Tim Crittenden has joined Biobest UK’s soft-fruit team as commercial and technical adviser, based in the east of England and covering the UK.
Having completed a national diploma in horticulture from Easton College in Norfolk, Crittenden joined Darby Nursery Stock in Thetford, where he went on to become the technical manager, responsible for Integrated Crop Management (ICM) programmes and practices.
“Overseeing a wide range of containerised crops − including soft fruit, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, climbers and trees − Tim has broad practical experience of designing, implementing and managing complex ICM programmes,” said Biobest UK general manager Simon Jones. “Growing a wide variety of different crops on a single site is particularly challenging in regard to pest and disease control. Tim has a genuine passion for biocontrol and brings plenty of invaluable experience with him to his new role in our expanding soft-fruit team.”
Crittenden is working alongside Biobest UK’s Martin Chesson, Mark Jones and Mark Wilde providing technical and sales support to UK soft-fruit growers.
As well as its work on crop pollination with bumblebees, Biobest also supplies a range of biological products. Its most recent developments for the soft-fruit sector include the new Sphaerophoria-System for aphid control. Meanwhile, Biobest’s Drosotrap and Dros’attract are tackling Drosophila suzukii detection, while the food supplement Nutrimite − based on specific selected pollen for predatory mites − actively promotes earlier and faster biocontrol establishment in the crop.
“Consumer demand for residue-free produce is growing rapidly,“ said Jones. “To benefit from this market opportunity, growers face new challenges and expect new solutions from the crop protection industry. Through its expertise and innovations, Biobest is an ideal partner.“
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