You have probably heard of so-called phytosanitary products, but without knowing what exactly they are. Well, if we’re talking about pesticides, surely you already have a better idea of what they are. There are many different types that are included in this group. To get you out of doubt, we explain in this article what are phytosanitary products and how are they classified.
Additionally, in order for you to better understand these chemicals, we will discuss the pros and cons of using them and why it is important to use ecological and sustainable alternatives. If you want to learn more about this topic, I recommend that you keep reading.
Contents
What are phytosanitary products and what are they used for?
When we talk about phytosanitary products, we are referring to mixtures or substances by which we can fight, prevent, destroy, avoid, attract or repel any type of pest or disease. Basically, these are products with which we can terminate various forms of plant and animal life. They are generally used against living beings harmful to agriculture and public health.
In the case of agriculture, phytosanitary products are used as pesticides, i.e.: To eliminate various pests that can affect crops. These are generally applied during the storage, production, processing, transport and distribution of agricultural products and their derivatives. So, some examples of this type of substance would be insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, among many others. Later we will comment on the classification of phytosanitary products.
Among these types of mixtures the so-called “useful poisons” are also included. These would be, for example, adjuvants, desiccants, defoliants and phytoregulators or substances that regulate plant growth. However, medicines for human and veterinary use and biological control products are excluded from this classification.
We can say that Plant protection products must always be handled with great care, After all, they are toxic substances, also for us. When applying them to crops, it is extremely important to respect waiting times and doses to avoid health risks for the worker, consumers and the crop itself.
Advantages and disadvantages
Now that we know what phytosanitary products are, let’s see what their advantages and disadvantages are. Let’s start with the positives: These substances help to significantly increase the yield of the earth. Without this little help, it would not have been possible to reach the levels of food production that we have today. The use of these products is the basis of what is known as the green revolution and has been around since around the middle of the 20th century. This is the name given to the significant increase in agricultural, ie food, productivity.
In addition, phytosanitary substances improve product marketing because they delay its deterioration, thus lengthening its storage and facilitating transport over long distances. They also improve the physical appearance of vegetables and lower their price.
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How to use phytosanitary products
However, not all the benefits. The use of phytosanitary products has several negative consequences. A We will list the major disadvantages of these pesticides below:
- They reduce biodiversity.
- They pollute soil and water.
- Improper use by workers can endanger their own health as well as that of consumers through food poisoning.
The disadvantages of these products being quite significant, the most advisable is to use ecological, natural and organic alternatives. These options are more environmentally friendly and can be used for on-farm crop control. Thus, organic farming is a good sustainable alternative to the use of chemical pesticides. It has already been scientifically proven that they are less harmful to the environment and also to public health.
How are plant protection products classified?
When classifying plant protection products, we can do this in different ways. The most common classifications are according to the chemical group to which they belong, according to their specific action or according to the toxicological properties they possess. Below we will list these three groups with some examples.
First of all we have the classification by chemical groups. This group is fundamental, since everything related to industrial hygiene and toxicology is generally quite similar for the pesticides that belong to the same group. Let’s look at some examples:
- Bipyridyls
- carbamates
- Chlorine or nitrophenols
- Chlorophenoxy acids
- Organochlorines
- Organotins
- Organophosphates
- Organomercurials
- Pyrethroids
- thiocarbamates
- triazines
- Others: There are many other chemical families that have representatives that They are often used as pesticides. Among them are inorganic substances, substituted ureas, halogenated hydrocarbons, dinitroanilines, phthalimides, diazines, etc.
Phytosanitary products can also be classified according to their toxicological properties. This type of information must be present both on the product label and on the safety data sheet. According to Annex I of EC Regulation 1272/2008 (CLP), the health hazards according to which they can be grouped are the following:
- carcinogenicity
- Severe eye irritation or injury
- skin irritation or corrosion
- Germ cell mutagenicity
- Aspiration hazard
- Skin or respiratory sensitization
- acute toxicity
- Reproductive toxicity
Finally, we must point out the classification of phytosanitary products according to their specific action. There are many groups for this category and some of the products may have various pesticidal activities. These would be some examples:
- Miticides: They eliminate dust mites.
- Bactericides and antibiotics: To fight bacteria.
- Defoliant: It is used to loosen the leaves.
- fungicides: They are used to fight fungus.
- Herbicide: Eliminate weeds.
- Insecticides: They eliminate insects.
- Molluscicides: They eliminate molluscs.
- Growth regulator: It helps to retard or stimulate the growth of plants and insects.
- Rodenticides: They kill rodents.
I hope with all this information you have understood what medical devices are. While it is true that in the beginning they were necessary to be able to generate enough food for the entire population of the world, today there are ecological solutions to replace these chemical substances and promote greater environmental sustainability.