PHOTO: JAN WILLEM VAN VLIET
CROP PROTECTION ▶▶▶
Yields slump without chemical crop protection
A BY JAN ENGWERDA
n increasing numbers of crop pro- tection products are being added to the list of prohibited substances, sometimes because they are being
registered as excessively risky, as a result of new insights, and sometimes because of con- sumers’ awareness of (alleged) risks of residues in food. And that is before we mention the harm to the ecosystem, particularly the debate regarding the decline of bee populations. A ban appears to be a simple and effective solution, but what would be the impact if the legislator goes further and announces exces- sive bans? Researchers in Belgium began doing the calculations. The study showed that global potato yields per hectare have fallen by an average of 42%. De- creases in yields are also evident for wheat (-19%), rice (-32%), corn (-33%), and soy beans (-27%).
Weeds are the biggest problem Researchers in the Division of Crop Biotechnics
The use of crop protection products is increasingly facing criticism, certainly in the West, and an increasing number of products are being banned by national governments or the European Union, for example. However, researchers are warning that crop yields will drop sharply if growers are unable to use crop protection products.
at KU Leuven concluded that an absence of crop protection poses a risk to the world’s food security, in a study that was commis- sioned by the European Parliamentary Re- search Service (EPRS). Weeds will pose the greatest problem, but yields are also decreasing because there are greater opportunities for diseases to attack unprotected crops. The rate of yield decrease without the use of crop protection not only depends on the crop, but also the region. North-western Europe has seen extreme decreases, because this region previously enjoyed high yields thanks to effective crop protection.
Other important factors The researchers estimate that the world’s pop- ulation will reach approximately 11 billion by around 2100, and they concluded that it will not be possible to provide enough food for everyone without crop protection. However, the researchers emphasise that crop protec- tion is not the only important factor regarding food production. Growers must also apply crop rotation, use resistant varieties, and look after the soil properly. Growers can also reduce their use of crop protection products by using more effective warning and decision-support sys- tems, and precision agriculture may also assist in this regard.
More and more chemicals for crop protection are blacklisted due to an increasingly negative image. Precision farming options like spot spray- ing and early problem detection may help to prevent food shortages in future.
32 ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 27 August 2019
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