In the plant nursery industry, plant quality is inevitably linked to plant health.

This is anything but straightforward to manage in an industry characterized by a wide diversity of species and a limited range of tools available for plant protection. On the one hand, production conditions are changing rapidly, also driven by climate change, the emergence of new pathogens, and the intensification of international trade. On the other hand, the European regulatory framework is introducing increasingly stringent requirements to protect human health, the environment, and biodiversity.

For businesses, therefore, plant protection can no longer be approached solely as a response to emergencies. It has become an activity that requires planning, a thorough understanding of the regulatory framework, and the ability to identify available solutions in good time.

The European system for the authorization of plant protection products is primarily based on Regulations (EC) No. 1107/2009 and (EC) No. 396/2005 and Directive 2009/128/EC, which respectively govern the authorization and placing on the market of plant protection products, maximum residue levels (MRLs), and the sustainable use of pesticides.

Before a plant protection product can be placed on the market, the active substance responsible for controlling the harmful organism must undergo a comprehensive assessment process — involving the Member States, EFSA, and the European Commission — that considers factors including efficacy, environmental fate, human health safety, environmental behaviour, ecotoxicological properties, and potential effects on non-target organisms.

Once the active substance has been approved, the commercial plant protection product undergoes a separate assessment, with authorization granted at national level. This stage determines key aspects such as the crops and harmful organisms against which the product may be used, application rates, maximum number of applications, application intervals, any restrictions, and the product’s hazard classification. All these requirements are set out on the plant protection product label, which represents the primary operational and regulatory reference for ensuring correct, effective, and safe use. Even after active substances have been approved, they are periodically reassessed in light of the latest scientific and technical evidence, potentially resulting in their modification, restriction, or withdrawal.

For the plant nursery industry, this system presents an additional challenge. The vast diversity of ornamental species means that many crops fall under the category of “minor uses”, where the economic interest involved does not always justify the investment required to obtain specific registrations for every crop-pest combination.

The result can be a shortage of authorized plant protection products for specific crop-pest combinations.

Tools available for minor uses

To address this issue, Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 provides for specific mechanisms.

Among these, Article 51 allows the use of an already authorized plant protection product to be extended to crops or harmful organisms not covered by the original label, provided that the necessary safety and efficacy requirements are met. Such an extension may be granted where the use qualifies as a minor use and is in the public interest. This is particularly relevant to ornamental crops, as it makes it possible to address specific needs without having to undertake a completely new authorization procedure each time.

Another option is mutual recognition: where a specific use is already authorized in another Member State belonging to the same regulatory zone, its recognition can also be requested in Italy, subject to assessment by the competent authority.

In the event of a phytosanitary emergency, Article 53 provides another mechanism, allowing Member States to grant temporary authorizations for products not normally authorized for a specific crop-pest combination, for a maximum period of 120 days. This mechanism enables rapid action against emerging harmful organisms where no effective alternatives are available. Emergency authorizations cannot, however, replace a long-term strategy. In most cases, emergency requests are accompanied by procedures aimed at obtaining permanent extensions of use.

An evolving regulatory framework

Ornamental plant protection is also set to evolve further from a regulatory perspective.

One of the expected developments is the new national decree on minor uses, which should introduce an updated definition of minor crops based on cultivated areas recorded by ISTAT, classifying crops with a total cultivated area of less than 20,000 hectares as minor crops. The aim is to make the list more dynamic and allow it to be updated over time in line with changes in production areas.

At the same time, the renewal of the National Action Plan on the sustainable use of plant protection products is underway, addressing areas such as training, environmental protection, risk management, and the inspection of application equipment.

There is also growing interest in biocontrol. Proposed revisions to Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009, including the tenth Omnibus package, aim to further define and promote solutions based on microorganisms, inorganic substances, and substances of biological origin, facilitating, where possible, their access to the market and integration into plant protection strategies while simplifying their authorization pathways.

Information and prevention become part of plant protection

Phytosanitary regulations do not only determine which products may be used. They can also establish specific conditions for the movement of plants, requiring certain plant protection measures to be carried out before plants are transferred.

This is the case, for example, with Xylella fastidiosa, for which EU legislation establishes specific movement requirements for certain plants grown in areas subject to containment measures, including plant protection treatments aimed at controlling the insect vectors.

It is precisely in this context that Phytoweb, an ANVE project developed in collaboration with ITA – Italian Trade Agency, provides valuable support to businesses, technicians, and consultants. The platform allows users to consult phytosanitary requirements and navigate more easily through the restrictions and conditions applicable to different crops and plant movements, supporting more informed crop management.

Protecting ornamental crops requires a balance between the effectiveness of plant protection measures, environmental sustainability, regulatory compliance, and the actual availability of suitable tools. Throughout this process, maintaining ongoing dialogue between institutions, research organizations, industry, consultants, and businesses will be essential to facilitate access to innovative solutions and develop plant protection strategies suited to the complexity of the plant nursery industry.

Because protecting a crop means much more than responding when a problem arises: it means understanding the risk, anticipating it, and having the right tools to manage it.