Groundwater monitoring for 1,3-dichloropropene in high fumigant use areas of North America and Europe.

Background: 1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D) is a soil fumigant used for the control of nematodes in high-value fruit, nut and vegetable crops globally. Extensive water monitoring efforts have been undertaken over the past four decades by public and private institutions, given the widespread agricultural use of 1,3-D, and environmental fate and metabolism data suggesting the potential for 1,3-D to leach into groundwater. The aim of this study is to review the results of groundwater monitoring studies for 1,3-D conducted in North America and the European Union (EU) since 1980.

Integrating ecosystem services into crop protection and pest management: Case study with the soil fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene and its use in tomato production in Italy.

Ecosystems provide the conditions for producing food, regulating water, and providing wildlife habitats; these, among others, are known as ecosystem services (ESs). Food production is both economically and culturally important to southern European farmers, particularly in Italy where farmers grow flavorsome tomatoes with passion and pride. Growers rely on pesticides for crop protection, the potential environmental impact of which is often questioned by regulators and other stakeholders.

Multicentre studies of insecticide-treated durable wall lining in Africa and South-East Asia: entomological efficacy and household acceptability during one year of field use.

Background: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a primary method of malaria vector control, but its potential impact is constrained by several inherent limitations: spraying must be repeated when insecticide residues decay, householders can tire of the annual imposition and campaign costs are recurrent. Durable lining (DL) can be considered an advanced form of long-lasting IRS where insecticide is gradually released from an aesthetically attractive wall lining material to provide vector control for several years. A multicentre trial was carried out in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Vietnam to assess the feasibility, durability, bioefficacy and household acceptability of DL, compared to conventional IRS or insecticide-treated curtains (LLITCs), in a variety of operational settings.

Insecticide resistance in malaria vector mosquitoes at four localities in Ghana, West Africa.

Background: Malaria vector control programmes that rely on insecticide-based interventions such as indoor house spraying with residual insecticides or insecticide treated bed nets, need to base their decision-making process on sound baseline data. More and more commercial entities in Africa, such as mining companies, are realising the value to staff productivity of controlling malaria transmission in their areas of operation.This paper presents baseline entomological data obtained during surveys conducted for four mining operations in Ghana, West Africa.