Unauthorised pesticide use on protected salad crops in Almeria last winter and adverse press coverage in key markets such as Germany have turned growers in the Spanish region on to integrated production techniques, but also causing delays in plantings.

According to growers’ association Coag, plantings are being delayed by growers as the heat of August means that beneficial insects struggle to thrive. “Plantings will be delayed by 10-15 days,” Coag’s regional secretary in Almeria Andrés Góngora said. “This delay will also be noticeable when it comes to harvesting dates as it seems that biological controls do not work to the best of their ability when it is too hot and milder temperatures are important to help the beneficial insects develop more easily.”

But Góngora stressed that the decision to plant is up to individual growers and there may still be some who have planted early and some agronomists who believe that by waiting 10-15 days to plant, growers are still not guaranteed milder temperatures when it comes time to release beneficial insects.

And some producers are simply delaying plantings, some agronomists speculate, because they are relatively new to integrated production and biological control techniques. “There are a lot of people who are pretty uncertain about these growing methods,” said one agronomist. “That could be another reason for the delay. This next year is going to be one of transition for Almeria, it is going to be tough, but the results will be positive.”

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