As part of the authorisation and approval of plant protection products, the exact conditions for the use of the product are defined by the BAES. In specific indications, it is precisely stated and determined in which crops and against which pests the plant protection product is authorised and how it may be used. As part of the authorisation and approval process, the labelling elements are also specified in the form of instructions and conditions that must be included on the commercial packaging. This information is also published in the plant protection product register. The safe use of a plant protection product is ensured by observing and implementing the information provided in the labelling.
In the Austrian "Kulturbaum", crops are labelled either as individual species (e.g. apple, pear) or in the form of groups (e.g. pome fruit, stone fruit). In individual cases, plant protection products are not used to treat cultivated plants, but for other purposes, e.g. to treat rooms for stock protection. Such objects are also integrated in the crop tree. The "Crop/object restrictions" text field in the plant protection product register provides further details on the scope of application for a crop or crop group that cannot be integrated into the EPPO crop hierarchy system. This applies in particular to different forms of use and harvest stages of a crop (e.g. use as baby leaf lettuce). The text fields listed here should always be read as "restricted to" conditions. In addition, the crop group can be further restricted by the text field "excluded".
In the EPPO online database (https://gd.eppo.int/), which provides information on the names of around 50,000 plants and pests, EPPO codes of the terms for crops and crop groups have a special meaning: The crops to be treated with plant protection products are precisely defined within the European Union by a five-digit code. The EPPO code forms the basis for the internationally unique designation of a crop or crop group. According to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/564, professional users of plant protection products are obliged from 2026 to document the treated crop with an EPPO code, among other things, for the purpose of recording the use of plant protection products. The integration of the EPPO code system into the authorisation procedure and the complete application of these codes for the plant protection products already authorised will make it much easier for agricultural businesses to fulfil these documentation obligations.
The Austrian crop tree based on the EPPO system is an important element for users to ensure the intended use of plant protection products. In the case of crop group designations, this provides a clear and transparent representation of the possible scope of application and a precise definition and specification of the crops concerned. In order to be able to establish a hierarchical crop query in the plant protection product register as a further service for users in the medium term, the definition of an Austrian crop tree based on the EPPO code system is essential.