Most vegetable greenhouses use biological pesticides such as predatory mites and ichneumon wasps to combat diseases and pathogens. In the period 2000-2016 the use of biological pesticides went down. In 2016 almost 7 in 10 vegetable greenhouses (2,700 ha) biological pesticides were used. In 2000 biological pesticides were used in almost every greenhouse. These are the preliminary results from a CBS poll about crop protection, 725 growers of greenhouse vegetables participated.
Largest decrease biological pesticides in tomato growth
Particularly tomato growers have chosen to use less biological pesticides in the recent years. In 2000 all tomato greenhouses used biological pesticides. In 2016 it decreased to 62 percent of the area (1,000 ha). It does not mean however that the use of chemical pesticides has increased. New breeding techniques of vegetable crops and technological innovations in the greenhouse horticulture contribute to the reduction of diseases and pathogens, and reduce the need for biological pesticides, or render them superfluous completely.
Biological pesticides in cucumber growth stayed the same since 2012
The use of biological pesticides in the bell pepper growth also decreased from 2000 to 2016. In the greenhouse cucumber growth the use of biological pesticides has remained the same. The decrease, which set in around 2000, did not continue after 2012. In 2016 biological pesticides were used at almost 80 percent of the cucumber area (400 ha) against diseases and pathogens.
Source: CBS
Source: CBS