Plant Protection – Protecting Crops
Plants of all kinds can become ill. Just as medicines are used in humans, plant protection products are applied to maintain the health of crops and to prevent their destruction by pests (insects, fungi, weeds).
Friday, January 24, 2020
The key points at a glance:
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Plants can also become ill.
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If they die in the field, this results in food loss and wasted resources.
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To optimise crop yields, appropriate measures against fungi, insects and weeds are essential.
Resource-efficient agricultural production aims to optimise yields while using as few production inputs as possible (such as labour, capital, energy, land, water, fertilisers or plant protection products) and exerting the least possible pressure on natural resources. Resource efficiency is defined as “the ratio between a given benefit or outcome and the resources required to achieve it”.
A resource-efficient agriculture requires plant protection products. Every form of agriculture – conventional as well as organic – therefore relies on plant protection. Plant protection products are chemical or biological active substances and formulations intended to protect plants against harmful organisms or to prevent their effects (insecticides, fungicides).
Under Swiss legislation, plant growth regulators and herbicides used for weed control are also classified as plant protection products.
Insecticide
An insecticide is a substance used to control insects. In the past, insect plagues were common. Even today, insects are controlled in agriculture and forestry, as well as in storage facilities and private households. Insecticides are used to kill, repel or inhibit insects and their reproduction. They are also frequently used as biocides – for example, in the control of insect-borne diseases such as malaria.
Fungicide
A fungicide is a chemical or biological active substance that kills fungi or their spores, or prevents their growth for the duration of its effectiveness. Fungicides are mainly used in agriculture as plant protection products. In addition, they are used to control harmful fungi such as mould on wood, textiles, walls and food. Fungicides are also used in medicine, where they are referred to as antifungal agents.
Herbicide
A herbicide can also be described as a “weed control product”. It is used to selectively inhibit the growth of unwanted plants. Weeds compete with crops for light, nutrients and water, thereby limiting or preventing crop growth. Weeds can also pose a direct risk to human health. One example is weeds that are harvested together with crops. Toxic weeds have repeatedly been found in baby herbal teas. Plant protection products are indispensable for productive agriculture. Thanks to plant protection products, it is now possible to produce food in the required quality and quantity on the available agricultural land.
Good to know
Plant protection products not only help to achieve higher yields, they also reduce losses during processing, transport and storage, where additional losses of up to 40 percent can occur. Resource efficiency means the efficient use of technical, economic and natural resources. The correct use of plant protection products reduces pressure on natural resources and contributes to high-quality yields.
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