ABSTRACT
The Commission of the European Communities has tackled the problem with zeal, by joint research programmes which were at first general in nature, with five-years association contracts (1971–1975) in which Germany, Hollan and Italy participated, and later (1979–1983) with more specific studies in which all the ten Member countries have taken part. The most directly involved Institute are obviously the French, Greek and Italian Institute, which have collaborated closely, with work mainly concentrated on carrying out pilot projects in Corsica, the Côte d’Azur, Crete, Sardinia and Sicily, in the field of integrated and biological control against the main pests of citrus groves. The citrus agro-ecosystem is certainly one of the most complex with a very rich harmful arthropodofauna, and with a vast number of parasites and of predators. This situation has suggested, in the joint research, that there should be in particular an exploitation of the natural and biotechnical factors of control.
