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Spray drift of pesticides has a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems and the environment, including damage to non-target organisms. Particularly, the drift of some insecticides can have detrimental effects on beneficial arthropods such as predatory mites. According to a recent EU Directive, the reduction of spray drift is required for a sustainable use of pesticides, yet without reduction of efficacy against pests. In this framework, eight field trials were conducted from 2012 to 2014 in two typical growing areas of Verona district (Northern Italy), four on apple orchards and four on vineyards. The aim of these trials was to evaluate, for two spray drift reduction techniques: 1) the spatial patterns of in-field droplets, 2) the efficacy against key pests on apple and grape (Cydia pomonella L. and Lobesia botrana Denis & Schiffermuller respectively), 3) the side effects on predatory mite populations. Four insecticides: chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, methoxyfenozide and spinetoram, were applied with three different spraying techniques: high-drift nozzles (Albuz, ATR 80 yellow), low-drift nozzles (Albuz, TVI 80015 green), and high-drift nozzles with an anti-drift adjuvant (rapeseed oil). Results showed that the two spray drift reduction techniques effectively increased droplets amounts next to sprayer, reducing potential drift on both apple orchards and vineyards and were generally as effective as standard nozzles without additional side effects on beneficial arthropods. Results suggest that the use of spray drift reduction techniques such as low-drift nozzles and anti-drift adjuvants can be effective in managing key pests and also in decreasing the environmental impact of using insecticides.

Ecosystems provide the conditions for producing food, regulating water, and providing wildlife habitats; these, among others, are known as ecosystem services (ESs). Food production is both economically and culturally important to southern European farmers, particularly in Italy where farmers grow flavorsome tomatoes with passion and pride. Growers rely on pesticides for crop protection, the potential environmental impact of which is often questioned by regulators and other stakeholders. The European regulatory system for the approval of pesticides includes a thorough evaluation of risks to the environment and is designed to be protective of ecosystems. The consideration of ESs in environmental decision making is a growing trend, and the present case study provides an example of how ESs evaluation could be used to enhance agricultural practices and regulatory policy for crop protection. By attacking plant roots, nematodes may affect the growth and yield of fruit and vegetable crops, and the income earned by farmers at harvest time. Available solutions include chemical treatments such as 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), physical treatments (solarization), and biological treatments (biofumigation). In order to characterize the risks and benefits associated with the use of 1,3-D in crop protection, ESs and socioeconomic analyses were applied to its use in the control of nematodes in tomato cultivation in southern Italy. The present study confirmed the benefits of 1,3-D to tomato production in Italy, with significant positive effects on production yields and farm income when compared to limited and transient potential impacts on services such as soil function. It was confirmed that 1,3-D allows farm income to be maintained and secures tomato production in these regions for the future. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:801-810. © 2016 SETAC.

A mixture of 1,3-dicloropropene 60.5% w/w and chloropicrin 33.3% w/w (Telone C35 EC) may be registered in Italy for soil drip fumigation. Five experiments on greenhouse tomatoes in Northern, Central and Southern Italy compared the effectiveness of this mixture in comparison with methyl bromide to find the optimum application rate in soils infested by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis lycopersici, Sclerotium rolfsii, Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita.Its efficacy against F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis lycopersici and M. incognita was confirmed when applied to soils at 100, 200, 300 and 400 l/ha (132.4, 268.4, 402.6 and 536.8 kg/ha) under gas-tight films with 15–45 mm of application water (900–1200 mg Telone C35 EC/l). In sandy soils, with slight F. radicis lycopersici infections and with heavy nematode (M. incognita) attacks, the mixture, drip applied at 900 mg/l during late summer (fumigation: late summer; transplant: late-summer/autumn; last harvest: early spring), performed well up to 132.4 kg/ha (100 l/ha).In sandy loam soils with slight F. radicis lycopersici infections and severe infections of F. lycopersici and galling nematodes (M. javanica), 268.4 kg/ha (200 l/ha) of the mixture applied at 900 mg/l as a drip provided yields similar to those of methyl bromide treated plots both in spring and summer cycles. In sandy loam soils, the diseases (F. lycopersici, F. radicis lycopersici) were controlled at rates 268.4 kg/ha (containing 90 kg/ha of chloropicrin), but the mixture was ineffective against Sclerotium rolfsii occasionally observed in sandy loam soils. In both sandy and sandy loam soils, no significant relationships were found between the rates of mixture applied (132.4, 268.4, 402.6 and 536.8 kg/ha) and the degree of nematode infestation.