What are pesticides?

Pesticides, also known as crop protection products or plant protection products are the treatments used to protect crops and keep them healthy, thereby ensuring a high level of quality food. They are the equivalent of medicines for plants, protecting them against attack by pests and diseases. They are available for use in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and gardening. They are applied to the seed, the soil or the crop in a variety of forms but most commonly as a spray.

Crop protection products belong to three main types - herbicides (to control weeds), insecticides (to control insects), and fungicides (to prevent or cure infections and diseases).

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