By 2030, agriculture and horticulture in the Netherlands must consist of sustainable production with resilient plants and cultivation systems, which means diseases and pests will have far fewer opportunities and the use of crop protection products is prevented as much as possible.
Healthy parent material forms the basis for a good start to healthy cultivation. Dutch breeding companies are very successful in developing resilient varieties, with resistance to the most important diseases and pests. The Netherlands not only supplies parent material for Dutch growers, but also exports more than 3.3 billion euros worth of seeds and young plants every year. A point of concern is that Dutch companies must meet strict phytosanitary requirements (no trace of a disease or pest) for export within and outside Europe.
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Plantum’s contribution focuses on ensuring that companies can supply 1) resilient varieties (also resistant to abiotic stress and climate change and resistant to major diseases and pests) and 2) healthy starting material (bulbs, tubers, plants, cuttings and seeds).
Crop protection
The road to 2030 runs through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM means that prevention, monitoring and non-chemical measures take priority over pest control. If pest control is necessary, this will be done in a targeted manner, with as little emission and burden on the environment as possible. Everything starts with prevention: variety selection, seed treatment, and the application of hygiene measures, with the right chemical and non-chemical agents. Prevention also involves paying attention to the soil (such as good fertilisation and use of biostimulants). Plantum takes part in the 2030 Crop Protection Implementation Programme.
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Policy and research
Producing resilient varieties and healthy parent material is not possible without supporting policy and research into new chemical and green resources.
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Fundamental research
Fundamental research forms the basis for resistance breeding. New breakthroughs require higher investments. In addition, innovative breeding methods, such as CRISPR-Cas, can significantly shorten the development time of new resilient varieties and parent material. We need transparent and enforceable European rules for these methods.
With its work, Plantum contributes to SDG target #13