Rebjane63 on Nostr: Credit: Facts They Don't Teach You (Facebook) "Farmers in Japan are using specially ...

Credit: Facts They Don't Teach You (Facebook)
"Farmers in Japan are using specially colored insect nets as another way to control agricultural pests without relying entirely on insecticides.
The technology is based on how insects see and respond to color. Researchers have developed red-colored nets that can interfere with the visual cues used by certain small pests, including onion thrips, making it more difficult for them to enter crops. Unlike conventional insect nets, the effect is not based only on the size of the mesh. It also relies on the insects’ visual responses to the colored material.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo tested red nets on Welsh onions and found that they reduced the invasion and damage caused by onion thrips. Field experiments showed that the use of red nets could reduce the number of insecticide applications by approximately 25 to 50 percent while maintaining commercially acceptable crops.
The approach does not work equally well against every pest. Earlier Japanese field research, for example, found that red nets were effective against some thrips but provided little additional benefit against certain whiteflies beyond the physical protection provided by the mesh itself.
Other Japanese agricultural researchers have also experimented with using color and visual patterns to influence pest behavior. Yellow trapping sheets with specific edge patterns have been developed to attract and capture whiteflies and other small agricultural pests.
These methods are part of a broader approach to integrated pest management, where physical barriers, biological controls and targeted pesticide use can be combined rather than relying exclusively on chemical sprays." #GardeningHacks