Introducing Mark Mason

Mark is participating in the Platform10 field trials. Platform10, an offshoot of the Salinas Biological Summit, is designed to accelerate development and testing of biopesticides and biofungicides. The Huntington Farm trials are focused on INSV and the thrips in lettuce production.

To control disease transmission by thrips, growers try to remove as many weeds as possible when lettuce production shifts from the area during winter. Using chemicals, even if available, cannot adequately cover all the weeds that inhabit the valley’s numerous “reservoirs of virus” in the edges of fields, ditches and railroad tracks, Mason said.

“This is not something we can spray our way out of,” Mason said. “Attacking the weeds seems to be the best way (to control INSV).”

“There’s a push for California ag in general to use less pesticides,” Mason said. “There are a lot of biologicals that need to get screened and gone through. Hopefully, with that platform, we can try to weed out some of the ones that may not be effective.”

As synthetic products become ineffective because of pests developing resistance or are removed from the market by regulators, Mason said he wants to be ahead of the curve with experience using biological products.