The growing need for sustainable food production in the face of multiple global crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and population growth require new crop protection strategies. The transformation of crop production is currently the subject of intense debate and a key topic at many crop protection conferencesFootnote 1. Many active ingredients are losing their registrations, exacerbating the situation for users who often lack suitable alternatives. Moreover, societal demands for pesticide-free agriculture to protect the environment and biodiversity are increasing the pressure on both the pesticide industry and applicators, since an overuse of synthetic chemical pesticides is a major cause for the decline of insect populationsFootnote 2. In the face of these challenges, there is a pressing call for innovative solutions aligned with the preservation of biodiversity. This need is anchored in both national and global initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the bioeconomy strategies advocated by Germany, the EU, and the UN. While the EU target of a 50% reduction of conventional pesticides by 2030 has been temporarily haltedFootnote 3, the demand for a reduction remains, especially in Germany. Thus, the quest for promising and practical alternatives remains urgent to meet these challenges.