INIA Phytopathological Diagnostic Service – Mérida

Abstract

Merida, is a state in which agricultural activity predominates, whose most important production systems are: potatoes, high and low floor vegetables, fruit trees, coffee and cocoa. The management of these crops was fundamentally based on the use of agrochemicals, with the excessive application of recipes of various active ingredients of single or mixed products, which caused negative impacts on the environment, evidenced by the resurgence of new pests due to the loss of biological regulators, contamination of watersheds and decrease in the quality of life of peasants. In order to respond and reverse such an unfortunate situation, the National Institute for Agricultural Research of the State of Mérida has been developing diagnostic strategies and phytosanitary management that allow for the prevention of pest effects and the reduction of crop losses. This is how the phytopathological diagnosis service establishes.