Funding possibilities to reduce the use of pesticides in pome fruit cultivation
The aim of the study was to collect and evaluate suggestions and ideas for reducing pesticide use through a structured survey of consultants in fruit growing.
- Germany
- 2014-2022
- Environmental impacts
The aim of this study was to use a structured survey to collect and analyse suggestions and ideas for reducing pesticides that could be implemented in the short, medium and long term with or without funding, in the region of Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, the need for new alternative methods to be developed and new proposals for the methodology of counselling should be investigated.
Two empirical forms of survey were used for the survey: 1) the processing of a questionnaire, and 2) the qualitative expert interview. The rather broader data basis of the structured questionnaire was illuminated in a more complex way by deepening individual questions in the form of interviews.
The main conclusion is that there is a greater potential for reducing the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in pome fruit cultivation with regard to the following measures:
- by using the right application technology and utilising all existing technical possibilities and through further research and development into modern application technology;
- by installing closed protection systems for outdoor crops;
- by extending the use of pheromones, particularly for the so-called confusion method, and by expanding the existing support programme;
- suitable support measures that are also suitable for small farms and are less complicated and time-consuming to apply for; and
- financial support for the purchase of new plant protection technology, e.g. for mechanical weed control.
Author(s)
Hochschule Geisenheim, Institut für Phytomedizin