UY8JHTVN

3016

1 avril 2021 10:39

1 avril 2021 10:39

Copper is used in many types of agriculture, and particularly in organic agriculture (OA), to control a variety of fungal and bacterial diseases, most importantly in vineyards, orchards, and vegetable production (including potatoes). It is the only active ingredient with a strong antimicrobial effect and a wide range of action that is approved for use in OA. In recent years, however, the demonstrated negative environmental effects of copper, notably on soil organisms and crop auxiliary species, have led to regulatory restrictions on its use (a maximum number of doses per hectare and per year) and even to its prohibition for use as a pesticide in several European countries (including the Netherlands and Denmark). These increased restrictions on the number of authorized applications of copper, and the ongoing threat of a total ban, present a challenge for growers, and particularly for organic growers, who are prohibited from using synthetic fungicides. Significant demand thus exists for agricultural research to identify and develop “alternatives” to copper, and a variety of experimental trials have been conducted to test these alternatives. Results from this work are scattered, however, and there is no current comprehensive synthesis of research on the topic that would enable the development of guidelines based on validated and generalizable information. Practical adoption of alternatives to copper by farmers also remains limited. For these reasons, and at the suggestion of INRA’s Internal Committee for Organic Agriculture (CIAB), the French Technical Institute for Organic Agriculture (ITAB) and the INRA Meta-program “Sustainable Management of Crop Health” (SMaCH) submitted a joint request to conduct a multi-disciplinary critical review and summary of all the available scientific and technical information on the subject of copper and alternatives to copper for pesticide use.The resulting Scientific Collective Assessment (ESCo – Expertise Scientifique Collective) explored: 1) the range of possible individual technical solutions (disease-resistant varieties; natural substances with biocidal effects and/or the capacity to stimulate natural plant defenses; antagonistic microbiological agents; management of crop canopies to prevent disease); 2) strategies to incorporate these solutions into existing production/pest management systems; and 3) barriers to and conditions necessary for the adoption and diffusion of these integrated strategies. This in-depth analysis of existing scientific and technical information found that numerous methods have some degree of efficacy against the pathogens targeted by copper-based products. However, it also found that a major reduction or total withdrawal of copper use will only be possible if these different methods can be combined within agricultural systems, in ways that remain insufficiently explored. These findings apply particularly to organic agriculture, which is more strongly impacted by restrictions on the use of copper and thus is more actively seeking alternatives, but they also address other forms of agriculture seeking to reduce pesticide use.

None

• AB - Spécifique
• FREDO lutte
• FREDO santé végétale
• GEO Europe
• GEO France
• cuivre
• pesticide

8

01/06/2018