In this work by encapsulation technique we have synthetized three new clove bud essential oil (CEO) Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC) formulations depending on the carrier (synthetic zeolite- F-CSZ, nature zeolite- F-CNZ and gelatin- F-CG). The main idea was to develop an eco-friendly biopesticide that can find use in plant protection as an alternative to the use of conventional pesticides. By encapsulation we wanted to enable water solubility and ensure prolonged efficacy of the essential oil. Biological activity of designed CEO formulations was tested on potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (fumigant mode of action), gray mold fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea (preserver coatings), and soft rotting bacterial pathogens Pectobacterium carotovorum (subsp. carotovorum and brasiliensis) and Dickeya dianthicola (direct competition). CEO formulations evinced a prolonged action on mortality of P. operculella during the insects’ exposure to the concentration of the emulsions of 40 µL L−1 air. The mortality gradually decreased from a probability of 100% after the first 24 h to 50% after 5 days for F-CSZ or after 4 days for F-CNZ and F-CG. The most promising formulation is F-CSZ enabling activity during 14 days of exposure, while the effect of the other two formulations lasted 10 days. All three formulations produced a strong fungicidal effect against B. cinerea by preventing infection and disease development. The best efficacy was evidenced with F-CSZ (synthetic zeolite as a carrier) showing 100% efficacy when it was used even at the lowest tested concentration of active CEO (1%). The results of in vitro testing against soft rot pathogens determined the MIC value of CEO formulations to be 1% of active CEO. By this research, we present a novel perspective on the use of essential oils as an alternative, environmental biopesticide. CEO formulations can be commercially exploited as a fumigant or preserver coatings to extend the shelf life of stored products or the fresh-fruit market.

Numerous scientific research studies all over the world have addressed the problem of agriculture in the 21 st century as being particularly sensitive to climate change, which has caused phytopathogenic bacteria to spread. Therefore, there is a clear and urgent need to contain this kind of risk in agricultural production (both conventional and organic farming). The objective of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of 30 essential oils (EOs) against three harmful plant pathogenic bacteria of agricultural importance, Erwinia amylovora, Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae. The study included in vitro testing, using an agar-diffusion assay. The EOs of Ceylon cinnamon (leaf and bark), oregano, clove bud and palmarosa revealed antibacterial activity against the test bacteria, and the maximum mean inhibition zone diameters of 35 mm was found against E. amylovora and X. campestris pv. campestris (highly sensitive reaction), while it was smaller in the case of P. syringae pv. syringae, from 18.25-26.25 mm (sensitive to very sensitive reaction). Maximum diameter of the zone of inhibition (35 mm) was obtained using basil and peppermint against E. amylovora, and rosemary, blue gum and camphor tree against X. campestris pv. campestris. Not a single EO inhibited P. syringae pv. syringae with the resulting total diameter zone of 35 mm, and this test bacteria was resultingly classified as the least susceptible bacterium of the three tested. EOs of lemongrass, aniseed, ylang ylang, silver fir, lemon, dwarf mountain pine, bay laurel and scots pine caused sensitive reaction of the tested bacteria. Peppermint, black cumin, Indian frankincense, bergamot orange, common juniper, bitter orange and neem produced variable reactions from total to weakly or no inhibition at all. Weakly activity was found in niaouli and Atlas cedar. Eastern red cedar, patchouli, Indian sandalwood and ginger caused no reaction of any of the test bacteria. The results offer a basis for further work based on in vivo testing for the purpose of developing "natural pesticides" for control of phytopathogenic bacteria, thus giving a significant contribution to reducing yield losses in agriculture and sustainable development.

Norfloxacin is one of the 4-quinolone antibacterials and have many applications in veterinary and human medicine. It is extensively used antibiotic among fluoroquinolone antibiotics in both human and animal welfare. Therefore, the estimation and monitoring of norfloxacin in pharmaceutical preparations and effluents has become a topic of interest for researchers and industries. Existing methods require much time, expenses and sophisticated laboratory facilities. Most of the methods suggest the simultaneous determination of the drug along with the similar groups. There is a thirst among researchers for the development of simple, specific, sensitive and reliable methods suitable for routine laboratory facilities. Most of the methods are based on association of the drug either with metal complexes or reaction with pigments. The main objective of this paper is to review various existing methods for spectrophotometric determination of norfloxacin in order to explore the possibilities to overcome their drawbacks to develop new methods with enhanced simplicity, sensitivity, reproducibility, etc.

The control of Plasmopara viticola and Botrytis cinerea, two of the most dangerous pathogens on grapevine, requires frequent treatments with chemicals based on weather conditions. Numerous applications of fungicides have resulted in developing fungicide resistance. Active ingredients based on copper have been used very successfully for a long time to protect grapevines against these pathogens. Application of a copper citrate formulation with high degree dissociation at a very low concentration (1%) was evaluated in field trials. The efficacy of two concentrations of copper citrate, 0.5 and 1.0%, were tested against P. viticola on grapevine in three locations, and against B. cinerea in two locations during 2018. Our results demonstrated that the concentration of 1.0% copper citrate was highly effective against P. viticola (87.4%) and B. cinerea (63.7%), compared to standard treatment (90.6 and 53.1%), under a high level of infection.

The effects of copper citrate on defoliation of one year old fruit stocks in a nursery are presented in this paper. The investigation aimed to evaluate the defoliation efficacy of copper citrate as a new formulation, compared with other compounds recommended for that purpose. Field trials were conducted in the region of Trstenik, a center of nursery production in Serbia in 2016 and 2017. Two years of investigation showed that copper citrate could be used as an efficient compound for defoliation in nursery production. A stronger defoliation effect was observed on plum stocks, compared to apple stocks. Better results were achieved with the highest concentration of copper citrate (2%), while the effectiveness decreased with lower concentrations (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%). Defoliation degree on nursery apple stocks after treatment with 2.0% concentration of copper citrate varied from 80.6% to 95.6%, while it reached 100% on plum stocks.