Impact of horticultural mineral oil and synthetic pesticides on arboreal and soil fauna biodiversity within citrus orchard ecosystems

The results of the 3-year project successfully indicated that petroleum-derived spray oils can be used for effective control of a range of citrus pests including citrus leafminer, Asiatic citrus psyllid, chaff scale, red scale, citrus red mite. The results suggested that it should be possible, through use of horticultural and agricultural mineral oils and enhanced natural enemy activity, to reduce the number of pesticide sprays applied annually in China from 14-16 sprays to significantly fewer sprays in most regions. The results are also valuable as references for the implementation of citrus integrated pest management programs in Australia and other citrus-growing countries. However, despite extensive use of PDSOs in citrus and other crops since the late 1800s, few studies have been undertaken to determine their disruptive effects on orchard ecosystems or to compare their effects with those of synthetic pesticides, and these studies are limited in their s