The 2024 annual plan for the Future Vision Crop Protection 2030 Implementation Program has been announced. The plan focuses on 'small' improvements that can trigger significant enhancements. A positive story from the breeding of starting material is cited.
The vision dates back to 2019. At the time, the main reason for drafting the Future Vision Crop Protection 2030 and the associated Implementation Program (in 2021) was the observation that the crop protection policy was insufficient to achieve the goals set in terms of water quality and biodiversity, among other aspects. Also, the range of available crop protection products would drastically change/shrink as a result of tightened European admission criteria.
Small wins against Phytophthora in strawberry cultivation
The annual plan focuses on so-called 'small wins.' We quote: "Small wins are small profound changes with tangible results for those directly involved. Given the visible results, small wins often spark pride and motivation to further implement the change. A single small win does not entail a transition, but a series of such small-scale small wins can translate into large-scale, profound transitions."
An example cited comes from the breeding of starting material for strawberry cultivation. The report discusses a preventive measure against Phytophthora in strawberries.
Growing starting material for strawberry plants in plastic trays that are not (as they usually are) on the ground, but a bit above the ground, yielded a nice result in the study. The plants were not as affected by the fungus Phytophthora as the plants in trays on the ground because no infections were caused by splashing rain or irrigation water. This reduces the need for crop protection products to control the Phytophthora. The result was so promising that some growers are already implementing this innovation in practice at the cultivation system level on their farms. Further evidence of its effectiveness must be obtained in the coming years.
Quick feedback of surface water monitoring results
Under the heading 'small wins,' there is also a focus on quick feedback of monitoring results regarding the quality of surface water.
Based on experiences gained in greenhouse horticulture and bulb cultivation, it has been established that providing quicker feedback on monitoring results to agricultural entrepreneurs and contractors is effective in reducing area-specific norm violations, as it better allows the users of crop protection products to relate norm violations in their immediate environment to their own actions.
