Towards an assessment of low pesticide input cropping systems without pesticide seed treatments: an overview of the FAST project and key preliminary results
Résumé
The purported efficacy of many broad-spectrum pesticides in systemic control of seed-and soil-borne pathogens and pests has strongly encouraged the use of pesticide-treated seeds over the past five decades. While the use of seeds treated with insecticides such as neonicotinoids has come under scrutiny due to concerns about potential effects on non-target species, there are knowledge gaps about the potential negative effects due to the planting of fungicide-treated seeds on the health of operators (those
applying, handling and using the treated seeds) and on non-target organisms (macro- and micro-organisms). In addition, it is not yet known whether the repeated use of pesticide-treated seeds in crop sequences offers economic and environmental benefits compared to the repeated use of untreated seeds. To fill this knowledge gap, a project called FAST (Feasibility and evaluation of low pesticide input cropping systems with repeated Absence of Treated Seeds), part of the DEPHY EXPE network, began in 2019.
Arable cropping system experiments without chemical seed treatments are being compared with a control across an on-farm network in the Grand Est region, Northeast France. Preliminary results showed that in 89% of cases, the system without pesticide seed treatments achieves a yield at least equivalent to that of the system using pesticide-treated seeds.
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licence : CC BY NC ND - Paternité - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
licence : CC BY NC ND - Paternité - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
