Cleaner water

by integrated pest management (IPM)

The general principles of the IPM (Directive 2009/128/EC)

•Prevent pest risks and need of pesticides by cultivating techniques

•Methods: crop rotation, tilling, hardy and pest resistant cultivars and pest monitoring

•Thresholds, forecasting methods spraying only when necessary

•Precision control

•Sustainable use of pesticides

Reduce health and environmental risks

Prevent the pesticide leaching to water systems

Co-operation with farmers

•In the PesticideLife project, IPM is demonstrated on Finnish cereal farms

•Farmers, advisors and scientists learn from each other in processes associated with IPM

Healthier plants utilize nutrients more effectively

Less runoff to the environment

Influence on water systems - cleaner water

Green Week, 22 to 25 May 2012, Brussels

Irmeli Markkula1, Aino-Maija Mustalahti1, Kati Räsänen1, Kari Tiilikkala1, Pauliina Laitinen2 , Sanni Junnila 1

1MTT Agrifood Research Finland 2Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency Tukes

”In farming we should not fight against the biology of a field ecosystem,

but carry biology as a weapon against pests.” Kari Vaismaa – a farmer of the demonstration farms

Water systems in Finland

• Surface waters and ground waters are mostly

connected to Baltic sea (Fig.1)

• Relatively larger water area than field area (Tike)

• In relation to field area one of the lowest plant protection

products (PPP) usage rate when compared to other EU

countries (FAOSTAT)

Still residues in surface and ground water systems (Syke)

• In the future precipitation and temperature are predicted to

increase especially in the winter caused by the climate

change (A2, A1B, B1 scenarios)

Plant protection products and nutrients

• Physical-chemical properties of the

substance

• Amount

• Timing

Environmental factors

• Geography

• Weather and climate

• Growing season

• Soil type

Function of plants and other organisms

• Field ecosystem

• Plant health

• Biology

References •TIKE, 2012. Available at www.tike.fi. •FAOSTAT, 2012. Available at http://faostat.fao.org/site/424/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=424#ancor •SYKE, 2012. Available at www.ymparisto.fi. •ACCLIM -project 2011. Available at www.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi •www.mtt.fi/pesticidelife/en •Co-funded by Life+ financial instrument of the EU

Fig. 1 The land of the thousand lakes. Surface and ground water systems in Finland. (MTT: Eeva Lehtonen 2012)

Water

system

condition