Favoriser une régulation naturelle des bio-agresseurs par la diversification et multiplication des habitats en vergers de prunier

Despite considerable progress, fruit production is still one of the crops that consumes the most phytosanitary products, with the synthetic IFT (Indicator of Frequency of Treatment) for plums close to 8. As part of a network, the Prumel PRUMEL project tested three innovative systems set up in three major plum production areas in France. With the aim of maintaining a good level of profitability, the systems tested combined different levers and limited the use of synthetic products to a strict minimum. The originality of these systems lies in the co-planting of different varieties or species within diversified orchards, combined with a multiplication of habitats and food sources to encourage auxiliary fauna. The natural regulation of bio-aggressors, as expected, was only partial. The initial results obtained after 4 years of orchard life show significant differences between IPM orchards and innovative orchards, but it has not yet been possible to observe the effects on pests and parasites, raising questions that future observations should help to answer.