In an effort to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, researchers at Wageningen University and Research (WUR) are developing a tool to help farmers choose the most effective and sustainable crop protection approaches for their unique operations. The goal is to provide farmers access to an integrated crop management dashboard that will instantly display what combinations of measures they can use on their crops.
Integrated crop management involves the redesign of agricultural systems to prevent plant diseases, pests, and weeds with the most minimal use of chemicals as is possible. The strategy pieces together and optimizes measures like crop rotation sequencing, the selection of resistant crop varieties, and determining when and where to spray—the use of which can evolve over time. This method is in line with the European Farm-to-Fork strategy, which calls for a 50 percent reduction in the application of chemical crop protection agents.