EPPO Expert Working Group on Digital Technologies for efficacy trials

Composition (last updated June 2026)

Terms of Reference

Introduction

The EPPO Workshop on Adoption of Digital Technology for Data Generation for the Efficacy Evaluation of Plant Protection Products (Ede, The Netherlands, 2022-06-27/29) was organized upon request from EPPO Member Countries which identified the need to critically discuss how the digital technologies used in efficacy trials can be validated and accepted within Good Experimental Practice (GEP) and by regulators in the future. It was one of the Workshop conclusions that a new Standard describing procedures for calibration, verification and validation of digital technologies was urgently needed. Therefore in the same year, an Expert Working Group (EWG) was established (an official Call was sent out by EPPO on 2022-12-01) and EPPO Standard PP 1/333 Adoption of digital technology for data generation for the efficacy evaluation of plant protection products was adopted in 2024.

After the adoption of the Standard, discussions continued on the uses of Vegetation Indices for assessing plant health for efficacy evaluation and the role of EPPO in providing guidance on selecting the most appropriate ones. A teleconference of the EWG that developed the Standard was organized by the EPPO Secretariat on 2024-12-05 for provisional discussions on this additional task. In 2025, it has been agreed that the EWG on Digital Technologies would continue to be active and provide assistance in selecting indices considered useful for plant health assessment which could be included in GEP trials for PPP and biostimulants.

Scope

The EWG will select vegetation indices considered useful for plant health assessment which could be included in GEP trials for PPP and biostimulants. These indices will be made available on the EPPO website[1] in a webpage dedicated to ‘Digital technologies for plant health assessment’. The webpage will also provide other supporting information related to different types of digital technology and links to key reference material to support digital technology adoption in efficacy evaluation trials. The EWG will work under the supervision of the EPPO Panel on General Standards for Efficacy Evaluation. At present no EPPO Standards on the topic ‘Vegetation Indices’ are proposed to be developed.

Tasks

• acknowledging the collation of vegetation indices in the Index Database (IDB) of the University of Bonn which exceeds 500 Vegetation Indices;

• identifying vegetation indices that are suitable for plant health assessment in the framework of efficacy evaluation of PPP and biostimulants;

• making such a list of selected indices as a ‘living’ and ever evolving tool on the EPPO website.

• assisting in the creation of an EPPO webpage on digital technology adoption in efficacy evaluation trials;

• providing continued support to EPPO in relation to digital technologies in efficacy evaluation;

• reporting to the Panel on General Standards on the activities of the EWG

• responding to Panel’s comments.

Membership of the Expert Working Group

A second Call for nominations will be launched for the EPPO member countries. If specific expertise is needed EPPO Secretariat may also invite relevant experts directly.

The type of Expertise required

• Experience with GEP or
• Knowledge of Digital technologies suitable for use in Plant Protection Products efficacy evaluation trials.

Timing of meetings

Members of the EPPO ad hoc Expert Working Group on Digital Technology will be asked to start the work as soon as possible. The first meeting is envisaged to be held before the end of 2025. Several meetings may be needed. The meetings will be held by teleconference or face-to-face. Meetings will continue until the tasks are finalized.

Outcome

A webpage on ‘digital technology in efficacy evaluation trials’ in the EPPO Website which will be approved by the Panel on General Standards for Efficacy Evaluation and by the Working Party on Plant Protection Products.