Crop health and integrated pest management

Practice question

How do you recognise risks early, organise observations and prevent spread between tasks or farms? What knowledge is needed to base IPM decisions on evidence?

Local relevance

Tomato production in Souss-Massa faces pressure from pests, diseases and viruses, while export markets set strict residue requirements. Integrated pest management (IPM) combines prevention, monitoring, biological control and targeted interventions. Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) deserves specific attention: it spreads easily via hands, tools, seeds and plant material, and no single product or technique solves a virus problem on its own.

Possible interventions

• Structured scouting rounds with simple registration
• Hygiene and biosecurity protocols for workers, tools and visitors
• Biological control and crop resilience measures
• Decision rules that link observations to actions
• ToBRFV awareness based on current expert sources such as EPPO

Conditions

• Trained staff and consistent work routines
• Availability of biological control agents and local advice
• Protocols reviewed by qualified experts before publication

Research questions

• Which scouting routines are workable on medium-sized Moroccan farms?
• How can hygiene protocols be embedded in daily labour organisation?
• Which combination of measures lowers residue risk without yield loss?

Measurement points

• Incidents and disease pressure using a defined observation method
• Protocol version and observation frequency
• Use of plant protection products per crop cycle, where recorded