(Braunschweig) How can yield security, biodiversity, and societal as well as economic expectations be reconciled? Under the motto “Thinking crop protection as a system”, about 1,100 experts from science, practice, advisory services, and politics convened on 8 October 2025 for the plenary session of the 64th German Plant Protection Conference at the Technical University of Braunschweig.
The conference is traditionally organized jointly by the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), the Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, the German Phytomedicine Society (DPG), the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture (Plant Protection Office), with TU Braunschweig serving as the local host this year.
Moderated by Johannes Kaufmann (Braunschweiger Zeitung), the plenary session featured four keynote talks exploring the challenges and opportunities of an approach to crop protection that equally considers ecological, economic, and social factors.
“To think systemically means to recognize interrelationships and use diversity,” emphasized Dr. Hella Kehlenbeck from JKI’s Institute for Strategies and Impact Assessment. Only when crop protection is understood as part of a complex agricultural overall system can it function sustainably. She advocated for a holistic, farm-level system approach that combines agroecological principles, new technologies, and knowledge transfer.
“Key elements are resistant cultivars, integrated methods, and research close to practice — from farmers for farmers.”
Prof. Dr. Dr. Urs Niggli, President of the Swiss Institute for Agroecology and former Director of FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture), urged further development of agroecology as a scientifically based guiding concept: “Agroecology is not an alternative model, but an integrative approach for the agriculture of the future.”
He pointed out that ecological farming systems can make valuable contributions to climate protection, soil fertility, and biodiversity — but also face limits when yield stability or nutrient cycles are not safeguarded. He saw potential in combining ecological and conventional approaches via novel breeding methods and the targeted use of so-called biologicals.
Dr. Lothar Hövelmann, Chief Executive Officer of DLG e. V., called for a redefinition of productivity in agriculture: “Sustainable productivity gain means securing yields while protecting the environment and resources.” Integrated crop protection remains foundational for that, he argued, incorporating preventive measures, forecasting systems, and intelligently combined biological, mechanical, and chemical methods.
He also warned that the reduction in authorized active substances in Europe increases risks for farmers. “We need innovation — from smart spraying to genome editing.”
A concrete example of biodiversity integration into practice was presented by agricultural engineer Maximilian Hardegg of a family farm in Austria. On 2,200 hectares, he applies a “four-pillar model” of wildlife-friendly farming: feeding, habitat design, management, and professional hunting. “Biodiversity is our ecological life insurance,” he declared.
Studies from Lower Austria revealed that most of the public actively supports farmers’ measures to promote biodiversity.
