Grower case study: Frank Rovers on moving towards IPM

Parasitoid wasp that attacks potato moth (Credit: Dr Paul Horne)

Frank Rovers has been growing potatoes since 1976. Today, he owns and manages a 40-hectare farm at Cora Lynn in Victoria, producing around 500 tonnes of processing potatoes a year, primarily Crop 77.

When Frank bought his property, it came with a history of potato production – and, as he quickly realised, many of the negatives that came with it. Poor soil structure was one of the most obvious problems, but Frank also recognised there were issues he couldn’t see. Powdery scab was the most significant.

His response was to start building the soil health through various green manure and cover crops, and while the soil structure improved dramatically, reducing pest and disease pressure has been a slower process.