Toward a reduced use of pesticides in European farming systems: An introduction to the PURE project

Crop Protection Volume 97, July 2017, Pages 7-9 Author links open overlay panelFrançoiseLescourret UR1115 Plants and Cropping Systems in Horticulture, INRA, Domaine Saint-Paul, Site Agroparc, 84914, Avignon Cedex 9, France Received 1 December 2016, Accepted 2 December 2016, Available online 16 December 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2016.12.004Get rights and content Highlights • PURE designed and assessed sustainable IPM solutions for key European farming systems. • PURE provided models, strategies, bioproducts and technologies for IPM. • The links to stakeholders was a constant concern in PURE. • Interdisciplinarity and diversity were key features of PURE. Abstract PURE (Pesticide Use-and-risk Reduction in European farming systems with Integrated Pest Management), a large collaborative project funded by the EU, has designed and tested IPM solutions both on-station and on-farm. Ex-ante and ex-post assessment of such solutions – developed by combining tactical and strategic means of managing pests (animal pests, pathogens and weeds) – were performed for key European farming systems, spanning from annual arable to protected crops. Overall, the solutions showed good sustainability. PURE also developed models and methods to help predict pest damage or design pest management strategies. In addition, the project developed tactics to deal with pest evolution, agroecological engineering, and eventually bio- and technological products to be included into IPM toolbox in the near future. The societal dimension, the interdisciplinarity and a wide geographic coverage are key features of the project. Previous article in issueNext article in issue Keywords PesticideIPMFarming systemCo-designAssessmentSustainabilityExperimentModelingResistanceBiocontrolAgroecological engineeringTechnology