Integrated Crop Protection | Jean-Louis Bernard

There are few documents where so-called "alternative" or "complementary" methods to the use of plant protection products in agriculture are described and commented on. This is why members of the French Association for Plant Protection deemed it useful to develop a synthesis document on this important subject. The main recommended methods for implementing a true "integrated crop protection" are grouped here in the form of 66 technical sheets, to assist trainers, advisors, and farmers in their reflection and daily practice. Some of these methods are applicable to millions of hectares of crops, while others apply to a few hundred hectares of specialized productions. Most have recognized technical value, while others are still subjects for research. In each sheet, you will find: - A brief description of each method, its definition, and its rationale. - An overview of its implementation in French agriculture. - Its advantages and limitations as outlined by the experience and knowledge of the authors. - An assessment of its ability to contribute to the objectives of the Écophyto plan. This review, coming from experts from various professional backgrounds, emphasizes the importance of plant health for our societies, the basic principles of reasoned protection, and proposes a circular vision on the methods to consider for organizing, on a large scale, the integrated crop protection. These methods will need to be evaluated by the farmer and their advisors to adapt them to the specific case of their operation.