Carrot Production Research Articles

Determination of potential insect vectors and subgroups of aster yellows phytoplasma in the carrot (Daucus carota L.) (Apiaceae) cultivation areas of Ankara and Konya Provinces, Türkiye

Aster yellows phytoplasma (16Sr-I, AYp) is a widespread plant pathogen affecting a wide range of economically important crops. AYp can be distributed widely via insect vectors and is associated with severe redness and yellowing in carrot leaves. The presence of potential insect vectors of aster yellows phytoplasma was investigated in the Ankara and Konya Provinces, the largest carrot production areas in Türkiye. Forty-five insect samples were collected during the field studies between March and September 2020. Morphological and molecular studies have shown that Neophilaenus campestris (Fallén, 1805) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), Empoasca decipiens Paoli, 1930 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and Psammotettix striatus (L., 1758) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) carried 16SrI-F phytoplasma. Psammotettix striatus collected from different locations contained subgroup 16SrI-R, as well. In addition, subgroup 16SrI-B was determined in Cicadula divaricata Ribaut, 1952 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and in a psyllid (Psylloidea: Psyllidae) species. Empoasca sp., Anaceratagallia sp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and Psammotettix confinis (Dahlbom, 1850) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) were determined as potential phytoplasma vectors. Phytoplasma 16Sr rRNA and insect cytochrome oxidase gene nucleotide sequences were used for phylogenetic analysis. The results will contribute to vector-based control of aster yellows phytoplasmas in carrot cultivation areas.

Possibility to use the different sizes and colors of carrots for the production of juices - comparison of bioactive compounds, nutritional quality, pro-health properties, and sensory evaluation.

Carrot is a popular vegetable consumed by people of all age groups and is used in various food products because of its high nutritional content, especially vitamin A. In the present study, colorful fresh carrot juices of 12 carrot varieties were investigated for in vitro antidiabetic, anti-aging, and anti-obesity activities with antioxidant potential by ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and FRAP (ferric reducing ability of plasma) assays. The studied juices were also compared for physicochemical characteristics: titratable acidity, pH, pectin content, total soluble solids, dry mass, ash, viscosity, turbidity, osmolality, and color. The results of the study showed that normal purple carrot juice exhibited the best activities in all biological and antioxidant tests, except for anti-α-glucosidase activity. Normal purple carrot juice also had the highest total mineral content with elevated results for titratable acidity, pH, total soluble solids, dry mass, ash, viscosity, and osmolality. Purple carrot juices demonstrated elevated health-promoting activities and could be used in blended beverage recipes to attract children's attention. The results of sensorial characteristics (appearance, color, and taste) of juices, however, showed that people are more familiar with orange carrot products. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

The influence of adaptive technology for growing table carrots in the Volga-Don in-terfluve

The presented article analyzes the results of research in the field of application of a new type of water-soluble fertilizers, in order not only to improve the technology of growing table carrots, but also to offer a new way to improve plant nutrition and prevent soil contamination due to the use of mineral fertilizers, which include 50 percent or more of slags. A comparative analysis of the influence of traditional mineral fertilizers, water-soluble fertilizers and natural soil fertility, allowing one to obtain planned yields, while respecting the rational use of energy and material resources, is carried out. Based on the materials of the experiments, it can be recommended for producers of the Lower Volga on drip irrigation of chestnut soils to cultivate a hybrid Red Core against the background of the planned doses of mineral fertilizers N330R160K630 and maintaining a differentiated moisture regime of 70-80-70% of minimum water capacity. In the production of table carrots, the highest yield was shown by the promising hybrid Red Core, which, in the variant without fertilization, formed a yield of 70-70-70% of minimum water capacity81.57 t/ha in the humidification mode, 92.72 t/ha in the 70-80-70% of minimum water capacity mode. The introduction of mineral fertilizers under the planned yield level of 110 t/ha (N330P160K630) allowed to increase the yield on a constant humidification mode to 132.87 t / ha, and on a differentiated humidification mode to 140.53 t / ha. A further increase in the doses of fertilizers applied for all the studied options did not give a reliable increase.

Postharvest sclerotinia rot control in carrot by the natural product hinokitiol and the potential mechanisms involved

Sclerotinia rot infected by cosmopolitan fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a serious and destructive disease in carrot production, especially during their postharvest storage. Natural products with the advantages of environmentally friendly and safety have been widely concerned. This research estimated the impact of hinokitiol against S. sclerotiorum and on the quality of carrots. In vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that hinokitiol had promising antifungal activities against both carbendazim-susceptible and -resistant isolates of S. sclerotiorum. Importantly, it effectively kept the quality and prolonged the shelf life of carrot by declining the loss of weight, ascorbic acid, carotenoid, and total phenolics content, preventing the formation of malondialdehyde, and enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Further study found that hinokitiol inhibited the formation of sclerotia by destroying the morphology and the integrality of cell membrane, reduced the pathogenicity by suppressing the synthesis of oxalic acid and exopolysaccharide, declined the activities of enzymes and the gene expression related to sclerotia development in S. sclerotiorum. These information evidenced the great potential of hinokitiol as a natural fresh-keeping agent for the management of postharvest decay infected by S. sclerotiorum.

Quantification of the anti-neoplastic polyacetylene falcarinol from carrots in human serum by LC-MS/MS

Falcarinol is a polyacetylene which is found in carrots and known to have anti-neoplastic properties in rodents. Research in the bioactivity of falcarinol in humans require methods for quantification of falcarinol in human serum. Here we report the development of an LC-MS/MS method and its use to measure serum falcarinol concentrations in humans following intake of a carrot product. Falcarinol was measured by LC-MS/MS using the m/z 268 to m/z 182 mass transition. Six calibrator levels (0.2–20 ng/mL) and 3 control levels (0.4, 2 and 8 ng/mL) were prepared by addition of falcarinol to human serum pools. Linearity of the developed method was good with a mean R2 of 0.9942. Within-day, between-day and total coefficients of variation were 6.9–13.1%, 4.1–5.0% and 8.1–14.0%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.1 and 0.2 ng/mL, respectively, matrix effects 84.2%, recovery 101.4–105.4% and carry-over −0.24–0.07%. Serum falcarinol concentrations were measured in 18 healthy volunteers prior to and at 9 time-points following intake of a carrot product. Falcarinol concentrations peaked at the 1-hour time-point after intake in 15 out of 18 volunteers and declined according to a single exponential decay function with an aggregate t½ of 1.5 h.In conclusion, an LC-MS/MS method for quantification of falcarinol in human serum with acceptable performance was developed and used to measure falcarinol concentrations following intake of a carrot product.

EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION FACTORS USED IN CARROT (Daucus carota) FARMING

<p>The farmers' income is uncertain in Boyolali following the unstable weather. This study aims to know the factors that affect the production of carrots and the efficiency level of production factors in carrot farming. The method used in this research was the survey method that was performed in the Argo Ayuningtani Farmer Group, Senden Village, Selo District, Boyolali Regency. The respondent was determined by observation of as many as 30 carrot farmers. The collected data were in the form of primary and secondary data. The primary data were obtained from literature studies and studies of other institutions that related to this research. Data were analyzed using quantitative analysis using the Cobb Douglass model. The results of the study found that several factors that simultaneously affected the productivity of carrot farming were the total area of land (X1), labor (X2), seeds (X3), organic fertilizer (X4), fertilizer Za (X5) used by farmers. The number of seeds is the most influential production factor in the productivity of the Argo Ayuningtani Farmer Group, Senden Village, Selo District, Boyolali Regency.</p>

Landscape epidemiology of an insect-vectored plant-pathogenic bacterium: Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum in carrots in Finland

Crop diseases may be affected by landscape composition, but limited quantitative information is available. We studied the effects of landscape factors on the incidence of the psyllid-transmitted bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) haplotype C in carrots in Finland. Samples were collected from 104 carrot fields in 2013 and 2014. The relationship between CLso incidence and landscape data was analysed using logistic regression. The probability of CLso infection significantly increased with increasing area of carrot cultivation, up to a 10 km radius. Spruce biomass (spruce is the winter shelter of the main vector, Trioza apicalis,) within 200 m distance from the field edges affected CLso infection in landscapes with a low to medium area proportion of carrot cultivation but not in landscapes with a high proportion of carrot fields. Disease incidence was higher on clay soils than on mineral soils. The findings illustrate the importance of movement of the vector between carrot and spruce and highlight this disease as a landscape-scale disease syndrome, which needs to be managed also at the landscape level. Moderating the proportion of carrot fields in a carrot production landscape could be a key to manage the disease by breaking the epidemic cycle at the landscape level.

Application of Composited Municipal Refuse Dump Site Soil, Orange, Potato and Pineapple Peels in the Control of Root Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Incognita) Infecting Carrots (Daucus Carota L.)

Meloidogyne incognita is known to be a foremost pest of carrot in Nigeria. It is a component to appraise in carrot production. Application of synthetic nematicides as control measures is unsafe to humans and detrimental to the environment. Development of safe control process is worthwhile. Effect of three peels (potato, pineapple, orange) and composited soil from municipal refuse dump site was assessed and compared with carbofuran a standard synthetic nematicide at four different doses (0, 1500, 2000, 2500g and 2.0kg/a. i/ha, 1.5kg/a. i/ha, 1.0kg/a. i/ha and 0kg/a. i/ha for carbofuran) on carrot plants. The concentrations of heavy metals like Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn and Fe in the composited soil was determined with Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Experimental pots were inoculated with approximately 2000 M. incognita juveniles, in a randomized complete block design experiment. The composited municipal refuse soil was analysed for the presence of fungi and bacteria using molecular methods based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Reproduction and multiplication of M. incognita was significantly (p<0.05) low with all the treatment materials. Best inhibitory effect was observed in the soil of carrot plants treated with composited soil which had 49 nematode populations at harvest rather than 4606 recorded in untreated plants. Equally, heavier carrots were harvested in plants administered with composited soil (1309.6 gram), while the control plants had poor weight (312.7 gram). Performance of each waste material was quantity dependent. Gene sequencing revealed the presence of Pseudomonas alcaligenes strain ATCC 14909, P. putida strain ATCC 12633, P. aeruginosa strain ATCC 10145, Pseudomonas stutzeri NBRC 14165, Acinetobacter venetianus ATCC 31012, Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 130047, Streptomyces spp B7-3TC02, Bacillus subtilis NBRC 13719, Aspergillus niger strain MPVCT 158, Penicillium georgiense strain EV 24 and Rhizopus oryzae strain ATCC 20344, which are beneficial soil microorganisms. The metal concentration analysis of the composited municipal refuse dump soil exhibited low concentrations of heavy metals which ranges from 0.002-1.03 mg/kg with Zinc (Zn) having the highest concentration. The waste materials are cheap and ecofriendly option that can be adopted as soil amendment in M. incognita infested fields to significantly boost yield in carrot production and reduce reliance on mineral fertilizer. The peels, as well as composited municipal refuse dump soil can be used to improve soil properties and substitute lost nutrients to enhance crop production, and at the same time mitigate the environmental consequences of inappropriate waste disposal problems in Nigeria.

FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PENDAPATAN USAHA TANI WORTEL: SEBUAH ANALISIS REGRESI LINIER BERGANDA

Carrots are widely cultivated by the people of Kandangtepus Village and become their main livelihood. This study aims to determine the characteristics, income, and factors that affect the income of carrot farming in Kandangtepus Village. The research method uses descriptive and analytical methods. The sampling method used quota sampling and snowball sampling. Methods of data collection using interviews and document studies. The data analysis method used descriptive analysis, income analysis, and multiple linear regression. The results showed the characteristics of the business; namely, most of them used privately owned land, capital from personal savings and loans from collectors, inputs that were easily obtained, labor achieved, implementation of carrot cultivation in accordance with the recommendations, yields sold to collectors, and carrot farming. Get support from farmer groups. Carrot farming with two cropping patterns is equally profitable, but carrot farming using an intercropping pattern will produce less than optimal carrot production. Factors that have a significant influence on the income of carrot farming are selling price, production amount, seed cost, fertilizer cost, and labor cost.

Assessment of Carrot Production System Using Biologically Active Compounds and Metabolomic Fingerprints

Carrot is the most important root vegetable plant produced worldwide, consumed as a food source rich in bioactive compounds. The purpose was to investigate the effect of different farming conditions on the content of those compounds in the roots of Afalon and Cortina carrot cv. and to use metabolomic fingerprinting for the authentication of the carrots. Carotenoids and ascorbic acid (AA) were detected and quantified using the LC method. The characterization and classification of carrot samples according to the production system, variety and plant density were performed using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The metabolomic fingerprints/profiles were measured in positive and negative ionization mode on a reversed-phase analytical column, and the data were processed using the relevant statistical tools. The respective AA levels in Afalon and Cortina were 217–291 and 318–514 mg.kg−1 dry biomass. The main carotenes were β- and α-carotene whose ratio in Afalon and Cortina was 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. A set of 19 compounds detected by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, selected on the basis of their importance for statistical distribution into individual groups representing a farming system, cultivar, or seeding density, was established and used for the authentication of the carrot samples. These compounds included various saccharides, phenolics, and lipids with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antibiotic activities. The metabolomic data obtained were used for the verification of the farming system in which the carrots were grown.

Interaction of Liberibacter Solanacearum with Host Psyllid Vitellogenin and Its Association with Autophagy.

ABSTRACTCandidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) haplotype D, transmitted by the carrot psyllid Bactericera trigonica, is a major constraint for carrot production in Israel. Unveiling the molecular interactions between the psyllid vector and CLso can facilitate the development of nonchemical approaches for controlling the disease caused by CLso. Bacterial surface proteins are often known to be involved in adhesion and virulence; however, interactions of CLso with carrot psyllid proteins that have a role in the transmission process has remained unexplored. In this study, we used CLso outer membrane protein (OmpA) and flagellin as baits to screen for psyllid interacting proteins in a yeast two-hybrid system assay. We identified psyllid vitellogenin (Vg) to interact with both OmpA and flagellin of CLso. As Vg and autophagy are often tightly linked, we also studied the expression of autophagy-related genes to further elucidate this interaction. We used the juvenile hormone (JH-III) to induce the expression of Vg, thapsigargin for suppressing autophagy, and rapamycin for inducing autophagy. The results revealed that Vg negatively regulates autophagy. Induced Vg expression significantly suppressed autophagy-related gene expression and the levels of CLso significantly increased, resulting in a significant mortality of the insect. Although the specific role of Vg remains obscure, the findings presented here identify Vg as an important component in the insect immune responses against CLso and may help in understanding the initial molecular response in the vector against Liberibacter.IMPORTANCE Pathogen transmission by vectors involves multiple levels of interactions, and for the transmission of liberibacter species by psyllid vectors, much of these interactions are yet to be explored. Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) haplotype D inflicts severe economic losses to the carrot industry. Understanding the specific interactions at different stages of infection is hence fundamental and could lead to the development of better management strategies to disrupt the transmission of the bacteria to new host plants. Here, we show that two liberibacter membrane proteins interact with psyllid vitellogenin and also induce autophagy. Altering vitellogenin expression directly influences autophagy and CLso abundance in the psyllid vector. Although the exact mechanism underlying this interaction remains unclear, this study highlights the importance of immune responses in the transmission of this disease agent.

Carrot Productivity under Various Levels of Irrigation and Fertilization

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is normally grown under irrigation system. In Tanzania, carrot productivity is still low, mainly due to poor agronomic practices as a result of limited information on optimal levels of irrigation water that enhance crop production. Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate the interactions between various irrigation levels under drip irrigation and soil-based NPK fertilizer for optimal growth, yield, and sugar content of carrots in Morogoro, Tanzania. The crop water requirement was calculated in terms of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) as the product of ETo, Kc, and the ground cover reduction factor (Kr). Soil-based fertilizer was applied at a level of 150 kg NPK ha-1, while irrigation levels applied were 100, 80, and 60% of ETc. It was found that the growth, yield, and sugar content of carrots were affected differently at various irrigation water (IW) application levels. The growth parameters of carrots improved consistently to optimum IW levels. Further, the highest yield of 33.0 tons ha-1 of carrots was obtained under 100% of IW, and the lowest yield of 18.47 tons ha-1 was obtained at 60% of IW. The 60 and 80% IW level yields did not differ significantly (p>0.05). Carrots grown at a deficit irrigation water level of 80% were found to have the highest content of sugar. Therefore, for optimal growth and yield, an irrigation level of 100% is recommended for carrots. However, for high sugar content, an irrigation level of 80% is recommended.

Quality improvement of freeze‐dried carrots as affected by sugar‐osmotic and hot‐air pre‐treatments

To improve the visual-sensory and nutritional quality of freeze-dried carrots (FDC), the effects of sugar-osmotic dehydration (SO, 40°Brix, 3 h) and hot-air pre-drying (HAPD, 80°C, 10 min) on the FDC quality were investigated. Overall, SO&HAPD significantly improved the redness (8.26% - 11.67%), yellowness (1.24% - 5.82%) and ABTS radical scavenging activity (1.40% - 16.00%) of FDC. FDC pre-treated by sucrose showed the highest a* value (33.31), which was related to the β-carotene content. The influence order of independent variables on the redness was ABTS radical scavenging activity > total sugar content > β-carotene content. As for the carotenoid retention, the sample only treated by HAPD had the highest contents of β-carotene (119.97 μg/g) and α-carotene (93.73 μg/g). These results indicated that SO&HAPD and HAPD were effective pre-treatments for improving the color and carotenoid contents of FDC, respectively. This work provides an experimental-theoretical basis for the quality enhancement of carrot products.

Comparative transcriptome analysis provides novel insights into phytohormone dynamic changes during seed germination in carrot (Daucus carota L.)

ABSTRACT The germination of carrot seeds is a complex regulatory process and the relationship between phytohormone and carrot seed germination is unclear. We performed morphological observation, transcriptome sequencing, phytohormone content determination, and gene expression profiles analysis. The results showed that the white hypocotyls of carrot seeds grew rapidly on the 3 d, and cotyledons unfold on the 8 d. A total of 745 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to plant hormone signal transduction were identified at different germination stages (3, 5, 8 d), and most of the genes were up-regulated obviously in the later stage. The content of GA3 reached its peak on the first day of germination, with a content of 7.12 ng/g FW, and showed a trend of first decreasing, then increasing and decreasing. And the trend of GA4 content change was similar to GA3 content from 2 d to 8 d. The contents of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) showed a gradual increasing trend, while the content of abscisic acid (ABA) gradually decreased. The results of RT-qPCR showed that DcGA3ox1 and DcAOC expressed decreased, while DcGA20ox2 and DcYUCCA increased in the whole process. These results provide potential new insights for the efficient production of carrots..

FUZZY LOGIC APPLIED IN CARROT PRODUCTIVITY

FUZZY LOGIC APPLIED IN CARROT PRODUCTIVITY

A Nematode Community-Based Integrated Productivity Efficiency (IPE) Model That Identifies Sustainable Soil Health Outcomes: A Case of Compost Application in Carrot Production

Percent soil organic matter (SOM), pH and crop yield are among the biophysicochemical process-driven soil health indicators (SHIs). However, identifying sustainable soil health conditions using these SHIs is limited due to the lack of Integrated Productivity Efficiency (IPE) models. We define IPE as a concept that identifies best-to-worst-case soil health outcomes by assessing the effect of agronomic practices on weighted abundance of functional guilds (WAFG) of beneficial soil organisms and SHIs simultaneously. Expressing WAFG of all beneficial nematodes (x-axis) and SHIs (y-axis) as a percent of untreated control and regression of x and y reveals four quadrants describing worst-to-best-case outcomes for soil health and sustainability. We tested the effects of composted cow manure (AC) and plant litter (PC) applied at 135 (1×), 203 (1.5×), and 270 (2×) kg N/ha on WAFG, SOM, pH, and yield in a sandy clay loam field of a processing carrot cultivar over three growing seasons. Untreated control and urea at 1× served as experimental controls. Data that varied by time and were difficult to make sense of were separated into sustainable, unsustainable, or requiring specific modification to be sustainable categories by the IPE model. Within the sustainable category, all AC treatments and 2× rate of PC treatments had the best integrated efficiency outcomes across the SHIs. The IPE model provides a platform where other biophysicochemical process-driven SHIs could be integrated.

Effects of Salinity on Yield, Yield Components and Water Productivity of Black Carrot (Daucus Carota L.) Under Water Stress Condition

Salinity and drought are some of the main problems affecting global crop yields. In this study, interaction effects of irrigation interval and salinity on yield, soil salinity, other parameters of black carrot were evaluated in a covered rain shelter. The treatments consist of three different irrigation intervals (4 days (I1), 6 days (I2), and 8 days (I3) with 6 different irrigation water salinity levels (0.38 (S1), 1.5 (S2), 3.0 (S3), 5.0 (S4) 7.0 (S5) and 10.0 (S6) dS m-1. The results indicated that the effect of interaction between irrigation interval and salinity was significant on yield, evapotranspiration, chlorophyll content, and soluble solid content (SSC). Yield and evapotranspiration decreased significantly with an increase in salinity and irrigation intervals. The highest yield was observed in I1S1, and the yield response (Ky) in the black carrot was 1.39. The irrigation water salinity up to 1.5 dS m-1 was nonsignificant on yield. However, the increase in soil salinity by 1 dS m-1 caused a decrease of 3.83%, 2.93%, and 3.03% in the yields of I1, I2, and I3, respectively. Moreover, increasing the salinity of irrigation water reduced the chlorophyll content and carrot juice pH value. The result of the study indicated that black carrot is sensitive to salt and water deficit, and the maximum irrigation interval using saline water should not be more than 6 days. Therefore, it can be concluded that in regions where salinity is high, more frequent irrigation minimizes losses that may occur in yield.

Effect of Se-Enriched Irrigation Water and Soil Texture on Biomass Production and Elemental Composition of Green Pea and Carrot and Their Contribution to Human Se Intake

Selenium (Se)-deficient diets are a problem in large areas of the world and can have serious health consequences, thus, the biofortification of foods with Se has been an important research field for several decades. The effect of Se-enriched irrigation water was investigated regarding the Se concentration in green peas and carrots. A pot experiment was set up in a greenhouse with irrigation water containing 0, 100, and 500 µg Se L−1 with sand, silty sand and silt soil types. Most of the treatments only slightly reduced the biomass, while the 500 µg Se L−1 treatment caused a significant decrease in the dry weight of carrot root. Treatment with irrigation water containing 100 µg Se L−1 increased the Se content in green peas and carrots 76 and 75 times, respectively, producing foodstuffs where 100 g of a fresh product covered 395% and 92% of the recommended dietary allowance, respectively, averaged over the three soil types. The Se concentration was higher for green peas in sand and carrots in silt. The treatments had little effect on the concentrations of other nutrients. The enrichment of irrigation water with Se may thus be a suitable method for the biofortification and production of functional food under certain conditions.

Strip spraying technology for precise herbicide application in carrot fields

Abstract The aim of this empirical field research was to show potential differences due to the precise application of herbicides in the quality and size of the carrot root yield and the amount of working liquid used compared to those for control samples. Empirical verification of the effectiveness of the developed technology, confirmed by statistical analyses of the obtained results, allows for a comparative assessment of this method with the conventional method of herbicide application used in this study. Due to the methodology used, it can be assumed that for carrots, the years were a random factor, and the experiments carried out were a series. It can be assumed that in the analysis of a series of experiments, for each of the examined features there are no differences between the groups and there is no interaction of the groups with the years. The yields of the groups weeded manually, sprayed in a conventional way, and weeded with precise spraying did not differ in a statistically significant way. In the precise application, a 20–30% lower herbicide consumption was observed, which has an impact on the protection of the environment and improves the economic effect of carrot production.

The use of chemical plant protection products in field vegetable farms in a central industrial vegetable growing area in Finland

Progress in the reduction of environmental and health risks of PPPs (plant protection products) using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the EU needs to be gauged. Here, we report, for the first time, the exact quantities of PPP used in carrot, potato, swede, and fresh pea production in southwestern Finland from 2003 to 2019. Fresh peas and swede represent exceptionally low or decreasing use of PPPs, respectively. The number of treatments per field showed an increasing trend for fungicides used on potato, despite per unit area treatments have not increased. Furthermore, for carrots, insecticide and herbicide spray frequencies increased more than treatment volumes. The results of this study form a basis for analyzing ecotoxicological risks of PPP use in the studied crops because usage and spray frequencies alone do not convey the risk levels accurately. Research needs to be continued to better guide the recording of farmers’ plant protection activities and corresponding analysis to verify the impacts of IPM implementation.