El Plantel Semilleros shields itself against thrips and aphids

OCTOBER 2022

El Plantel Semilleros is a nursery dedicated to the production of horticultural seedlings, founded in Almería. They produce plants for Spain and Portugal and today have a total of seven branches: six in Almería and one in Ciudad Real. They specialize in grafted horticultural plants, mainly tomato, aubergine, and watermelon—something that sets them apart from competitors based on the market share they have achieved.

We travelled to the center in El Ejido to interview their production director, David Sánchez. This is the company’s newest production site, with around 25 hectares where they mainly produce pepper, although they also grow tomato, aubergine, cucumber, and courgette. Some time ago, they decided to install Xsect Xtreme screens in this greenhouse to put an end to the recurring and very worrying problem of thrips. This is what David Sánchez told us:

What made you decide to use our Xsect Xtreme and Xsect Xtra insect nets?

“Well, the truth is that thrips and aphids were becoming extremely difficult to control—practically impossible with chemical treatments and quite complicated with natural enemies. Before, we had other screens, but they did not provide 100% protection, and of course thrips would always get in. At the end of the day, we are surrounded by greenhouses, with farmers pulling out their crops and cleaning up; and that’s where the pests came in from.

So we discovered that Svensson products are a very good protective solution, especially in our case, where a nursery has to be very, very airtight. With Svensson’s magic we’ve managed to reduce thrips entry by 100%.”

“When we announced this protection to our customers, we told them: ‘El Plantel has armored itself.’ And thanks to Svensson we really have armored ourselves against pests.”

How do you use the screens in this greenhouse?

“We’ve installed the screens mainly in the ventilation area. On the side vents we installed Xtreme, and on the roof vents we use Xtra to allow a bit more airflow. But in both cases we get total protection against thrips.”

What changes have stood out the most since installing these screens?

“There’s been a drastic reduction in those entry points—those thrips infiltrations we used to have. We’ve achieved excellent results and now feel much safer. Before, we had stings and thrips coming in, so we increased the number of chemical treatments, with the additional cost, the daily labour of spraying, and the stress those aggressive products caused to the plants.

Now there’s no thrips entry and, of course, we’ve been able to reduce the use of phytosanitary products by more than 50%. Ultimately, the plants benefit—and therefore so do we, both economically and in terms of plant health. With Svensson’s magic we’ve managed to reduce thrips entry by 100%.”

How did you learn about Svensson’s products?

“Mainly thanks to Nelson Pérez, who has been a very efficient adviser from the very beginning. When he introduced the screen, he proposed running some tests, which were fantastic with obvious results. Afterwards we carried out further trials and he also drew conclusions and gathered data on the products. He kept us informed and his insight was very useful. So my relationship with Svensson is very good, cordial, efficient—and I hope it will be very long-lasting.”

What feedback have you received from your customers since you started using our products?

“The truth is they’ve been very pleased that we’ve found and installed these Svensson products. They’ve seen the control of thrips and, naturally, its impact on plant-health quality. Customer claims have also decreased. Although we didn’t have many before—it wasn’t a big problem—there were some. Now no one mentions issues with thrips stings. We recommend that many of our customers install Svensson screens, because the problem we used to have is one they will also face. Many of our clients ask questions and want to gradually introduce this type of screen in their own greenhouses.”

Are you satisfied with Svensson’s quality?

“Yes, we are completely satisfied with Svensson’s quality, because honestly, the quality is excellent. We can’t say a single negative word about it. We believe it’s high-tech technology that is highly recommended. We will continue investing in Svensson products because, as you can see, the results have been completely effective.”

What’s the next step? Do you have any investments or expansions in mind?

“We are always collaborating with our partners, looking for new ways to improve. In this case, with Svenssonwe’re looking for exactly that: products the company is developing to apply in our nurseries. We want to achieve greater ventilation while having more protection. And that’s something we are also working on with Svensson.”

“My relationship with Svensson is very good, cordial, efficient—and I hope it will be very long.”

To conclude our visit, David tells us that thanks to our technology they have been able to grow even further. They are currently producing around 17 million watermelon grafts, practically 30% of the share produced in Iberia. For tomato grafts, they produce between 14 and 15 million, positioning them with a high-quality and very healthy product. This allows their growers to say their plants are free from diseases and viruses.

At Svensson, we look forward to continuing to support your unstoppable growth!