Plant protection chemical ecological

The rather thoughtless use of chemical compounds for plant protection in the second half of the XX century has brought about the accumulation in the storehouses of some facilities of about 1000 tons of preparations that are unfit for use, forbidden or unidentified. The sanitary and epidemiological service jointly with the Ecological inspection and the District station for plant protection are conducting an inventory of the storage sites of these toxic wastes. Inventory data with indications for the place of the storage, the names of the preparations and their quantity is kept in a computer database. 

Probably in the future a gradual decrease in pesticide usage in agriculture in the Ukraine will occur. This is because the adoption of the concept of integrated plant protection. The chemical methods are allowed only in such situations when non-chemical methods cannot assist in decreasing the density of populations of harmful organisms to safer levels. Therefore, it is very important to take into account both ecological and economic situations. 

Chemical ecology The amines are components of the plants chemical defence systems. They have antifee-dant or deterrent effects on many animds. Adapted insects of various taxa (Lepidoptera, grasshoppers, beetles, and greenflies) are able to store and utilize the plant P. a. They use them as protective substances against insect-eating predators and display their inedibility through conspicuous warning colors (aposema-tis). Some Lepidoptera also use plant P. a. as precursors for their pheromones. ... 

Sondheimer, E., Simeone, J. B. (eds.) Chemical Ecology. Academic Press, New York 1970 Swain, T. Secondary compounds as protective agents. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 28, 479-501 (1977)... 

Another facet of chemical ecology concerns communication between members of the same species. Recent discoveries have shown that certain plants of the African savanna communicate among themselves the arrival of large herbivores the first plant that suffers their attacks quickly emits a volatile bouquet perceived by neighbors of the same species, which then quickly synthesize protective tannins. In the time it takes an elephant or a giraffe to graze on several leaves, individuals of the same species in the vicinity have already become repulsive [WAR 02]. 

Beyond understanding plants/pest insect interactions, chemical ecology can help design more environmentally friendly crop protection methods. The VOCs emitted by plants are key mediators in the search and use of resources by predators and parasitoids (see Chapter 9, particularly Figure 9.4). Indeed, these... 

The assessment of acute and chronic adverse effects induced by chemicals in both human and ecological (plants, animals, ecological chains, and ecosystems) targets is one of the most important scopes of environmental toxicology and sciences. In particular, the evaluation of the risk derived from the exposure to complex mixtures from environmental and diet sources is a challenging task which needs strategies, efforts, and time to reach the objectives of health protection. 

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