Plant Protection – Resistance

One of the major issues in European agriculture, is the resistance to active substances contained in plant protection product. This is highlighted in the scope of action plans, such as the Farm to Fork or IPM action plans.

From a regulatory point of view, information on the occurrence or possible occurrence of developing resistance, the Mode of action (MoA) of the active substance, the mechanism(s) of resistance and possible cross resistance have to be provided in an application for approval of an active substance. In certain cases, sensitivity data have to be additionally provided. These data are used for risk assessments with regards to the resistance in conjunction with data available on specific use conditions of the product(s), publicly available literature and data from organisations such as the Insecticide (IRAC), Herbicide (HRAC) or Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC).

The risk assessment has to conclude on the risk for resistance of the use pattern and the acceptability of the resistance risk, and includes proposals for management strategies for the prevention of resistance, the implementation of the management strategy as well as the monitoring, reporting and reaction to changes in performance. Resistance issues are in the focus of IPM developments and one of the most important topics in efficacy and product performance.