Fungicide resistance in Southern Europe

The chapter first describes fungicide usage and resistance development in Southern Europe, as defined by Eurovoc classification (2021), taking into account the intensive horticultural production of this geographic sub-area, which includes Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus. Fungicides are key components of integrated crop management in these countries. Despite the use of various disease management practices, plant pathogens continue to cause significant losses and horticultural crops are particularly prone to attack by fungal diseases (Bardin and Gullino, 2020). Although substantial investment has been made in the development of integrated disease management strategies that limit the use of pesticides, chemical fungicides are still needed to avoid severe losses in most crops. It is crucial to maintain their effectiveness as long as possible.