This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.

What was it all about?

Integrated pest and disease management or IPDM used a range of management strategies to achieve economic pest and disease management. IPDM relied on understanding the lifecycles of pests, diseases and beneficial organisms and monitoring their numbers in the crop. This allowed the most appropriate management strategy to be used at the right time. A natural consequence of well-run IPDM was less reliance on and use of pesticides.

The Rubus industry in Australia had employed IPDM strategies for many years. However the information was not easily accessible in one place. The Rubus industry identified the need for a quick-reference poster that presented the information in a pictorial format that could be displayed in the farm office or packing shed. The aim of this project was to produce a relevant and useful IPDM poster for the Australian Rubus industry.

In December 2012, the IPDM poster for Raspberries and Blackberries was distributed to 150 rubus growers throughout Australia. The calendar displayed photos and information on plant growth stages matched to corresponding insect/disease life stages. This was linked to the four management strategies of monitoring, cultural control, biological control and chemical control to give growers the information they needed to make informed pest and disease management decisions.

A phone survey of rubus growers was conducted to evaluate the usefulness and relevance of the calendar to their business. The major recommendations from this survey included:

1. Develop alternative IPDM resources for the rubus industry including:
   1. A pocket or glove box IPDM guide
   2. IPDM Smart Phone app.
   3. An updated RABA website pages with IPDM information.
2. Produce a simplified calendar focusing on photos, lifecycles and monitoring whilst maintaining links to crop growth stages