Prevention methods for pest control and their use in Poland

Prevention methods can still be a cost-effective and efficient tool for pest control. Rational use of prevention methods is a feasibleway to reduce dependency on chemical protection in agriculture. Costs, workload and farmers' awareness are key issues, however. In Poland, crop rotation is used as amethod for pest control only to a limited extent owing to the high share of cereals in the crop structure. The choice of resistant varieties is satisfactory, but farmers should make use of qualified seed material more often. Liming is recommended on the majority of farms on account of widespread soil acidity. Favourable aspects as regards the prevention of pest development are biodiversity and the popularity of prevention cultivation techniques. (C) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry