Basic substances

‘Basic substances’ can be described as “active substances, not predominantly used as plant protection products but which may be of value for plant protection and for which the economic interest of applying for approval may be limited”.

Criteria for their approval are laid down and specific provisions are set to ensure that such active substances, as far as they do not have an immediate or delayed harmful effect on human and animal health, nor an unacceptable effect on the environment, can be legally used in the EU after having been approved as ‘basic’ under Regulation 1107/2009.

Basic substances are again included in the EU Pesticides Database on active substances. A summary of the approved uses and conditions of approval for a basic substance can be found in the review report, which is available on the page showing the details of that substance.

We’ve listed the basic substances below and you can download the information detailing the application rate and further information.

Basic Substance	Function	Crops
Beer	Molluscicide	All edible and non-edible crops
Calcium hydroxide	Fungicide	Pome fruit and stone fruit
Chitosan hydrochloride	Elicitor	Sugar beet, potatoes, fruit berries & small fruits, vegetables, cereals & spices
Clayed charcoal	Protectant	Grapevine
Diammonium phosphate	Attractant	Orchards, olive & citrus trees
Equisetum arvense L.	Fungicide	Fruit trees, cucumber & tomato
Fructose	Elicitor	Apple fruit
Hydrogen peroxide	Fungicide, bactericide	Tomato, bell pepper, capsicum, lettuce, horticulture flowers
Lecithins	Fungicide	Fruit trees, gooseberry, market vegetables like cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, endive & ornamentals esp roses, vines
Mustard seed powder	Fungicide for seeds treatment	Wheat
Onion oil	Pesticide	Umbelliferous crops
Salix spp. Cortex	Fungicide	Fruit trees & apple fruit
Sodium Chloride	Fungicide	Mushrooms
Sodium hydrogen carbonate	Fungicide & herbicide	Vegetables, soft fruit & ornamentals, apples, fruit & potted plants
Sunflower oil	Fungicide	Tomato
Sucrose	Elicitor	Apple and sweetcorn
Talc E553B	Insectifuge, fungifuge	Fruit trees and grapevines
Urtica Spp	Insecticide, fungicide & acaricide	Fruit trees, bean, potato, leaf vegetables, elder tree, rose, spiraea, cabbage, rape seed, radish, grapevine, cucumber
Vinegar	Fungicide and bactericide	Market vegetables – carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, tomato, ornamentals
Whey	Fungicide	Cucumber, zucchini and squash

Topics:

Crops & Grassland Pests Diseases Nutrition Weeds

Sectors:

Horticulture