The legal changes regarding chemical protection used by amateurs, available active substances and the expected impact on the development of pest resistance in Poland

Abstract

Beginning from June 2015, non-professionals will be allowed to only buy and use plant protection products bearing information on the label that they are intended for use by non-professionals. Based on the current register and derogations, the following products will be available for use by amateurs: 21 fungicides, 30 insecticides and 15 herbicides with respectively 20, 14 and 9 different active substances. Over a third of the mentioned active substances of fungicides and insecticides are classified as “high risk” in terms of probability of pest resistance development. For numerous uses only a single product is available. The area of home gardens in Poland amounts to 53.5 thousand hectares. Sales of plant protection products for use by amateurs is about 7% of the market value. The very limited availability of chemical plant protection products for non-professionals can be a serious problem if seen from the perspective of pest resistance development and dissemination. Resistant pests may also affect farms with commercial production.Poland is an important producer of a variety of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants with a very limited availability of chemical protection. Resistance development can further reduce the practical means of pest control and became a serious economic problem.