Dr. Berger’s participation in the EIP-Agri Expert Group will focus on methods of reducing pesticide use in apple and stone fruit crops.
Dr. Lars T. Berger, CTO of Pulverizadores Fede, has been named an expert of the EIP-Agri, the European Innovation Group for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability. This group, which has the support of the European Commission, has the objective of strengthening research and development strategies in the agricultural sector to implement competitive and sustainable solutions.
Within the EIP-Agri, Dr. Berger will collaborate with the focus group working on methods to reduce the use of pesticides in apple and stone fruit crops. This group identifies and develops innovative practices to treat pests and diseases by reducing the use of pesticides, including also pest prevention, early detection, diagnosis and monitoring.
Likewise, the group has the mission of preparing an inventory of good practices and strategies for comprehensive pest management, biological control and identifying the needs of the sector to propose relevant actions that reduce the use of pesticides in the production of apples and bone fruits. In this sense, Dr. Lars T. Berger leads the work on the precision agriculture topic, which focuses on the integration of new technologies and agronomic digital management tools as a key to reducing the use of pesticides and the environmental impact of crops production.
The incorporation of Dr. Berger to EIP-Agri represents an important transfer of knowledge since he is a key figure in the development of Fede’s digital agronomic management solutions, leading the company’s innovation projects since 2014. “The reduction of pesticide use, as well as the substitution of hazardous pesticides with more environmentally friendly biological products are core elements of Fede’s innovative technological developments. Being additionally on a daily basis in contact with frames through numerous pilot trials across Europe, my experience can help to identify good practices, tools and, services to deal with pests and diseases in pome and stone fruits”, Dr. Berger says.
With the active participation in EIP-AGRI, Fede continues its work on knowledge transfer with the aim of promoting agriculture’s digital transformation to increase the competitiveness, profitability and sustainability of the high-value crop sector, offer traceability and maximize the food-safety standards.