Plant protection and pest control

In some applications, the choice of surfactant for a given active component can be critical. Since many pest control chemicals carry electrical charges, it is vital to use a surfactant that is electrically compatible with that ingredient. If the active material is positively charged, the addition of an anionic surfactant can, and probably will, result in the formation of a poorly soluble salt that will precipitate out directly before being applied, or the salt will be significantly less active, resulting in an unacceptable loss of cost-effectiveness. 

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Jung HD, Rothe A, Heise H (1987) Epicutaneous testing with plant protective and pest control agents (pesticides). Dermatosen 35 43-51... 

Selective toxicity is also important in relation to the development of resistance or tolerance to pollutants from two distinct points of view. On the one hand, there is interest among scientists concerned with crop protection and disease control in mechanisms by which crop pests, vectors of disease, plant pathogens, and weeds develop resistance to pesticides. Understanding the mechanism should point to ways of overcoming resistance, for example, other compounds not affected by resistance mechanisms or synergists to inhibit enzymes that provide a resistance mechanism. On the other hand, the development of resistance can be a useful indication of the environmental impact of pollutants. 

Owing to the prohibition of chemosynthetic pesticides under organic farming standards, there is a greatly reduced availability of intervention/treatment-based methods for disease and pest control in organic fruit production systems. The efficacy of the permitted biological control, extract or mineral element (e.g. S and Cu)-based crop protection products is also usually lower than of chemosynthetic pesticides. Permitted plant protection products show efficacies of between 60 and 80% while chemosynthetic fungicides and pesticides often have efficacy levels >95% (Tamm et al., 2004). 

Abd El-Megid MS, Ibrahim AS, Khalid SA, Satour MM (1998) Studies on vegetable transplants using seed-bed solarization improvement of onion transplant characters and smut disease control. In Stapleton JJ, DeVay JE, Elmore CL(eds) Proceedings of the second international conference on soil solarization and integrated management of soil-borne pests, Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic, 16-21 March 1997. FAO Plant Protection and Production Paper 147, FAO, Rome, Italy, pp 165-174... 

Mainly comprised of plant protection products and biocidal products, pesticides are designed to influence fundamental processes in living organisms. They may have the potential to kill or control harmful organisms such as pests, but can also cause unwanted adverse effects on non-target organisms, human health and the environment (EC 2007). Both the hazards and benefits of pesticides are well documented in published literature and have been reviewed most recently by Cooper and Dobson (2007). 

Allelopathic compounds act as repellents for herbivorous pests, so the same strategy used in weed control could be effective against pests and pathogens. Only allelopathy is not possible to use the complete control of weeds, pests or diseases it is necessary to combine it with other methods of plant protection. 

How to deal with the pests that attack plants under cultivation is a continuing challenge to the food and agricultural production system. Natural resistance or tolerance to pests has proven to be one of the safest and least costly ways to protect plants. As we identify the specific plant components involved and their actions, it will be easier to incorporate the capacity to produce the desired chemical into the plant of Interest. There is the further possibility to identify additional natural chemicals that may be useful as pest control materials. The latter might be through the use of natural products or it might be products of industrial synthesis patterned after the natural products. It is clear that allelochemicals are involved in these complex processes and they hold promise for even a greater role. 

Over the last few decades, safety has become one of the most important topics related to food. From this view, quality control of vegetable raw materials has at first to cover the following issues natural and anthropogenic contaminants (e.g. heavy metals, pollution from industrial and private combustions, not professionally deposited waste products, radionuclides), residues of fertilisers (e.g. nitrate), plant-conditioning and plant-protective agents, filth, pests, the microbial status and the occurrence of microbial toxins. It is not possible to discuss all these aspects in detail however, with a focus on herbs and spices, two of them should be stressed more thoroughly. For further information, see [8]. 

The system approach to pest control involves mil only, t total look at the target pests and the plants to be protected, but un investigation of all elements which make up what might be termed a crop ecosystem. Particular... 

True yield potentials can only be expressed when the control of weeds, pathogenic agents, and insect pests are coupled with proper cultivation, fertility, and other plant protection measures. An example of these high yields in Western Europe appears in Table II (1). 

The economics of organic fruit production is largely dependent on the site. Since in organic fruit production it is only possible to make very limited use of chemicals for controlling disease and pests, the choice of site is of critical importance as a preventative measure for plant protection. The different requirements of particular species and varieties of fruit call for specific locations. To achieve economic success, the site condi-... 

Continuous control of diseases and pests (also see Chapter 5 on Plant protection)... 

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