Mechanical and biological methods of plant protection against agrophages in the context of the European Green Deal strategy

Abstract

The intensive development of agriculture in Europe has caused that all European Union member states are currently increasingly expe¬riencing negative consequences such as depletion of natural resources, increased erosion and loss of natural soil fertility, increased importance of new diseases and pests, water shortages, reduced biomass production and decreased biodiversity of organisms. In the context of the common agricultural policy, as well as the need to limit the use of chemical protection of agricultural crops, agrotechnical and also mechanical and biological methods are gaining in importance. Mechanical methods of protecting plants against pests main¬ly consist in mechanical destruction of threats or preventing them from reaching plants in the field or agricultural products stored in storage. Biological methods, on the other hand, use viruses, microorganisms and macroorganisms to combat pests as an alternative to chemical plant protection. This publication presents available mechanical and biological methods that allow for minimizing the use of chemicals in agriculture.