Pests and diseases resilient crops

Added on 25 October 2024

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Photo Courtesy of GreenTech

The many colourful potted flowering plants and samples of salad vegetables on display at this year’s GreenTech Amsterdam trade show were a poignant reminder of the splendid crops produced by the horticulture sector.

Visitors were shown how breeders’ new floral selections continue to be beautiful and unusual – whilst flavoursome fresh produce continues to brighten up consumers’ plates.

But with the effects of climate change and a burgeoning worldwide population to consider, today’s horticulture crops are being bred to be more resilient and adaptable than ever before. This way, they can better cope with these global challenges.

Pests and disease resistance

Pests and diseases can cause significant economic damage to controlled environment horticulture crops and are one of the major challenges for the sector. New vegetable varieties are therefore being bred to have built-in resistance to pests and pathogens – reducing both the risk of crop losses and growers’ dependency on crop protection chemicals.