Romanian Journal for Plant Protection, Vol. X, 2017 ISSN 2248 – 129X; ISSN-L 2248 – 129X 53 EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS WITH LOW ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD TOWARDS AQUATIC ORGANISMS USED IN POTATO CROP PROTECTION Roxana Dudoiu, Daria Popa, Sorina Dinu, Cristina Fătu, Carmen Mincea * Research and Development Institute for Plant Protection, Bucharest, Romania *correspondence address: Research-Development Institute for Plant Protection 8 Ion Ionescu de la Brad 013813, Bucharest, ROMANIA Tel.:004-021-2693231 Fax: 004-021-2693239 E-mail: carmenmincea@yahoo.com Abstract: Limiting the use of chemicals due to harmful effects on the environment and natural ecosystems has led to the successful development and application of eco-friendly products with biological active properties. This paper presents studies conducted under laboratory and experimental field conditions to determine the toxicity of some bioproducts based on Bacillus subtilis - RdB2 bacterial biomass and Beauveria bassiana fungal biomass towards fish, Cyprinus carpio and algae, Selenastrum capricornutum. Toxicity testing of selected products has been carried out on these two aquatic species, species for which plant protection legislation requires the assessment of the influence of plant protection products. At laboratory level, a procedure according to European guidelines has been used to determine the toxicity on fish, which establishes the methodology for determining the acute lethal toxicity of a substance, and for the determination of toxicity to algae, the Algal Growth Inhibition Test. The results highlighted that the two biological products tested are very selective to aquatic species and are unlikely to be toxic to them. Under field conditions, the experimental biological products were applied according to potato crop technology. The experimental field was located near Târlung River, Brasov County. At 30 and 45 days, respectively, after treatment, samples of water were taken and transferred to the laboratory in test vessels containing C. carpio fish and algae of the specie mentioned above. Analyses on the viability of the tested species were performed at 7 and 21 days and demonstrated that microbiological experimental products have low risk to aquatic organisms. Key words: biological products, Cyprinus carpio, Selenastrum capricornutum, environmental risk. INTRODUCTION Water protection is an essential concern of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) and, implicitly, of the pesticide industry, materialized by developing projects that support the proper use of pesticides in a sustainable and productive agriculture. A promising alternative to the use of chemicals is represented by the use of biological products. Microbiological control agents are eco-friendly and represent a potential substitute for the chemical pesticides. There are natural enemies for the pest populations with no harmful effect on human health and environment (Nicholson 2007). It is well established that biological control agents have complex mode of action and therefore, it is very difficult for a pest to develop resistance against them. The common BCA are viruses, bacteria, fungi and nematodes (Weeden at al., 2007; Uygun at al., 2010; Lacey and Kaya, 2007; Danismazoglu at al., 2013). Biopesticides generally have several advantages compared to conventional pesticides (Lacey and Kaya, 2007). While chemical pesticides are responsible for extensive pollution of the environment, a serious health hazard due to the presence of their residues in food, development of resistance in targeted insect pest populations, a decrease in biodiversity, and outbreaks of secondary pests that are normally controlled by natural enemies, biopesticides, in contrast, are inherently less toxic to humans and the environment, do not leave harmful