BasicS, an Euphresco International Network on Renewable Natural Substances for Durable Crop Protection Products

Under the European Union aegis, a new round of non-competitive projects
is being initiated via Euphresco. The topic description developed within
the consortium created within Euphresco research coordination is the
development of the basic substance for management of pests/vectors via
natural compounds. Basic substances are approved for use in the European
Union and are products which are already sold for certain purposes, e.g., as a
foodstuff or a cosmetic, but which can also serve as plant protection products.
A list of 23 basic substances approved is available through the EU Pesticides
database. These substances are mostly biorationals (medicinal plant extracts
like Equisetum, Urtica, Salix and Mustard seeds powder), products used in
human medicine (chitosan, calcium hydroxide), food compounds (milk, whey,
vinegar, beer, fructose, sucrose, lecithin, vegetable oils, bicarbonate, sodium chloride and onion) or common substances (talc, amino acids,
diammonium phosphate, clay and charcoal) but used as means of
plant protection. The project aims to test and validate the use of
basic substances as plant protection measures. All partners have experience in the application of basic substances and potential
basic substances in the field or postharvest, in their mechanisms
of action, in their chemical characterization or in their approval
process.