The continued use of pesticides in the production of cuttings of floriculture crops in East-Africa negatively affects early predator establishment in the subsequent flower production phase in the Netherlands. In this project new strategies will be developed for the establishment of ‘standing armies’ of generalist predators in the different links of the international floriculture value chain, with main emphasis on the control of thrips and aphids. Cut chrysanthemum will be used as a model crop.

Project fit within KIA. This project primarily contributes to the theme ‘internationalisation’. This PPP project is a follow-up from the Seed Money Project “Pesticide-free and biocontrol-based chrysanthemum production along the international value chain”. It also directly contributes to MMIP A2 “Healthy and robust soil and cultivation systems based on agro-ecology and without harmful emissions to the soil- and surface water”, on the subthemes a) “smart design of resilient plant production systems” and b) “smart adjustment of plant production systems. Moreover, this project will contribute to the application of monitoring, detection and big data analysis techniques for pests and natural enemies, in order to guide targeted pest control interventions with curative measures, as mentioned for a crossover between MMIP A2 and “key technologies” in the Leidraad.

Contribution to the mission. This project primarily contributes to the theme ‘internationalisation’ by increasing the sustainability of the East-AfricanDutch floriculture value chain through developing new biological control strategies in the different links of the value chain (production of the cuttings in East-Africa, and rooting of the cuttings and flower production that can lead to a strong reduction in the use of pesticides. As the use of effective biological control
strategies in greenhouse horticulture, like the preventative establishment of predator populations in the crop with the use of alternative food, is strongly lagging behind in East-Africa, we will use the Dutch knowledge on biocontrol practices to develop tailor-made solutions for biological pest control in the production of cuttings in East-Africa. This development will in turn facilitate new approaches to biocontrol in subsequent links of the floriculture value chain in the Netherlands. This PPP project is a follow-up from the Seed Money Project “Pesticide-free and biocontrol-based chrysanthemum production along the international value chain”. It directly contributes to MMIP A2 “Healthy and robust soil and cultivation systems based on agro-ecology and without harmful emissions to the soil- and surface water”, on the subthemes a) “smart design of resilient
plant production systems” and b) “smart adjustment of plant production systems” through the development of new preventative biocontrol strategies with macro-organisms, the integration of these new strategies into robust and resilient cropping systems. Moreover, this project will contribute to the application of monitoring, detection and big data analysis techniques for pests and natural enemies, in order to guide targeted pest control interventions with curative measures, as mentioned for a crossover between MMIP A2 and “key technologies” in the Leidraad, through the development of a learning and optimisation platform for the cultivation of mother plants in East-Africa based on the analysis of commercial greenhouse data for which spatial monitoring and scouting data on both pests and predators will optimized, standardized and integrated
with climate data and crop protection interventions. In Uganda, the floriculture sector employs 8500 people, of whom 80% women. Helping the sector to add value to their products will contribute to ensure their jobs. The inclusion of BSc, MSc and PhD students will contribute to USG 5 (Quality Education). Stimulating Ugandan’s local biocontrol industry and capacity building in IPM and capacity building in IPM at Makerere University Horticulture Department will also strengthen future programs on IPM development in the larger horticultural and agricultural sector in Uganda. It will contribute to food safety (SDG 3) and sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG 12), the promotion of sustainable agriculture (SDG 2), and will contribute to decent work and economic growth of innovate industry in Uganda (SDG 8 and 9). Moreover, the replacement of pesticide application by biocontrol measures will contribute to the safety of the workers – among which many pregnant women – in Ugandan (greenhouse) horticulture.
Implementation trajectory after completion of this project.

This project will contribute to a decrease in the use of pesticides in the East-African Dutch value chains of floriculture crops through a) the development of new strategies for the establishment
of ‘standing armies’ of generalist predators in the cultivation of mother plants in East-Africa based on (new endemic) species that are tolerant to high (fluctuations) in temperature, and b) strengthening a ‘first line of defense’ against aphids and thrips in the rooting and flower production phases in the Netherlands with new strategies for early crop colonization by new and existing diapause-free generalist predators that (also) feed on small aphid colonies. For the development of these new biocontrol strategies, the international value chain of cut chrysanthemum will be used as a model system.
For the breeding companies and chrysanthemum cutting companies in UG/TZ, this project will yield new possibilities for the production of residue-free and clean cuttings through
• Identification of thrips species that occur within and around the cutting production sites, as well as assessing their potential entry pathways into the greenhouse and risk for transmission of plant viruses (e.g. TSWV) (this will also benefit MAAIF & NVWA)
• Identification and screening of native predatory bug and predatory mite species that are effective against thrips and tolerant to high (fluctuations in) temperature and RH (this can create new business opportunities for Xclusive Biological
Control)
• Knowledge on the potential of new endemic predators for surviving Dutch winters (= risk of establishment of (stowaway) predators that travel to the Netherlands on the cuttings, which is also important information for the NVWA).
• Knowledge on the population developmental rate of predators and thrips under the in UG/TZ prevailing greenhouse climatic conditions, as well as on the thrips pupation sites (plant vs soil/substrate) under these conditions
• New strategies that stimulate the establishment of (new endemic) predator species in the mother plants
• A joint IPM learning and optimization platform (this can also improve the services provided by Scarab Solutions)
• Integration and evaluation of the newly developed biocontrol strategies in the broader context of crop cultivation and
IPM practices
• Higher knowledge level about biocontrol and IPM in Uganda (and Tanzania) through trainings of the personal of the chrysanthemum cutting companies, MAAIF and Makerere University in Uganda
For the chrysanthemum growers in the Netherlands, this project will yield new biocontrol possibilities to prevent thrips and aphids from breaking through the low-threshold densities that can be tolerated in this crop, through
• New strategies to improve the early establishment of Orius predatory bugs in the rooting and flower production phases in the Netherlands
• New ways to reduce the competition for high-quality food between Orius predatory bugs (that control both aphids and thrips) and predatory mites (that only control thrips larvae, and can interrupt aphid control by Aphidoletes aphidimyza)
• Integration of the new standing army strategies in the broader context of crop cultivation and IPM strategies. For the entire chrysanthemum value chain this project will yield
• Environmental footprint analyses of various future-proof scenarios for a biocontrol-based sustainable cut chrysanthemum chain (this can strengthen the services provided by Royal Flora Holland and MPS)
• Alignment of the use of biological control agents in the successive links of the Uganda-Dutch value chains of floriculture crops with (inter)national legislation and regulations (this can also benefit NVWA and MAAIF).