Automatically generated translation
Following the symposium on the Phosmet Phase-out Plan, held in Paris on March 24, how have these pest management strategies been implemented in the field? And what research avenues have emerged from this R&D program?
Adaptacol²: How can we support the implementation of rapeseed pest management strategies?
Rapidly and widely disseminating new knowledge is central to the project’s mission of providing practical solutions to farmers. “The creation of regional committees has enabled us to engage advisory stakeholders to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of management tools,” says Aurore Baillet, a development engineer at Terres Inovia. Six committees have thus been established in regions where rapeseed is a key crop, led by Terres Inovia’s development engineers and bringing together regional stakeholders from distribution, advisory services, and agricultural education.
Tangible achievements
• 420 trials•
109 advisors trained in the
“Robust Rapeseed” method• 50 regions to test the strategy of diverting large flea beetles using trap
crops• 34 demonstration sites to promote the combination of agronomic tools
• 330 plots monitored for fall
pests• 90 field visits with 3,000 technicians and farmers
Variable use of the tools
A roundtable discussion provided insights on how to support the implementation of various management strategies to drive changes in practices.
• Fall nitrogen application: In a satisfaction survey conducted in 2025, 84% of regional partners felt that this tool, identified by Adaptacol2, had been successfully implemented in knowledge transfer activities with farmers. "This autumn nitrogen lever was adopted by farmers thanks to the development of reference data under varied soil and climate conditions," said Elodie Tourton, a development engineer at Terres Inovia.
• Robust Rapeseed Strategy:
It was implemented as part of the Cap Agronomie training programs.
"These took the form, in particular, of field visits during the growing season, allowing farmers to better understand the impact of practices on rapeseed robustness," said Matthieu Loos, a development engineer at Terres Inovia.
“Cap Agronomie offers real added value because our groups of farmers are motivated by planting issues, which can be complex. That’s why, from the start, we wanted to form a mixed group of advisors and farmers in the Cap Agronomie training sessions,” says Delphine Molenat, manager of the South Vendée region for the Chamber of Agriculture of the Pays de la Loire.
• Trap
intercrops "It takes time to move from experimentation to practical implementation at the field level because this is a new technique. Visually, the effects of trap intercrops are more difficult to identify, especially since this method needs to be implemented in coordination with other farmers," says Michaël Geloen, a development engineer at Terres Inovia.
The creation of regional committees has made it possible to involve local stakeholders in order to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of management tools.
The Phosmet Plan was a success that paved the way for PARSADA.
The measures implemented
• Key planting practices that promote the growth of robust rapeseed were widely implemented, including the training of 109 advisors and the monitoring of 350 rapeseed plots.
• In addition, nitrogen application in the fall—which promotes vigorous rapeseed growth—was made possible under certain conditions in 2024 in most regions.
• Variety recommendations incorporating a new criterion for good pest resistance have been integrated into the variety rankings since 2023.
• The technique of controlled trap intercropping using Chinese radish, monitored in 50 regions, has confirmed its effectiveness in reducing populations of winter flea beetles colonizing nearby rapeseed fields and the new generation of insects emerging from the fields in the spring, which will colonize the rapeseed the following fall.
Cap Agronomie offers real added value because our groups of farmers are driven by the challenges of setting up operations, which can be complex.
It takes time to move from experimentation to the practical implementation of trap intercrops at the plot level, as this is a new technique that requires coordinated implementation.
Areas of interest to explore
• Chemical attractants and repellents to deter pests,
including:- Compounds derived from Brassicaceae plants that attract and repel
the cabbage flea beetle have been identified; their formulations still need to be optimized and evaluated in the field.
- The characterization of key olfactory receptors in the cabbage flea beetle also paves the way for the future identification of new active ingredients.
• Progress in plant breeding is emerging with
:- In the short term, elite genotypes with “good pest resistance” (tolerance) from several French breeders are paving the way for new varieties based on this criterion.
- In the long term, partial resistances identified among rapeseed parent species offer prospects for varieties with improved performance.
• Two biocontrol products capable of reducing damage from adult flea beetles have been identified; the conditions favorable to their effectiveness need to be better understood.
Gilles Robillard, President of Terres Inovia: “This collaborative effort has helped us better identify the needs for developing future solutions.”
"There was a real sense of urgency to find solutions for farmers. The main goal was to maintain farms’ ability to produce while ensuring their profitability. To address this challenge, a collaborative effort was established, bringing together public and private research, technical institutes, companies, biocontrol stakeholders, seed storage organizations, and Chambers of Agriculture. This collective mobilization enabled swift and effective action.
Today, several lessons can be drawn:
• The goal of maintaining farmers’ production capacity has been achieved.
• Concrete and immediate solutions were implemented in the field.
• The deployment of robust rapeseed has been expanded, with compelling results confirming its effectiveness.
• Additional approaches have been tested, identifying new avenues for innovation.
This collaborative effort has helped us better understand the needs for developing future solutions.
The next step is now to build on this work and the research projects underway. It will also involve preserving and strengthening the relationship of trust built between the various partners."