Crop protection Manual for the horticulture

Page 1

IntroductionHow does CleanLight work?

Page 2

Improved qualityRepeat treatmentSpores & Mycelium

Page 3

Viruses & Bacteria Adjusting the modulesSafety

Page 4

The 10 advantages

Page 5

Ornamental Plants & Flowers

Page 6

Vegetables & Fruit

Page 7

Legal requirementsCertificatesIntellectual property

Rear

Contact informationDistributors

Index

Introduction

The CleanLight technique is a clean and effective way of protecting and strengthening the crops. The technique was developed in 2005 and made its breakthrough in greenhouse farming in 2008.

Using CleanLight allows horticulturists to realise at least a 50% reduction in fungicides when combating diseases such as Mildew and Botrytis. The reduced spraying and daily dosage of CleanLight makes the plant stronger, more defensible and vital, which will also increase the quality of your crops and products.

This technique will also save on labour costs when fighting fun-gi, viruses and bacteria. The technique offers a re-entry time of mere seconds and will prevent Maximum Residue Level (MRL) concerns. Plus you will also avoid any excess moisture in your greenhouse or on your crops and the application is completely free of any residue!

How does CleanLight work?

CleanLight is based on UV technology. We have known that UV light kills fungi for more than 100 years. However, this early knowledge concerned very high doses of UV light. If crops were exposed to this kind of dosage, then people, crops and biological control would be at risk. So conventional UV disin-fection is not applicable to greenhouse farming crops.

The CleanLight technique works with a dosage which:a) Is high enough to kill fungi, bacteria and viruses andb) is low enough to ensure your crops will not suffer any damage.

In this respect ‘the spraying of CleanLight’ does indeed seem like ‘the spraying of agents’: the dosage is very important. Independent research has confirmed that a daily dosage of between 2 mJ/cm2 and 14 mJ/cm2 is sufficient to protect and strengthen the crops.

The dosage is dependent on various different factors. The most important factors are the strength of the CleanLight module and the speed of treatment. The dosage can be care-fully calculated beforehand with these two variables. Once the installation has been completed, another measurement can be carried out with a certified measurement instrument to confirm the correct dosage.

Examples

Please note: an optimal dosage and therefore optimal speed, will vary in line with the seasons, the cultivation method and the crops. Always consult a CleanLight crop protection specialist before you start.

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Improved quality

One important advantage of using the CleanLight technique is that the plant will become stronger and more defensible. This will inevitably result in the improved quality of your crops.

Natural UV light, as it occurs in full sunlight, will barely pen-etrate into the greenhouse. This results in incomplete sunlight entering the greenhouse and the plant therefore misses out on an important element. A daily CleanLight treatment will make sure your plant receives the missing light it naturally needs. Plus the layer of wax on the crops will remain intact, which will serve as a natural defense system.

An added advantage is that you will need to use fewer sprays to combat fungi. Every time you spray you automatically cause stress and damage the crop. Your crops will grow full of health and vitality if you spray less often and use the CleanLight tech-nique on a daily basis.

This will result in your product undergoing a visible quality improvement!

Repeat treatment

Spraying your crops with chemical agents will leave a protec-tive layer. This will ensure any fungi won’t make a quick reap-pearance.

CleanLight will not leave a protective layer on the crops. This means in principle the next fungal attack can happen within a 24 hour period. This is why we usually recommend carrying out a daily CleanLight treatment.

Spores & Mycelium

The dosage for killing off fungal spores is high for most types of fungi. After all, most spores have a thick protective shell. The required dosage would be so high that many of the crops would also be bothered by the light. So, in summary, CleanLight is generally not effective for killing off spores.

So how can CleanLight fight off these damaging fungi? The dosage required to kill off the mycelium (“the fluff”) is low for most types of fungi. In short, the CleanLight technique will regularly kill off the mycelium, which will prevent the formation of new spores, without damaging the crops.

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Viruses & Bacteria The dosage required for viruses and bacteria is relatively low when compared to the dosage required for killing off fungi. CleanLight therefore allows you to kill off both viruses and bacteria, without damaging the crops.

Do make sure you consider the following: CleanLight can only kill off fungi, bacteria and viruses which are actually present on the crop. Once the disease has penetrated into the crop, CleanLight will no longer be able to reach it, or indeed kill it off.

This is exactly why daily treatment is so important! The costs associated with the daily treatment really is nothing compared to the costs of production loss, yield reduction and/or cleaning up.

Adjusting the modulesCleanLight has conducted research for three years and some of the excellent results include the CleanLight modules which have been especially developed for greenhouse farming. The modules must be focussed on the fungi, bacteria and/or virus you want to fight off.

These modules are available in various different wattages, de-pendent on the CleanLight application. Using these modules is safe for you and your crops, providing the correct protocol is applied. It’s therefore always advisable to obtain advice from a CleanLight crop protection specialist or your trusted supplier.

The modules should be wiped clean with BioCleaner on a regular basis. If the modules or lights look like they are acquir-ing a green layer because they are in contact with the leaves,

then a daily wash will be required. A weekly wash to remove any dust will be sufficient if the lights appear to be clean.

Please note: make sure the lights don’t get greasy. Grease will reduce the CleanLight light’s effectiveness.

SafetyThe light can cause problems with the eyes: “arc eye”. This can manifest itself within a matter of hours after exposure to the light. We would therefore always recommend keeping a mini-mum distance of 5 meters between yourself and the equip-ment when the lights are on. So if there is ever a reason for you to be closer to the lit lights, then you must use certified safety glasses which offer UV-c protection.

The skin barely notices the light. The light doesn’t penetrate into the skin. Your skin will therefore not tan as a result of the light. The light will only damage the very top, dead layer of skin, the epidermis. Having said that, if you need to be within 5 meters of the lights for any prolonged period of time, you will need to wear gloves and long sleeves to protect your skin.

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The 10 advantages

1. Saving on sprays (at least 50%)

2. Improved crop quality

3. No residue on the crops

4. Less stress for the crops

5. No resistance

6. No re-entry time

7. Dry and clean technique

8. Any biological control agents are not inconvenienced

9. Heat and CO2 savings

10. Also effective against viruses and bacteria

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Ornamental Plants & FlowersMildewMildew grows on the leaf and reduces the rose’s vitality and commercial value. Mildew can be controlled with a daily CleanLight treatment. As flowers are a dense crop, some mildew areas can survive in the ‘shadow’ of other leaves. So you may still need to spray using a chemical agent after a few weeks, to ensure all those little corners are reached.

BotrytisThe Botrytis fungus grows on dead plant material and from there can also come into contact with live material. This can result in major damage. Some of the Botrytis effects include an undesirable discolouration and deterioration of the flower or the death of a young plant. These effects can be combated with a daily CleanLight treatment.

Please note: The CleanLight technique should be used 7 days a week for a suc-cessful fight against Botrytis, as Botrytis can strike within 24 hours.

Quality ImprovementYour crops will be doing visibly better by reducing the amount of spraying and as a result of the strengthening effect of a daily CleanLight treatment. This means your crops will boast a better colour, more flowers and plants will form part of the A class and you will suffer fewer failures. Plus the crops will be more defensi-ble both during cultivation and transport.

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Vegetables & FruitMildewMildew is a natural phenomenon on leaves. When conditions are right, Mildew will parasitize by getting carbohydrates out of the leaves and thereby lowering produc-tivity. This is easy to combat by using a low dosage of CleanLight every single day to kill off the mycelium.

BotrytisThe Botrytis fungus grows on dead plant material and from there can also come into contact with live material. This can result in major damage. Some of the Botrytis effects include a deterioration of the fruit or plant itself. It can even lead to complete failure with young plants. These effects can be combated with a daily CleanLight treatment.

Please note: The CleanLight technique should be used 7 days a week for a succes-sful fight against Botrytis, as Botrytis can strike within 24 hours.

Botrytis in tomato cultivationThe Botrytis fungus usually penetrates the plant via the small wound which is cre-ated after leaf picking. It’s therefore important to ensure the lights are adjusted in such a way that the fresh wound with the developed mycelium is well lit, before the fungus gets a chance to penetrate the stem and subsequently be able to protect itself against CleanLight.

Even if the fungus has managed to penetrate the stem, it would still be advisable to continue to treat the stem with CleanLight, as this will inhibit the growth of Botry-tis and will slow down the spread to other plants.

Pepino and Clavibacter in tomato and cucumber cultivationThese viruses have a low CleanLight tolerance. Daily CleanLight treatments will al-low you to stop the spread of viruses or bacteria, or at the very least slow it down.

Mycosphaerella in cucumber cultivation and Fusarium in pepper cultivationWe have successfully managed to tackle Mycosphaerella and Fusarium with the CleanLight technique. However, fighting off Mycosphaerella and Fusarium demands a different use of the CleanLight technique than the common method. Please con-tact one of our CleanLight crop protection specialists for more information.

Quality ImprovementYour crops will be doing visibly better by reducing the amount of spraying and as a result of the strengthening effect of a daily CleanLight treatment. This means your crops or your fruits will be of better quality and you will suffer fewer failures. Plus the crops will be more defensible both during cultivation and transport.

No residue!One of the biggest advantages of the CleanLight technique is the fact that it leaves no residue behind and can be used as often as necessary. This means you can use the CleanLight technique right up to the harvest period without worrying about Maximum Residue Levels (MRL’s).

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Legal RequirementsCEThe CleanLight modules satisfy the CE requirements.

ARBO (Occupational Health & Safety)The ARBO legislation in the Netherlands stipulates how much UV light employees may be subjected to each day. This legislation was developed for the sl-aughterhouse world, where UV light is used in similar conditions and where personnel need to work under the lights. You will satisfy the ARBO requirements if your personnel keep at least 5 meters distance and wear certified safety glasses and protective clothing when near CleanLight.

Certificates SKAL The CleanLight technique is permitted by SKAL.

CTBThe College Toelating Bestrijdingsmiddelen (College Permissible Pesticides) has confirmed that the Clean-Light technique isn’t an “agent” but a form of “lighting”, which means CTB approval isn’t required.

Intellectual PropertyBoth the design of the modules and the technique used are described in CleanLight B.V.’s international charters and patents. This means copying the techni-que without first obtaining CleanLight B.V.’s written permission is not permitted, plus you can be assured of using a protected and safe technique with the Cle-anLight products.

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Notes

Copyright © Clean Light B.V.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or otherwise, without prior written

permission of the copyright holder. The information contained in this publication is not part of any quotation or contract, is believed to be accurate and reliable and

may be changed without notice. Despite the fact that the copyright owner the utmost diligence in compiling this publication, no liability for damages of any kind also

accepted that the direct or indirect result of actions and / or decisions (partly) based on the information contained in this publication. By the publication of this issue

is by no means a license granted in respect of patents or other intellectual property rights.

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Postal addressPostbus 2716700 AG Wageningen

Internetwww.cleanlight.nlinfo@cleanlight.nl

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