Incorporating integrated fruit production data for strawberries, raspberries, and highbush blueberries into the SAgE Pesticides web tool

Description

Integrated fruit production (IFP) aims to reduce the harmful impacts of pesticides, while ensuring quality fruit production. An IFP program focuses on practices that promote environmental protection, health and safety, product quality, and the sustainability of agricultural businesses. SAgE Pesticides is a free web tool that helps farmers and their advisers select rational and safe phytosanitary treatments.

Recently a group of MAPAQ agronomists, private agronomists, scientists, and berry industry farmers collaborated on the creation of IFP data sheets for strawberries, raspberries, and highbush blueberries.

This project looks to incorporate the data for the recommended IFP berry products into the SAgE Pesticides database. The goal is to encourage farmers to adopt IFP and make it easier for them to access IFP data.

Objective(s)

• Promote the adoption of integrated crop pest management by Québec’s berry farmers.
• Incorporating IFP data into a tool widely used by Québec’s agricultural sector will make make the data easy to access and will encourage farmers and industry advisers to consult the database.