Integrated Crop Protection (ICP)

Technical articles - Insects and pests, Diseases, Environment and biodiversity, Reducing costs

The aim of Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) is :

Reduce the use of pesticides
Minimise environmental impact
Reduce the cost of control

This type of control is based on 8 main principles^[1].

Principles of integrated crop protection

Preventing the appearance of pests and diseases

Integrated crop protection is based on the use of prophylactic methods to ensure that plants are in the best possible condition to resist all pests and diseases. The aim here is to prevent a pest from becoming dominant or harmful in the crop system.

Various methods can be used :

Increasing crop rotation
Use of adapted cultivation techniques (sowing dates and densities, adapted pruning, direct sowing, etc.)
Use of resistant varieties
Balanced use of fertilisation, liming and irrigation
Implementation of hygiene measures in the presence of diseases or pests, particularly in the case of greenhouse crops
Protecting and strengthening natural enemies

Monitoring the appearance of harmful organisms

Integrated crop protection is secondly based on increased monitoring of plots and recognition of organisms, whether harmful or beneficial.

Use threshold values as a decision rule

Integrated crop protection takes into account threshold values to determine whether or not to apply phytopharmaceutical measures.

Favour the use of non-chemical control methods

Integrated crop protection gives priority to biological and physical control methods :

Biological control
Biocontrol
Physical control

Choose selective pesticides and minimise undesirable effects on health and the environment

When prevention and alternative control methods are not satisfactory, chemical methods may be used. As part of integrated crop protection, pesticides must be as specific as possible and have minimal side-effects on human health, non-target organisms and the environment.

Using pesticides rationally to reduce their use

Integrated crop protection is also based on reducing the use of plant protection products :

Reducing the frequency of treatment
Reduction in quantities applied per unit area cultivated :
- Positioning of treatments
- Adaptation of doses
Optimisation of treatments :
- Choice of pesticide application periods and conditions
Adjusting equipment and spraying techniques

Implementing a strategy to avoid the emergence of resistance

It is important to manage the risk of resistance in order to maintain the effectiveness of products over time. There are various strategies for doing this :

Use of pesticides with different modes of action
Adaptation of the strategy on a case-by-case basis depending on the molecules used

Monitor and evaluate the strategies put in place in order to assess " the success ".

It is important to evaluate the strategies implemented as part of integrated crop protection, taking into account :

Pest pressure
Preventive control methods used
Curative control methods used
Incidents or unforeseen events

This evaluation enables the techniques used to be constantly adapted to observations in the field. It is also necessary to monitor technological developments and take an interest in new preventive measures (new varieties, equipment, etc.) and curative methods (biocontrol products, chemical active substances, etc.) to improve crop protection.