The expansion of the global agrochemical and pesticide industry is predicted to reach 8.7% p.a. in the coming years. Between 2007 and 2013 the global agrochemical and pesticide market increased with an average annual growth of 9.8%. 41.5% of the global demand in the world market is accounted by herbicides, plant-growth regulators, and anti-sprouting products. The remaining market share is divided between insecticides, fungicides and disinfectants and other agrochemicals and pesticides contributing 27.1%, 21.5%, 3.4% and 6.5%, respectively. China, France, Germany, India, and the United States represent the largest agrochemical and pesticide market.

	Presenter:
	Dr. Bob Fairclough Team Leader – amis® AgriGlobe® Kleffmann Group

Tackling Invasive Alien Species is essential to ensure effective control over international spread of diseases. The impact that crop pests have on pre- and post-harvest losses has lead to rise of multiple problems creating a emerging need for more effective systems such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Classical Biological Control (CBC), to be put in place to overcome some of the major crop issues.

	Presenter:
	Dr. Janny Vos Strategic Partnerships Director CABI

Electricides systemically kill weeds as the flow of electricity down the stem into the roots kill the growth and control centres found below the surface of the ground, making it ideal for treating invasive species. Using electricity for weed control is organic, environmentally friendly, residue and chemical free. It is also ideal for a wide range of weeds, scenarios and weather conditions.

	Presenter:
	Andrew Diprose Executive Director Ubiqutek

A boost in the population has lead to growth in the production of crops worldwide. Developing regions are adopting numerous measure and trends to meet the future demands for a growing world. As for the EU Crop Production market, it is set for a constant rise in the upcoming years. Latest trends and drivers have shaped the EU crop production sector, leading to the emerging need for advance technology, understanding consumer demand and analyzing adverse effects of PPP on the environment.

	Presenter:
	Jens Schaps Resource Director DG Trade

With time, techniques of pest control have changed. In today’s era we finally have some creative methods, such as seed treatment and biological development. Seed treatment prevents plant from diseases, storage insects, seed rot, and seedling blights. It also improves germination and controls soil insects. Biological development is more effective than synthetic pesticides for long term, is relatively cheaper than chemical pesticides, and also does not produce any harmful residues.

	Presenter:
	Torsten Nilsson Owner Nelson Garden AB

Global pesticide use and crop production steadily increase to feed our growing world population. Simultaneously, pesticides contribute to human and environmental health burden. Reliable and easy-to-use screening methods are required and will be presented to identify hot-spots and set starting points for targeted optimization of pesticide design and application practices.

	Presenter:
	Peter Fantke Associate Professor Technical University of Denmark

Biostimulants and micronutrients continue to gain acceptance globally and make available new solutions which can help growers cultivate healthier crops with reduced basic synthetic inputs. Biostimulants and micronutrients ingredients assist to enhance nutrient uptake and translocation in plants. They also help with the delivery of active ingredients and make the plant more responsive to lower dose applications, ultimately resulting in lesser residue.

	Presenter:
	Robert Cannings Commercial Director PHC

Cloud-based Applications assists farmers understand the complexity of weather, climate change and pest patterns thus, minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. It can help farmers detect, identify and treat their crops earlier, letting them use less chemicals in the field. Cloud-based Applications collects data from a range of open-source locations like geographic information system (GIS) and weather services. On top of that, it adds a layer of data that the participating farmers supply to the system.

	Presenter:
	Amir Szuster VP- Business Development ScanTask

The indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides has generated environmental and public health problems. In recent years, the use of these products and the number of active ingredients has been limited by very restrictive legislation in the EU and other countries. Therefore, there is a growing need for alternative control agents, including natural products and biocontrol. In this context the Biopesticides Group-CSIC has screened hundreds of botanical species from the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands, against a broad spectrum of targets including cop pests and diseases, all responsible for significant economic losses in agriculture and cattle production.
Several species of interest have been identified for crop protection and tick control. Standing out above the rest are Artemisia absinthium var. Candial® for fungal, insect and and nematode control and the fungal endophyte strain YCC4 for nematode control. The bioguided chemical study of these species resulted in the chemical isolation and characterization of their active molecules. Furthermore, both extracts have been patented and licensed to SMEs for the development of new crop protection products.
In this presentation we will outline the discovery, development and future perspective of these promising extracts.

	Presenter:
	Dr. Azucena Gonzalez Research Scientist Institute of Agricultural Sciences, CSIC

Application of biocontrol techniques for crop protection is amongst one of the most prominent technologies being used for sustainable agriculture. Biocontrol techniques reduce the effect of crop pests, diseases and reliance on harmful synthetic pesticides; minimizing negative impact on the environment. They can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs, which can assist in combining alternative pest control methods along with monitoring pest population, crop rotation and mechanical pest control.

	Presenter:
	Dr Sandro Frati New Business Development Bi-Pa

Nowadays, remote sensing techniques are widely being used in agricultural practices for knowing the accurate farm condition, in time. Agricultural mapping contributes in analyzing yield determination and soils, crop health and unfavorable growing conditions along with early detection of crop stress during the growing season. Monitoring of crop conditions is essential and assists in implementation of effective management decisions to attain optimum farm production.

	Presenter:
	Prof. Dr. Clement Atzberger Full Professor and Head IVFL University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

Dr. Mohamed will discuss the role of Extension educators in helping producers on 2.2 million farms in the United States produce an abundant, safe, reliable and relatively inexpensive supply of food for its 313 million inhabitants. The session will discuss the role of pesticide registration, safety training, and special exemptions for emergency use in non-routine pest problems, as well as the adoption, use and challenges of using transgenic technology in the USA. Dr. Mohamed will use my expertise in the sugarbeet industry as a case study.

The role of Extension educators is to helping farmers produce an abundant, safe, reliable and relatively inexpensive supply of food. The session will discuss the role of pesticide registration, safety training, and special exemptions for emergency use in non-routine pest problems, as well as the adoption, use and challenges of using transgenic technology in the USA.

	Presenter:
	Dr. Mohamed Khan Professor and Extension Sugarbeet Specialist North Dakota State University & University of Minnesota

Posted on: 22 February 2017

Existence of TTTTF, a kind of stem rust—named for the characteristic brownish stain it lays down as it destroys wheat leaves and stems—damaged tens of thousands hectares of crops in Sicily. Tests suggests that the pathogen can infect dozens of laboratory-grown strains of wheat, including hardy varieties that are usually highly resistant to crop disease. Wheat rust, a devastating disease known as the “polio of agriculture”, has spread from Africa to South and Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe, with calamitous losses for the world’s second most important grain crop, after rice.

Adding further concern, two new strains of another wheat disease, yellow rust, have been spotted over large areas of Europe for the first time, causing severe wheat damage. Source Greater influx of crop pathogens has influenced breeders, scientists and agrochemical companies in Europe and all across the world to share diagnostic facilities and crucial information about potential outbreaks. Producing resistant varieties, along with study of invasive crop species and early-warning system will provide farmers enough warning to monitor fields and apply fungicides. Timely action is Crucial!

What are the other deadly crop diseases and what are the potential effects? Developing resistant crops is the answer? Halting the crop disease’s spread, CABI’s, Strategic Partnerships Director, at Global Crop Protection 2017, scheduled 13-14 March 2017, at Hotel Novotel Brussels Centre Tour Noire, Belgium, will shed light upon the benefits of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Classical Biological Control (CBC), to be put in place to overcome some of the major crop issues facing the world.

To find out more about Global Crop Protection 2017: Click here

To reserve your spot  Global Crop Protection 2017: Click here

Posted on: 16 February 2017

A bacterium common in insects has been discovered in a plant-parasitic roundworm, opening up the possibility of a new, environmentally friendly way of controlling the crop-damaging pest. The worm, Pratylenchus penetrans, is one of the "lesion nematodes" — microscopic animals that deploy their mouths like syringes to extract nutrients from the roots of plants, damaging them in the process. This particular nematode uses more than 150 species as hosts, including mint, raspberry, lily and potato.

The newly discovered bacterium is a strain in the genus Wolbachia, one of the world's most widespread endosymbionts (organisms that live within other organisms), contributing majorly in Nematode biocontrol. Wolbachia is present in roughly 60% of the globe's arthropods, among them insects, spiders and crustaceans, and also lives in nematodes that cause illness in humans.

Adoption of Biocontrol strategy for the effective management of crop pests and diseases has been addressed by many regions. The potential for managing the pest population via biocontrol rather than environment-damaging fumigants, is the need for the hour. In regard to this , the New Unit of BiPA, at Global Crop Protection 2017, scheduled 13-14 March 2017, in Brussels, Belgium, will shed light upon the application of biocontrol techniques for crop protection, along with techniques to reduce the effect of crop pests, diseases and reliance on harmful synthetic pesticides; minimizing negative impact on the environment.

To reserve your spot for Global Crop Protection 2017: Click here

Posted on: 6 February 2017

Gene-silencing—is a new crop protection technique that acts as a better alternative to chemical products. This technique targets the crops themselves, giving them an added ability to ward off pests and diseases by targeting crop genes, without altering their DNA.

By using a non-toxic, degradable spray based on nanotechnology, gene silencing contributes in tackling the two greatest threats to global food crops—pests and diseases. By combining clay nanoparticles with designer ‘RNAs’ (molecules with essential roles in gene biology), it is possible to silence certain genes within plants. The spray has been shown to give plants virus protection for at least 20 days following a single application. When sprayed, the plant ‘thinks’ it is being attacked by a disease or pest insect and responds by protecting itself.Source 

With the crop industry striving towards achieving global food security, the need for new technologies such as ‘gene silencing’ is a way forward to solve global challenges affecting crop protection. Global Crop Protection 2017, conference scheduled 13-14 March 2017, in Brussels, Belgium, aims to disseminate knowledge on numerous approaches that integrates practices for economic control of pests. Addressing the need of integrated pest management for sustainable agriculture, Researcher from Julius Kuehn-Institut will highlight the leading complement and alternatives to synthetic pesticides, along with the best combination of cultural, biological and chemical measures to manage diseases, insects, weeds and other pests; taking into account all relevant control tactics and methods that are locally available, evaluating their potential cost-effectiveness.

To reserve your spot for Global Crop Protection 2017: Click here

Posted on: 30 January 2017

It is a critical time in which new innovative approaches are needed to sustainably increase global crop productivity to meet the demand of an additional 2.4 billion people by 2050. To tackle agricultural complex challenges, a complete analysis of phytobiomes along with complete investigation on endophytic communities could provide critical information to drive agriculture innovations. Addressing the information gaps in bacterial gene expression in soil and possible future research to develop an understanding of core rhizosphere microbiome and how plant roots are influenced by it.

A shift in agricultural production from managing primarily individual components of cropping systems to managing whole systems using comprehensive systems-based knowledge of phytobiomes is the need of the hour. The current technological developments, such as advances in genomic technologies, computational sciences, system-level approaches and precision agriculture – are enabling unprecedented insights for probing the complex interactions within phytobiomes. It is envisioned that growers will have at their disposal crop varieties that better exploit phytobiome components in specific environments for stronger resilience to pests and limited water and nutrients. Translating knowledge of phytobiomes into next generation precision agriculture tools and techniques will empower farmers to produce sufficient crops to meet global demands.Source 

This conference will bring together all ongoing initiatives from diverse scientific disciplines and connecting the dots between fundamental science and application, with an aim to provide growers with practical tools to manage his/her own crop biomes for maximum efficiency, sustainability, and profitability President, Eversole Associates, at Global Crop Protection 2017, scheduled 13-14 March 2017, in Brussels, Belgium, will focus on microbiome efforts to design a path forward for a phytobiomes systems approach, shed light upon the patterns for enabling paradigm shift in crop production, prescribe cropping systems, methods, and management practices best suited for a particular farm or field.

To reserve your spot for Global Crop Protection 2017: Click here

Posted on: 24 January 2017

The Biostimulants and Micronutrients market is projected to reach USD 2.91 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 10.4% and USD 8.05, at a CAGR of 8.2% Billion by 2021, respectively. The market continues to grow faster than many other areas of the crop protection sector.

The demand for biostimulants and micronutrients is driven by the emerging need for sustainable crop production practices, increasing demand of biofuels, high-quality yield and the growing requirement for food across the world, with China, India, and Japan predicted to be the fastest growing market from the Asia-Pacific region. Nutritive food, need for sustainable crop yields and management of crop production costs are the main factors fueling the market development in this region. Source 1

Row crops, microbials, zinc and cereals segments are the major contributors, assisting in the consistent development of the Biostimulants and Micronutrients sectors. Increasing investment in crop protection industry along with governmental subsidies and awareness programs, are meant to support and create a self-sustaining environment for these segments to flourish. In regard to this, the Commercial Director of PHC, at the conference Global Crop Protection 2017, scheduled 13–14 March 2017, in Brussels, Belgium, will discuss upon the emerging worldwide demand for biostimulants and micronutrients and increasing their usage for enhancing crop yields, highlight growth opportunities for major market players, and shed light on the upcoming innovative solutions in this arena, and also give an overview of the current and future market scenario.

To reserve your spot for Global Crop Protection 2017: Click here

Is Europe ready to increase crop production without using pesticides? this can be never possible because overall crop production in Europe depends on pesticides and for decades it is being helping farmers to compete with increasing food demand.  Growth in the demand for the crop protection chemicals is expected to exceed in future as the Europe and other parts of the world continue to use it to safeguard their crop from various insects, diseases and pests.Growing demand for crop protection chemicals is compelling global players to widen their crop protection offerings.

Increasing European population has pushed farmers and crop experts to depend extensively on pesticides to meet ever-increased food demand, New legislation-‘pesticides package’ – recently adopted by the European Parliament creates new constraints on the use of plant protection products and calls for an in-depth reconsideration of crop protection solutions throughout Europe.

In Europe as well as in other parts of the world, pesticide market is driven by the need to increase crop yield and its efficiency. The Europe’s population is growing, but the land is decreasing pushing farmers to increase their yields. New farming practices are adopted by farmers to increase crop yields.

Meanwhile, Bio-pesticides adoption is also occurring all over the Europe, especially in developed and some developing countries. Pesticides help in optimal usage of resources for plant growth and protect the crop from various pathogens.

Pesticides can be broadly classified into four groups depending on their usage. Farmers use herbicides for killing unwanted plants called weeds, insecticides for killing insects, fungicides for treating diseases caused by fungus and other pesticides for treating diseases, which are not caused by fungi or insects. Fungicides accounted for more than 32% of total pesticides sales in 2015.

As per the recent studies,the direct economic impact due to the absence of viable plant protection solutions for crops has been estimated over a billion Euros per year, impacting million of hectares throughout Europe.

The global crop protection product demand is being driven by decreasing arable land, ever-increasing population and the need for higher crop yields. However, the Complicating matters are growing attention and regulation on chemical pesticides, which can be toxic to the environment at large. Crop protection product producers need to tackle this situation and look for more eco-friendly crop protection products. For companies like Eco-Pesticides that are focused on biologic-based pesticides.

Before discussing various challenges that European crop protection industry confronts in order to  protect the environment from toxic pesticides and to achieve ever-growing food demand.First, we need to understand the overall dependence of European agriculture on chemicals. According to the reports, the European market for crop protection chemicals, in terms of active ingredient volume was estimated at 639.4 KT in 2011 and is expected to reach 741.9.5KT by 2018. Europe is the second largest market for herbicides.

A new report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that more than 97% of foods contain pesticide residue levels that fall within legal limits.

About 55% of the samples evaluated by EFSA were free of detectable traces of these chemicals.This means nearly half of food products in Europe contain residues of pesticides. Europe’s food supply is among the safest in the world, however, some traces of pesticides exceeding the maximum residue levels (MRLs) were found more often in imported food (5.7%) than in samples originating from the EU and the European Economic Area (1.4%).

Feeding rapidly growing population while relying on ever-scarcer natural resources and protecting the environment. Europe has a responsibility to address that challenge by improving food security and ensuring the contribution of sustainable, productive agriculture to the environment and the economy

Pesticides play a pivotal role in agricultural productivity and competitiveness across Europe, to encourage and promote sustainable use of technology in order to meet increasing food demand, various pesticides are used across the European region.However, many of these crop protection products are monitored for threatening human lives.

The European commission has framed various amendments and legislation to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides by reducing the risks and impacts of pesticides use on human health and environment and promoting the use of integrating pest management (IPM) and other non-chemical alternatives to pesticides.

Agricultural biologicals are beneficial as they enhance productivity, fertility, nutrient availability and overall health of the crops. They have two important functions as protection and enhancement. Plant protection comprise of products like bio-pesticides or biocontrol. Enhancement involves plant growth, yield and health from products such as biostimulants, biofertilizers, or biological crop enhancers.

Global agricultural biologicals market is segmented based on types of agricultural biologicals such as biopesticides, plant extract, beneficial insects, biofertilizers and others. Bioherbicide, bio-insecticide, and bio-fungicide are the sub-types of biopesticides. The market is further segmented based on applications such as cereals, oilseeds & pulses, fruits & vegetables, plantations crops, nursery and others.