Side effects of FLiPPER/Relevant (carboxylic acid potassium salts) on beneficial agents

Abstract: The discovery, development, production and application of natural product-basedpesticides has been increased over the years as they are considered to be less toxic to humanbeings and environment and less resistant especially under the use of rotation andcombination of synthetic pesticides. Even though, the use of natural pesticides is wellembodied in the IPM techniques, many of these products have shown incompatibility withsome beneficial agents due to toxicity. In our study, an unsaturated fatty acid productFLiPPER/Relevant was tested on existed populations of predatory mites and insects on sweetpepper plants. The product appeared to be harmless or slightly toxic for the predatory mitesAmblyseius swirksii and Amblyseius cucumeris (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and the predatory insectsOrius laevigatus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Feltiella acarisuga/Therodiplosis persicae(Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), according to IOBC classification, and under different dose rateswith a mortality rate ranging from 0 to 43%.