THE ECOLOGIC PRINCIPLES OF PESTICIDE UTILIZATION

• The economic and social development is based on the utilization of a wide range of chemical substances. Part of these have a natural origin being extracted from minerals or plants, but at the same time an increase of synthetic chemical compounds has been reported. Some of the chemical substances are a real threat for humans and environment, for the balance between economic activities and natural capital. The most hazardous from this point of view are persistent substances, which transform themselves into degradation products more toxic than the initial compound, and the substances that present the bio-concentration phenomenon.

• Every year, over 1000 new chemical substances are added to the existing 60.000-65.000. From these, over 2000 are active substances in pesticides, almost 5.000 are used for pharmaceutical production and 6.000 are food additives. The remaining 47.000 are industrial and agriculture products (other than pesticides), fertilizers, fuels for energy production etc.

• The pesticides produced and used in the plants chemical protection in 1998 were worth 32 billion USD, significantly higher than the previous year. Insecticides and fungicides demand was less dynamic than the demand for herbicides. The pesticides sales on long and medium term are expected to increase by almost 2% yearly.

• In order to obtain ecologically accepted pesticides, research can take as long as 8-10 years and cost as much as 15-30 billion USD; in the end, only one substance is selected from the 10-15 thousand initially tested products.

• The huge efforts made for the introduction of new active molecules and new products, in spite of increasing pressure on pesticide utilization from people concerned with nature protection, are justified by the economic effects produced.

• The chemical protection of crops has contributed in the last 30-35 years to a yield increase by 20% in wheat, 25-30% in potatoes and vegetables, 40-60% in sugar beet, 60-90% in trees and grape-vine.

• In the growth and development environment of living organisms from agricultural ecosystems there are:

• The above-mentioned data show that plant chemical protection through the rational use of pesticides (but not only) is a necessary evil accepted by the international society taking into account the food comfort issues.

Along these lines we could say that the biggest mistake that can be made by politicians (if they have not already made it) when entering the new Millennium, is to underestimate the dimensions of the food challenge.

• Pesticides are substances foreign to the ecosystem having a certain toxicity and that is the reason why they must be used with care.

• For the same biological effect, the less toxic product should be chosen.
• Avoid introducing into the ecosystem pesticides, which are difficultly degradable or highly remanent.
• Avoid easily leachable products (going into the phreatic aquifer).
• Avoid as much as possible the use of substances which cause unwanted secondary effects, accumulations, useful entomofauna destruction, in general those which affect the specific interrelations and ecological equilibrium.
• Do not use products that, through their action and persistence, go into the trophic chain- plants – animals – man.
• The chemical protection must not be the only crop protection measure. As a result, plant protection is not synonymous with plant chemical protection.

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