Abstract
According to the principles of organic farming, only natural products and naturally obtained materials may be used for plant protection. Complicated and costly registration procedures make it difficult to approve new active ingredients, while the use of some traditional active ingredients, such as copper, is expected to be further reduced in the future. In short, only a few effective crop protection products are available for organic farming. In contrast, an increase in pests and diseases is observed due to climate change and globalization. As stated in the EU Regulation on Organic Farming, plant health should be preserved by preventative measures, among these also mechanical and physical methods, which undoubtedly include net and foil cover systems. Studies conducted over many years at the RC-Laimburg, working group organic farming, showed that interesting results in the fields of insect control, disease regulation, reduction of drift, and yield regulation can be achieved. However, at the moment not all questions regarding side effects, workload, profitability, landscape and-above all carbon foot print-in comparison to other techniques can be clearly answered. GloeosporiumMarssonina