Diamondback Moth Control: Lessons from New Zealand Webinar

Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is the most damaging and problematic pest for brassica growers. Similarly, in New Zealand, DBM can render vegetable brassica crops unmarketable – through damage to leaves or contamination of harvested parts by larvae and pupae. Pesticide resistance, climate change and loss of traditional control options have only escalated the urgency to find more effective solutions to control DBM.

Join us for a discussion about Diamondback Moth (DBM), a significant pest of brassica, and what future options show promise for control of this species. In this webinar, we will explore IPM as a tool for effective control of DBM in New Zealand fresh produce crops and introduce emerging opportunities and tools that show promise to growers.

In 2000, Steve Brazeel founded SunTerra Produce, which has grown from a one-person produce brokerage firm into an industry-leading, full-service platform handling sales, marketing, farming, food safety, harvesting, storage, and distribution activities for specialty crop producers on over 10,000 acres throughout the US and Mexico. Born out of SunTerra‘s participation in the USDA’s ground-breaking Farmers to Families Food Box program, Project FoodBox was launched in 2020. Since the program’s inception, the SunTerra/Project FoodBox teams have delivered over 85 Million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to communities in need through its network of food banks, community organizations, and health care plans.

Elevated Foods, founded by Mr. Brazeel in 2020, was recently awarded a $20M grant as part of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. Elevated was formed to bring more profit to farmers by incentivizing the adoption of new technologies & practices and providing technical support to help make them more efficient and resilient.

In 2000, Steve Brazeel founded SunTerra Produce, which has grown from a one-person produce brokerage firm into an industry-leading, full-service platform handling sales, marketing, farming, food safety, harvesting, storage, and distribution activities for specialty crop producers on over 10,000 acres throughout the US and Mexico. Born out of SunTerra‘s participation in the USDA’s ground-breaking Farmers to Families Food Box program, Project FoodBox was launched in 2020. Since the program’s inception, the SunTerra/Project FoodBox teams have delivered over 85 Million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to communities in need through its network of food banks, community organizations, and health care plans.

Elevated Foods, founded by Mr. Brazeel in 2020, was recently awarded a $20M grant as part of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. Elevated was formed to bring more profit to farmers by incentivizing the adoption of new technologies & practices and providing technical support to help make them more efficient and resilient.

In 2000, Steve Brazeel founded SunTerra Produce, which has grown from a one-person produce brokerage firm into an industry-leading, full-service platform handling sales, marketing, farming, food safety, harvesting, storage, and distribution activities for specialty crop producers on over 10,000 acres throughout the US and Mexico. Born out of SunTerra‘s participation in the USDA’s ground-breaking Farmers to Families Food Box program, Project FoodBox was launched in 2020. Since the program’s inception, the SunTerra/Project FoodBox teams have delivered over 85 Million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to communities in need through its network of food banks, community organizations, and health care plans.

Elevated Foods, founded by Mr. Brazeel in 2020, was recently awarded a $20M grant as part of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. Elevated was formed to bring more profit to farmers by incentivizing the adoption of new technologies & practices and providing technical support to help make them more efficient and resilient.

In 2000, Steve Brazeel founded SunTerra Produce, which has grown from a one-person produce brokerage firm into an industry-leading, full-service platform handling sales, marketing, farming, food safety, harvesting, storage, and distribution activities for specialty crop producers on over 10,000 acres throughout the US and Mexico. Born out of SunTerra‘s participation in the USDA’s ground-breaking Farmers to Families Food Box program, Project FoodBox was launched in 2020. Since the program’s inception, the SunTerra/Project FoodBox teams have delivered over 85 Million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to communities in need through its network of food banks, community organizations, and health care plans.

Elevated Foods, founded by Mr. Brazeel in 2020, was recently awarded a $20M grant as part of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. Elevated was formed to bring more profit to farmers by incentivizing the adoption of new technologies & practices and providing technical support to help make them more efficient and resilient.

Dr. Stuart Davis is the Sustainability Manager at LeaderBrand, is an Honorary Fellow of the NZIAHS and Chair of the New Zealand Horticultural Science Advancement Trust and Industry Stakeholder Advisory Group Chair for A Lighter Touch, a pan-sector programme which addresses the question of meeting consumer demands for safe plant-based foods produced under sustainable pest management programmes while also caring for the environment. Stuart was formerly Director of Vegetables NZ and Chair of the Vegetable Research and Innovation Board and has had many leading roles in many industry projects especially in integrated pest and disease management.

Chris Lambert is the vegetables technical specialist at PGG. Originally from Gloucestershire in the UK, Chris completed a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Freshwater Biology and then a Master of Science in IPM. He provides technical support and training for staff and clients, particularly around vegetable crop protection. As part of his role, Chris enjoys working with growers and the wider industry, looking for solutions to pest, disease and soil health issues.

Asha Chhagan is a Scientist in the Biological Control Team at Plant & Food Research, Auckland. She has worked in integrated pest management, biological control and biosecurity for over 20 years. Asha has entomology expertise across a number of tree, vine and vegetable crops including kiwifruit, apples, citrus, feijoas, macadamias, onions and brassicas and is particularly interested in biological control and finding sustainable invertebrate pest management solutions for growers. Asha graduated from the University of Auckland with a BSc majoring in Biological Sciences, followed by an MSc focusing on Biological Control.

Miriam Hall is the Business Manager and Programme Manager at Plant and Food Research. She has a MSc in Plant Physiology from the University of Auckland and her background is in postharvest research, specializing in fruit texture and ripening.

In 2000, Steve Brazeel founded SunTerra Produce, which has grown from a one-person produce brokerage firm into an industry-leading, full-service platform handling sales, marketing, farming, food safety, harvesting, storage, and distribution activities for specialty crop producers on over 10,000 acres throughout the US and Mexico. Born out of SunTerra‘s participation in the USDA’s ground-breaking Farmers to Families Food Box program, Project FoodBox was launched in 2020. Since the program’s inception, the SunTerra/Project FoodBox teams have delivered over 85 Million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to communities in need through its network of food banks, community organizations, and health care plans.

Elevated Foods, founded by Mr. Brazeel in 2020, was recently awarded a $20M grant as part of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. Elevated was formed to bring more profit to farmers by incentivizing the adoption of new technologies & practices and providing technical support to help make them more efficient and resilient.