Inevitably when dealing with a complex subject, crop protection includes terms that may be unfamiliar and abbreviations that can be confusing at first glance. At ENDURE we try and explain these terms as we go along. Inevitably, though, sometimes you may find yourself puzzled by a word or acronym. That's where our A-Z guide can help:
ACTA
Association de Coordination Technique Agricole (extension service), France
AGROS
Agroscope Swiss Federal Research Station, Switzerland
AU
University of Aarhus, Denmark
Biological control
Controlling plants, diseases and animal pests using their natural enemies or, for example, inhibiting the reproduction of pests using methods that result in the laying of infertile eggs.
CGIAR
Consultative Group on International Agicultural Research. See www.cgiar.org for more details. You may come across the term CGIAR SP-IPM, which is shorthand for CGIAR's System-wide Programme on Integrated Pest Management.
CIRAD
Centre de coopération internationale en recherche pour le développement (Centre for Agricultural Research for Developing Countries)
Cisgenesis
Cisgenesis is the genetic modification of a recipient plant with a natural gene from a crossable (in other words sexually compatible) plant. Besides the technique of inserting the desired gene, it does not contain antibiotic resistance marker genes or strong promotors originating from unrelated organisms.
CNR
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy
Crop Protection Network (CPN)
Ensures links with scientists outside ENDURE, providing exchanges with permanent networks such as the IOBC and EWRS (see separate listings) and also ensures advances produced in other elevant EU projects are fully taken into account in ENDURE activities.
Crop rotation
The growing of different crops in succession on the same land.
Cultivar resistance
Using the resistance of a cultivar or variety to combat a pest. Improved cultivar resistance can be achieved using conventional breeding using crossing and selecting or using GMO techniques.
DAAS
Danish Agricultural Advisory Service
ECPA
European Conference on Precision Agriculture
ECPLF
European Conference on Precision Livestock Farming
EFITA
European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
EWRS
European Weed Research Society
GMO (genetically modified organism)
An organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. You may come across the terms transgenesis and cisgenesis (see above). These refer to the origin of the gene in question. Transgenesis uses a gene from an exogenous (unrelated) source while cisgenesis uses a gene from a crossable - sexually compatible - source.
IBMA
International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association
ICM (Integrated Crop Management)
Two useful definitions found in the UK may help clarify ICM. The Sustainable Development White Paper defines ICM thus: To provide an adequate supply of food and other products in an efficient manner. To minimise consumption of non-renewable and other resources. To safeguard the quality of soil, water and the air and to preserve, where feasible, biodiversity in the landscape . The British Agrochemical Association says: ICM is a method of farming that balances the requirements of running a profitable business with responsibility and sensitivity to the environment. It includes practices that avoid waste, enhance energy efficiency and minimise pollution. ICM combines the best of modern technology with some basic principles of good farming practice and is a whole-farm, long-term strategy .
IHAR
Plant Breeding and Acclimatisation Institute, Poland
IITA
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. See www.iita.org for details.
INRA
Insitut National de la Recherche Agronomique (French National Instiute for Agricultural Research)
IOBC
International Organisation for Biological Control of Noxious Plants and Animals
IP
Intellectual Property
IPM
Integrated pest management (for a full explanation, see ENDURE's definition of IPM).
IWM (Integrated Weed Management)
IWM is a broad term covering many methods that can be combined and applied in various ways to constitute an IWM strategy. Essentially, IWM implies that weed control is not solely based on herbicides, but takes advantage of other non-chemical measures to control weeds. IWM mainly serves two purposes: to reduce herbicide inputs and to supplement herbicides that are insufficiently effective.
JKI
Julius Kühn Institute, Germany
LEI
Agricultural Economic Research Institute, the Netherlands
NARS
National Agricultural Research System
NoE
Network of Excellence
Pesticide
A substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. Pests may include, among others, fungi (controlled with fungicides), weeds (controlled by herbicides) and insects (controlled by insecticides). Broad-spectrum pesticides are those that kill an array of species, while narrow-spectrum or selective pesticides kill only a small group of species.
Phytophera infestans
Late blight in potatoes (also affects tomatoes), the devastating disease largely responsible for the Irish potato famines of the 1840s. See ENDURE's Potato Case Study for more details.
PPO
Applied Plant Research, the Netherlands
PRI
Plant Research International, the Netherlands
RRes
Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
SSSUP
Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento S. Anna, Italy
SZIE
Szent Istvan University, Hungary
Transgenesis
See GMO .
UdL
Universitat de Lleida, Spain
WUR
Wageningen University, the Netherlands
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