The federal government has invested in a new wireless integrated pest management technology that will give B.C. farmers timely information on insect activity in their crops, allowing them to more efficiently use biopesticides and reduce their manual monitoring costs.
Minister of Canadian heritage and MP James Moore (Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam) announced yesterday the $485,000 investment in Vancouver’s SemiosBIO Technologies Inc. to develop three value-added applications to help farmers improve pest management.
“Our government’s top priority is the economy, and investments in innovation are key to ensuring our economy remains strong well into the future,” said Moore.
“This project will help farmers apply new and innovative technology to deter pests, ensure better crops and ultimately grow their business. This is investment is great news for farmers and for B.C.’s economy.”
SemiosBIO will develop and test a pheromone tracking system for mating disruption pest control, a camera-monitored pest trap application to monitor insect population changes, and software for recording information.
The technology is designed to improve safe pest-management methods by enabling growers to monitor their crops and orchards for insect activity and take timely, targeted action with biopesticides, such as pheromones, or traditional pesticides if necessary.
Michael Gilbert, president and chief scientific officer for SemiosBIO, said, “Our innovations will enable growers to adopt efficient, sustainable alternatives for pest management and provide them with precise monitoring and record-keeping capabilities.”
The new technology aims to reduce manual labour costs and bring improvements to efficiency, productivity, crop management and organic farming.
The company adds that improved record management will help open new markets for Canadian crops.
