Plant protection – this means protecting crops from pests, diseases and weeds, thereby enabling the production of high-quality fruit. This must be done while conserving resources and protecting the environment.
In Switzerland, most of the fruit is produced according to the basic concept of integrated plant protection. In integrated production, preventive measures are key. Cultivation measures (choice of site, choice of variety, fertilization, cut, harvest) are combined with mechanical methods (removal of infested plant parts), organic methods (encouraging and protecting beneficial arthropods) and biotechnical methods (e.g. the use of attractants and repellants). Synthetic chemical plant-protection products are applied in a targeted fashion as a measure of last recourse in such a way as to have minimal impact on the environment.
