Feasibility study on the development and utilisation of a database on changes in biotic pressures in agricultural plots

From 1943 to 2008, the Plant Protection Services (SRPV) produced documents designed to keep farmers informed about biotic pressures affecting crops. This study has demonstrated the value of collecting the ‘Avertissements Agricoles’ (Agricultural Alerts), the SRPV’s national crop season reports and certain documents from agricultural research institutes, which will enable the creation of long-term documentary series. These document collections will be made available to users alongside tools enabling the searching and extraction of information. Examples of studies that could be carried out using this information have been identified. The study also highlighted the value of linking observations on biotic pressures to related data, thereby enabling better use of this information, and proposes that such data be collected as part of the current epidemiological surveillance system. This study demonstrates that the development of a documentary database on changes in biotic pressures in agricultural plots, based on historical documents, was feasible, and that this database would generate new knowledge useful for the sustainable management of crop health.