From 2015-2016, different environmentally acceptable products for the control of harmful organisms, including the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), wireworms (Agriotes spp.), early blight (Alternaria solani) and late blight (Phytophthora infestans), were tested on potatoes. To control the Colorado potato beetle, was tested the efficacy of limestone dust at two concentrations, 345 and 690 kg ha -1 . Brassica pellets (200 g m -2 ) and calcium cyanamide (1000 kg ha -1 ) were tested against wireworms. Tincture of propolis and propolis glycolic extract (mentioned as propolis) at 5 and 10 ml 1 -1 H 2 O was tested against early and late blight. All of these products were combined into four treatments. Treatment 1 included treatments with limestone dust (690 kg ha -1 ), Brassica pellets and propolis (10 ml 1 -1 H 2 O). Treatment 2 included treatments with limestone dust (345 kg ha -1 ), calcium cyanamide (1000 kg ha -1 ) and propolis (5 ml 1 -1 H 2 O). Treatment 3 was positive control -use of registered phytopharmaceutical plant protection method, and treatment 4 was negative control (untreated plots). The inspection of all developmental stages: egg clusters, first and second instar larvae after hatching (L1-L2), and third and fourth instar larvae after hatching (L3-L4, adults), of the Colorado potato beetle was performed. After harvest, the tuber yield was evaluated. The evaluation of the yield was conducted on the small, medium and large tubers. The amount of damage caused by wireworms on the potato tubers was also detected in the different tubers. Calcium cyanamide was more effective than Brassica pellets against wireworms, whereas at a dose of 10 ml 1 -1 H 2 O, propolis was proven to be a good alternative for the management of early and late blight under unfavourable weather conditions for an epidemic outbreak. In 2016, the potato tuber yield in all three treatments was significantly higher than that in the untreated plots.With the combination of the tested products, promising alternative control strategies for future potato production systems might be obtained, which will be suitable for farming under changing climate conditions with a very narrow spectrum of registered phytopharmaceutical plant protection products.

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Spraying parameters are important factors when spraying wheat heads against fusarium head blight (FHB) to control the deoxynivalenol level in the grain and to obtain high and quality yields. In 2019 and 2020, field trials were conducted in order to establish the effect of the spraying pressure (2 bar, 4 bar, and 6 bar) of special nozzles with a variable flow rate Agrotop VR 1.5 on the head fungicide coverage, yield parameters, and the deoxynivalenol (DON) value in the grain. The coverage of the front and rear sides of wheat heads increased with the increase of spraying pressure from 2 to 6 bar. In 2019, when the infection with FHB was more severe, no significant differences appeared in the yield and the hectoliter weight at a lower spraying pressure, while the DON value at this pressure approached the maximum permissible level. In that year, the DON value exponentially fell with the increase of spraying pressure. In 2019, the thousand grain weight was higher at the spraying pressure of 6 bar than at the pressures of 2 and 4 bar. The results show that also a lower spraying pressure (2 bar) and a volume application rate (117 L/ha) below the recommended one suffice to retain the DON value in the grain below the maximum permissible level, even in years with more severe infection.

In 2014 and 2015, we studied the effect of fungicide spraying with 11 different nozzles on the quality and quantity of head and leaf fungicide deposit, the percentage of Fusarium head blight (FHB) incidence, FHB index, the DON content, yield and grain quality parameters. The best quality and quantity of fungicide deposit on the front and rear head sides was achieved with the TeeJet Turbo FloodJet TF VP2 nozzle (FLOOD) and the Albuz AVI-TWIN 110-03 nozzle (AVI). In comparison with the majority of treatments, the FHB incidence and the FHB index was the highest on the unsprayed control. The FHB index was higher using the Lechler IDK 120-03 nozzle (IDK) than with the other nozzle types. In all the treatments, the DON content in the grain was less than 50 µg/kg. At this very low level of infection this is not surprising. The grain yield was the smallest on the unsprayed control. Better fungicide coverage of wheat heads with the FLOOD and AVI nozzles did not result in a statistically higher yield or better grain quality parameters. Negative correlations were confirmed between yield and variables as DON content, FHB incidence and FHB index and also between falling number and variables as fungicide coverage, FHB incidence and FHB index. Positive correlations were determined between DON content and FHB incidence, between hectolitre weight and variables as spray deposit and coverage and between protein content and variables as spray deposit and coverage.