions on control measures needed.