On the Importance of Farm Operational Factors for Pesticide Use Intensities in Arable Production | Zur Bedeutung betrieblicher Faktoren für die Pflanzenschutzmittel-Intensität im Ackerbau

In Europe, farmers are encouraged to reduce pesticide use. Pesticide use intensity in arable farming depends on many factors. Numerous studies report a high variance in pesticide use between farms. The aim of the present study is to identify farm specific determinants for the intensity of pesticide use. We investigated which farm characteristics and pesticide management factors are related to lower or higher pesticide use intensity. Data on chemical plant protection measures of 30 farms in two districts of North East Germany were examined for five field crops from 2005 until 2014. In the present study we investigated the pesticide use intensities described as Standardized Treatment Index (STI) of ten representative farms. Yield data and information on the field-specific soil quality were available from these ten farms. We used multiple regressions to estimate the relationship between farm characteristics and pesticide use.The results demonstrate that pesticide use will be affected by farm specific factors, like objectives and equipment such as knowledge and perceptions of decision makers. Pesticide use intensity differs between arable and mixed farms independent of soil characteristics. Farms with more fertile soils use higher amounts of pesticides. The analyses demonstrated that pesticide use decreases with increasing labor availability. STIs of family farms are highest compared to other investigated legal forms. Pesticide use intensities are strongly related to productiveness. The results show that influences of pesticides on yield differ between the investigated crops.The present study further demonstrates that pesticide use has to be discussed in an economic context. Knowledge and perception of farmers must be developed with regard to integrated pest management. For success a diverse approach is required, depending on the farmer’s objectives.