R&D Edition: Understanding the 'farmscape' to manage onion pests with Dr Daniel Drost

Vegalogue is a regular podcast from vegetable, potato and onion industry peak body AUSVEG, where we examine the pressing issues and latest developments in our sector.

The US is the fourth largest onion producer in the world, and harvests more than 12 times the annual onion volume of Australia.

But despite being an order of magnitude larger, the fundamentals in the field are very similar, and pests, diseases and weeds are as much a threat to the US onion industry as they are in Australia.

Managing those threats is impossible without understanding the total 'farmscape' that you operate in, according to Dr Daniel Drost, Professor Emeritus of Horticulture and a former Extension Vegetable Specialist in the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate at Utah State University.

Dr Drost was in Australia to speak to growers as part of a levy-funded onion study tour, and we had a chat with him at the Hort Connections 2024 trade show.

Learn more about the project discussed in this episode:

• Onion international study tours – inbound and outbound (VN22000)

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