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Glossary

Plant protection products

Plant protection products are chemical or biological active ingredients and preparations that are intended to protect plants from harmful organisms or to prevent their effects. Plant protection products make a decisive contribution to increasing the efficiency of food production and allow an improved yield on existing arable land. With efficient agriculture, biodiversity areas can be preserved elsewhere. In contrast, inefficient agriculture without plant protection products takes up more natural space, which has a negative impact on the climate and species diversity. Resource-efficient agriculture is dependent on the use of plant protection products in the endeavor to optimize the harvest yield. In addition to biocides, plant protection products include pesticides and can be roughly divided into three product groups: insecticides, fungicides and herbicides.

Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. Insecticides are used, among other things, in agriculture, forestry and horticulture as plant protection products to control insects such as aphids, beetles and caterpillars in order to prevent yield or quality damage. Fungicides are chemical or biological active substances that kill fungi or their spores or prevent their growth for the duration of their effectiveness. Used in arable farming, they control foot, leaf and ripening diseases such as septoria and powdery mildew, but also rust diseases. Herbicides can also be called "weed killers". They are used to specifically prevent disturbing plants from growing. Because weeds compete with the actual crop for light, nutrients and water and inhibit or prevent their growth.

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