Let's immediately take the sting out of this: Greenhouse growers certainly suffer from withdrawn plant protection product approvals. They also have to switch gears to keep pests and diseases under control. Applications have to stay within the legal frameworks. And their range of products has also become smaller. Jolanda Wijsmuller, Bayer: "It's a balancing act for them. Yet they are less likely to go under than their colleagues in uncovered cultivation. Greenhouse growers are fortunate to be able to use several species of beneficial insects and have increasingly started using insect netting to keep harmful insects out of the greenhouse. In addition, the climate in the greenhouse can be well controlled, which helps them reduce disease pressure. A lot has been achieved in greenhouse farming in that respect."
Jolanda Wijsmuller.
She continues: "However, the danger is that the package narrows further. Then correction possibilities start to be lacking, and the whole system could fall over. Also, the risk of the emergence of resistance increases because alternating options are virtually absent. This way, registered agents can become unusable as well."
The crop protection industry is doing all it can to give horticulturists new options. Their efforts are based on both agents of synthetic and natural origin. Traditional chemical companies have been investing heavily in the development of new green agents for over 15-20 years, but that challenge is perhaps even greater than the development of new synthetic agents. Major innovations are yet to come.
"Compared to uncovered cultivation, natural-origin agents in greenhouse horticulture have a greater chance of success in terms of effectiveness because of controlled conditions, timely monitoring of locations with infestation and spraying equipment that allows the entire crop to be properly covered," Jolanda adds.
"We hear fewer cries for help from greenhouse growers than from the uncovered crop side. There, the situation is really very difficult." Jolanda: "In this wet year, fungi will strike mercilessly. No crop can withstand that."
Appeal to politicians
Jolanda really makes an appeal to politicians: "Make sure to go and see what is going on in practice; how serious the situation is. People can dream about where they want to go, but they mustn't lose sight of reality."
For more information:
Jolanda Wijsmuller
Bayer
Tel: +31 6 5338 8780
Email: [email protected]