The NEGFRY system is presented in this research work as a novelty strategy for the control
of potato late blight in A Limia (NW Spain). The aim was to analyse the number of fungicide applications
established by NEGFRY (Decision Support System, DSS) with respect to the routine calendars
of this potato production area. This approach is in accordance with the requirements imposed by
European policies, participating in more profitable and environmentally friendly agriculture. For
this purpose, the relationships between the pathogen and the environmental conditions and epidemiological
parameters were analysed in different plots compared to late blight infection in both
Routine and DSS strategies. In addition, economic and environmental impacts of fungicide sprays
were also analysed to check the adaptability of the decision support system to late blight in the area.
Results confirmed that it is possible to reduce sprays following the NEGFRY model by more than 50%
compared with Routine applications. Therefore, NEGFRY is a promising strategy to achieve lower
footprint potato yields through a reduction in applied pesticides and water, lower gas emissions and
less soil compaction due to a reduction in the number of tractor passes over the soil. The commitment
to this strategy contributes to improving the economy of farmers, the health of the biodiversity, the
environment and consumers, as well as to comply with demands of global economies in terms of
more sustainable and resilient agriculture.

This work was funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 project SoildiverAgro [grant agreement 817819].