Assessing the suitability of non-crop plant species for guideline testing

Guideline testing typically favors crop species because they reliably meet validity criteria (≥70% germination, ≥90% survival, and uniform growth), ensuring statistically robust results. However, questions remain about whether non-crop species are adequately represented in current PPP risk assessments.

This work identifies non-crop species from diverse plant families—other than commonly used crops—that are likely to occur near agricultural fields in Germany, are not target species, and can meet guideline validity criteria. Several species fulfilling these requirements were found, but practical challenges persist, including:

• Limited seed availability and variable quality among suppliers
• Species-specific sowing depth requirements
• Need for excess sowing to achieve uniform stands
• Reproducibility of results requiring further confirmation

A presentation and a poster are shared that both show results from this work.