Articles
FARM MANAGEMENT OF FUNGICIDE USE IN TULIPS IN THE NETHERLANDS
The use of fungicides stays at a high level.
On the other hand, there are huge differences among farms.
To gain insight into the determining factors for these differences, a survey among tulip growers was conducted.
The research is limited to the use of fungicides for Botrytis tulipae. Growers were asked about their goals, knowledge, farm circumstances, preventive measures, and use of pesticides.
The research showed that the kind of fungicides used per spray and the number of sprays per season determine the use of fungicides.
The kind of fungicides used per spray is correlated with the farming system and the number of fungicides used.
Because of the strong correlation among these factors, it is not clear what the causal relations are.
The number of sprays per season is strongly determined by the most sensitive cultivar for Botrytis. This means that introduction of less sensitive cultivars will not reduce the use of fungicides as long as the most sensitive cultivars are used.
The knowledge of the farmer is strongly determined by the problems he experienced.
In practice this means that more knowledge and a higher use of fungicides are positively correlated.
In the Netherlands two farming systems can be distinguished.
They differ at several points and also in the use of fungicides.
For decreasing the use of fungicides a separate approach seems necessary.