Top Global Crop Protection Needs Identified Following Virtual Workshops

The Minor Use Foundation has announced the top ten global priority crop protection needs to focus funding and research on during 2021 and 2022. The top priorities were narrowed down following a process that started earlier this year with a list of more than 4,000 new crop protection needs from 56 countries.

Blueberry plant
Spotted Wing Drosophila on blueberry is one of the priorities identified for 2021 and 2022.

In September, the IR-4 Project and the Minor Use Foundation held the third Global Minor Use Priority Setting Workshop. During this two-day workshop, needs were discussed and ranked by participants. The resulting input was used to identify the top ten priorities for greenhouse, temperate and tropical crops, listed below. More than 180 people representing 38 countries participated in the workshop.

To learn more about the identified crop protection needs and the next steps in the process, read the Minor Use Foundation’s press release.

The priority crop protection needs globally identified are:

Greenhouse
  • Tuta absoluta on tomatoes
  • Western flower thrips on ornamentals
Temperate
  • Spotted Wing Drosophila on raspberry
  • Downy mildew on dry bulb onion
  • Downy mildew on hops
  • Spotted Wing Drosophila on blueberry
  • Downy mildew on green onion (if possible to integrate with dry bulb)
Tropical
  • Phytophthora on avocado
  • Anthracnose on pineapple
  • Phytophthora on pineapple

About the Minor Use Foundation, Inc.
The Minor Use Foundation, a non-profit private foundation, was founded in 2018 to promote minor uses and specialty crop pest management solutions for growers globally. The Foundation hosts the Global Minor Use Priority setting meetings, funds research to identify and develop pest control solutions and provides training and capacity building globally. Together with its partners and cooperators the Foundation identifies and implements work to expand uses, harmonize MRLs, and support grower needs. For more information, visit www.minorusefoundation.org.