95% greenhouse crops were biologically controlled

Added on 18 August 2022

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95% greenhouse crops were biologically controlled

NETHERLANDS- In 2020, pest insects and spider mites in nine greenhouse horticultural crops were controlled biologically on 95 percent of the acreage, for example by parasitic wasps or predatory mites. In 2016, this was 92 percent, in 2012 it was still 78 percent. For each of the crops studied, biological control was applied to at least 75 percent of the cultivation area in 2020. This is apparent from preliminary results of a CBS survey on biological crop protection, held among 1,315 greenhouse horticulture companies.

In the greenhouse cultivation of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, biological control agents were used on the entire cultivation area in 2020 to combat pest insects and spider mites. For these three food crops, the use of biological control agents was already high in 2012. In 2012, for example, such pesticides were used on 96 percent of the tomato acreage, and cucumbers and peppers on almost 90 percent of the acreage.

In the glasshouse cultivation of strawberries, the use of biological control agents increased considerably: from 58 percent in 2016 to 98 percent in 2020. In 2020, ornamental crops such as roses, gerberas and chrysanthemums will also account for more than 90 percent of the area covered by biological control. Only potted plantsbefore flowering or for foliageare lagging behind at 75 percent and 81 percent respectively.