The 12th PPPHI Symposium
From Biocontrol Products to Biocontrol Systems - Strategies for Sustainable Crop Protection
will take place on 23rd and 24th February 2027 at the Julius Kühn-Institut in Braunschweig, Germanyjointly organised by DPG and JKI
Worldwide, biological control is considered as a key component in the tranformation of our agricultural systems towards a more resilient and sustainable crop production. However, future plant protection cannot rely on individual products or technologies alone. To meet the challenges associated with the transformation of agricultural and food systems, biocontrol needs to be considered as an integral part of sustainable cropping systems.
This requires a shift from a product-oriented towards a systems-oriented perspective. Biological control strategies need to interact effectively with other components of crop production and plant protection, while scientific innovation, practical feasibility and regulatory frameworks need to evolve accordingly. Such a systems approach opens new opportunities, but also raises important questions for research, regulation and implementation in agricultural practice.
The 12th PPPHI Symposium will bring together scientists, regulators, industry representatives and practitioners to discuss how this transition from biocontrol products to biocontrol systems can be achieved and how research and innovation can contribute to future sustainable crop protection.
The symposium will address four main topics:
- drivers of change and the need to move from products to systems,
- the role of biocontrol within a systems approach to plant protection,
- innovations enabling future plant protection systems, and
- translating systems thinking into research and agricultural practice
Symposium committee
Johannes Jehle
Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Dossenheim, DE
Christina Donat
e-Nema, Schwentinental, DE
Ada Linkies
Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Dossenheim, DE
Ewa Matyjaszczyk
Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, PL
Mylène Ogliastro
INRAE, Montpellier, FR
Maximilian Paluch
Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Dossenheim, DE
Annette Reineke
German Society for Plant Protection and Plant Health (DPG), Braunschweig, DE
Hochschule Geisenheim University, DE
Stefano Torriani
Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau (FiBL), Frick, CH
Program
Session 1: Drivers of change - Why do we need to move from products to systems?
- David Bohan (INRAE, FRA)
- Alfred Grand (Grand Farm, AUT): Functional biodiversity as the key to pesticide-free food production – evidence from GRAND FARM
- Lennert Vissers (DG SANTE European Commission, BEL)
Panel Discussion: Are plant protection products still the right unit of innovation?
Session 2: From products to systems - What does a systems approach mean for plant protection?
- Jutta Kienzle (FÖKO, GER): Biocontrol in resilient production systems: What works and what fails
- Edith Ladurner (CBC Europe, ITA): When reality challenges expectations: how to define and measure the effectiveness of Biological PPPs in IPM
Panel Discussion: How do we design effective plant protection systems for future agriculture?
Session 3: Future plant protection systems - How can innovation enable future plant protection systems including biocontrol?
- Vladimir Crnojević (Biosense, SRB)
- Christian Grovermann (FiBL, SUI): Beyond efficacy: The socio-economic dimension of system-based crop protection
Panel Discussion: From innovation to impact: what is still missing?
Session 4 – Research for sustainable cropping systems - How do we translate systems thinking into research and practice?
- Carla Pinho (FiBL Europe, BEL)
Panel Discussion: From innovation to impact: what is still missing?
PPPHI History
| 18.-19.02.2025 | Scientific Innovations & Regulatory Challenges in Biocontrol | Julius Kühn-Institute Braunschweig, Germany |
| 23.11.2021 | Biostimulants, soil improvers, bioprotectants: promoters of bio-intensification in plant production | Online |
| 19.-20.11.2019 | Innovative biological techniques for IPM and their regulatory implications | Julius Kühn-Institute Braunschweig, Germany |
| 13.-14.12.2017 | Efficacy and risks of „biorationals“ in organic and integrated pest management - acceptable? | Julius Kühn-Institute Braunschweig, Germany |
| 12.-13.03.2015 | The "principal mode of action" of micro-organisms as agents between fertilization and plant protection | Julius Kühn-Institute Berlin, Germany |
| 13.-14.05.2014 | Micro-organisms as agents between fertilization and plant protection | Julius Kühn-Institute Braunschweig, Germany |
| 27.-29.05.2013 | Endophytes for plant protection: the state of the art | Humboldt University Berlin, Germany |
| 19.-21.05.2011 | Crop and sector-specific guidelines on integrated plant protection | Julius Kühn-Institute Berlin, Germany |
| 14.-16.05.2009 | Crop Plant Resistance to Biotic and Abiotic Factors: Current Potential and Future Demands | Julius Kühn-Institute Berlin, Germany |
| 10.-12.05.2007 | Best Practice in Disease, Pest and Weed Management | Humboldt University Berlin, Germany |
| 09.-11.06.2005 | Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species | Humboldt University Berlin, Germany |
2025 Scientific Innovations & Regulatory Challenges in Biocontrol
2021 Biostimulants, soil improvers, bioprotectants: promoters of bio-intensification in plant production
2019 Innovative biological techniques for IPM and their regulatory implications
2017 Efficacy and risks of „biorationals“ in organic and integrated pest management - acceptable?
2015 The "principal mode of action" of micro-organisms as agents between fertilization and plant protection
2014 Micro-organisms as agents between fertilization and plant protection
2013 Endophytes for plant protection: the state of the art
2011 Crop and sector-specific guidelines on integrated plant protection
2009 Crop Plant Resistance to Biotic and Abiotic Factors: Current Potential and Future Demands
2007 Best Practice in Disease, Pest and Weed Management
2005 Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species
