LG Flowers, one of the leading gerbera producers in the Netherlands with 12 hectares spread across four greenhouses and an annual output of 95 million gerberas, has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years. However, this growth has also brought new challenges, particularly in the rapidly evolving landscape of crop protection. Pests such as the Tomato looper moth (Chrysodeixis chalcites) and European pepper moth (Duponchelia fovealis) pose a significant threat not only to the gerbera crop but also to the biological balance that LG Flowers is committed to maintaining.
Martin de Bruijn, Head of Cultivation at LG Flowers, emphasized the company’s proactive approach to pest management. “We do everything we can to stay ahead of pests. Once moths enter, it can trigger a domino effect, undermining natural predators and throwing the entire system off balance. This can set us back by months,” he explained.
To address these challenges, LG Flowers has been utilizing the PATS-C solution since 2021. Four years later, PATS-C monitoring has been implemented across the entire company, and a significant portion of the greenhouses has been fitted with insect netting as a preventive measure wherever technically feasible. “Monitoring the internal population remains essential. PATS-C provides us with 24/7 insights and, most importantly, peace of mind. We know exactly where we stand,” Martin said.
The continuous data stream from PATS-C is also valuable for Wouter Mooij, a crop protection advisor. “Growers often have a fixed window for performing treatments. Several times a year, we see a sharp change in moth activity within three days. If there’s an increase midweek and there’s a chance to spray over the weekend, you can adjust and scale up your strategy before the larvae reach the feeding stage,” he noted.
Martin added that PATS-C detects the Tomato looper at a very early stage, often even before any visible damage appears. “Past experience shows that a spike in moth activity is quickly followed by crop damage. By recognizing this pattern, we can make targeted biological interventions against the first larvae and prevent further infestation,” he explained.
Keeping track of actions is becoming increasingly important. Interventions are immediately logged in PATS-Kalendar, allowing crop experts and advisors to track what was done and when. The next step is to predict risks and automatically advise the right intervention moment.
The PATS-C camera closely monitors moth activity day and night. “We’re fully committed to digitization, prevention, and biological control,” Martin said. “It’s about being able to act at the very first sign of pressure so we can maintain a balance in the greenhouse. Think of banker plants to keep natural enemies at stable levels and technology that helps us stay alert. By combining these tools, we create a system that doesn’t react after the fact but instead prevents things from getting out of hand. At the same time, we keep looking for ways to make our cultivation system even smarter, with new technologies that enable us to act faster and more precisely. That’s how we keep raising the bar.”
