2 ms·
Controlled environments, are, well, erm, controlled, so something like a hydroponic greenhouse normally wouldn't use pesticides at all - pests should not be get
by ClumsyPilot 4y ago
Controlled environments, are, well, erm, controlled, so something like a hydroponic greenhouse normally wouldn't use pesticides at all - pests should not be getting in at all.
If the greenhouse uses normal soil then ofcourse it's not totally isolated, but still i'd expect them to use less
- kickout 4y agoHaving spent alot of time in controlled environments, the name is misleading. These are chip making clean facilities. I'd guess >99% of CE facilities have to spray pesticides. Thrips, white flies, and other insects are _very_ common. ETA: to add info for you. CE usually implies the control is from inputs (water, nutrients, light) not physical access.
- lathyrus_long 4y agoI've heard of facilities with short crop cycles (greens, herbs, etc.) running totally bug-free with zero pesticides, with air showers at the entrance and careful segregation so that one introduction doesn't ruin their whole crop, etc. I don't think that's common, though. There's usually bugs. It's common to deliberately introduce predatory insects, which control the pests in the same way as in nature, with the additional benefit that they can't fly away if the pest population gets too low. Chemical pesticides are also widely used, both organic and non-organic. Hydroponic crops are especially vulnerable to sucking pests (aphids, whiteflies, etc.), because of the large amounts of tender new growth. Without controls or natural predators, their population can just explode, much worse than anything you'd get outdoors.