Representatives of the National Institute of Agricultural Research and the University of the Republic’s College of Agronomy report on integrated-production progress by Uruguay’s fruit growers. (Photo by INIA)
Frogs, birds and bees are returning to southern Uruguay’s fruit orchards thanks to efforts by growers to replace chemical pesticides with organic pest-control techniques. The strategy targets nearly all of Uruguay’s deciduous-fruit orchards, including pear, peach, apple, cherry and quince operations supplying the country’s domestic and export markets. Non-toxic, pheromone-based biological control of destructive fruit-moth larvae is being implemented under the direction of Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), Ministry of Ranching, Agriculture and Fishing (MGAP) and the College of Agronomy at the University of the Republic. So far, the new approach is being employed by some 410 producers on 3,700 hectares (9,100 acres) of land in four Uruguayan departments—Canelones, Montevideo, San José and Colonia. “We free ourselves from the bad use of pesticides, reducing the risk of undesirable situations,” says Erick Rolando, president of the Association of Fruit Growers for Integrated Production... [Log in to read more]
