Tim Crittenden has joined Biobest UK’s soft fruit team as commercial and technical advisor, based in the East of England and covering the UK.
Having completed a National Diploma in Horticulture from Easton College in Norfolk, Tim joined Darby Nursery Stock, at Thetford, where he rose to become the technical manager − responsible for Integrated Crop Management (ICM) programmes and practices.
“Overseeing a wide range of containerised crops − including soft fruit, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, climbers and trees − Tim has broad practical experience of designing, implementing and managing complex ICM programmes,” says Biobest UK general manager Simon Jones. “Growing a wide variety of different crops on a single site is particularly challenging in regard to pest and disease control. Tim has a genuine passion for biocontrol and brings plenty of invaluable experience with him to his new role in our expanding soft fruit team.”
Tim is working alongside Biobest UK’s Martin Chesson, Mark Jones and Mark Wilde providing technical and sales support to UK soft fruit growers.
A global player in crop pollination with bumblebees, the Biobest group also supply a comprehensive and innovative range of quality biological products. Its most recent developments for the soft fruit sector include the unique new Sphaerophoria-System which is making aphid control more robust. Meanwhile, Biobest’s Drosotrap and Dros’attract are at the forefront of Drosophila suzukiidetection, while the food supplement Nutrimite − based on specific selected pollen for predatory mites − actively promotes earlier and faster biocontrol establishment in the crop.
“Consumer demand for residue-free produce is growing rapidly,“ says Simon Jones. “To benefit from this market opportunity, growers face new challenges and expect new solutions from the crop protection industry. Through its expertise and innovations, Biobest is an ideal partner. “