AGROBLU
Agroblu is a Southern Europe testing facility and registration consultant for crop protection products. As a Test Facility, Agroblu is certified for residue and efficacy studies and also conducts research and test of crop protection products and new agricultural and horticultural techniques of plant protection and production.

The history
Agroblu was founded in Italy in 1993 to implement the new registration requirements relating to new active ingredients and the revision of existing ones in Europe, in compliance with the European Directive 91/414 EEC.
In order to offer its services in the main Mediterranean countries and on all the Mediterranean crops and crop produce, Agroblu started to extend its operating range. Therefore, in 1995 two new operating units were founded in Italy at Verona and Teramo, covering the Veneto/Emilia Romagna and Abruzzo/Marche regions, respectively.
In 1997 a new Agroblu facility was started at Thessaloniki in Greece, its activity covering most of Greece and its crops.
In the same year, a new italian operating unit of Agroblu was started at Fondi, in the Lazio region. In 1998 Agroblu opened a new operating unit at Catania in Sicily; Agroblu was then located to be able to work on all italian crops and geographic areas.

Accreditation
Agroblu is authorised in Italy by the “Ministry of Agriculture” according to the Italian Legislative Decree 194 of 1995, to conduct Studies to evaluate both the residues and efficacy of crop protection products.
Agroblu is registered in Greece by the Greek Ministry of Agriculture for efficacy studies conducted under Good Experimental Practice guidelines and by the National Laboratory for residue studies according to Good Laboratory Practice.

How AGROBLU performs its activities
All the activities of Agroblu are governed by sets of Standard Operating Procedures, totalling about 140 procedures in Italy and Greece, written and regularly maintained according to the most recent OECD guidance documents, to updated EPPO Guidelines, the Good Agricultural Practice of the region they refer to and the knowledge and expertise of the local staff of Agroblu.
All Standard Operating Procedures are written in both English and the local language (Italian or Greek).

Personnel Training Programme
All Agroblu Staff are qualified, trained and experienced to accomplish the OECD Good Laboratory Practice or EPPO Good Experimental Practice guidelines and the appropriate Standard Operating Procedures. According to the training programme of Agroblu, each of the personnel is invited to attend up to 2 specific external courses per year and at least 3 internal courses conducted by appointed qualified instructors.

Confidentiality
Confidentiality is guaranteed by the strict respect of the communication procedures within Agroblu and between Agroblu and its clients.
This is one of the founding principles of Agroblu.

Accuracy
Long experience in multinational project management, the high level of the scientific staff, strict control of office procedures and the precision of its range of apparatus and equipment, ensure accuracy in all phases of the Agroblu’s work.

Activities
- Efficacy evaluation studies of plant protection products and of innovative cultural techniques in crops
- Trials on selectivity of plant protection products at all crop growth stages.
- Evaluation of eco-toxicity of plant protection products applied to crops
- Magnitude of residues studies (decline and harvest) on raw agricultural products and on processed products.
- Magnitude of residues studies in soil and water content analysis
- Operator exposure risk evaluation
- Laboratory nematodes examinations
- Phyto-pathology and entomological diagnosis
- Efficacy evaluation trials of biocides used in a non agricultural environment
- Management of Taste Test panels
- Registration consulting
- Establishment of Dossiers
- Quality Assurance
- Experimental specimen storage and transportation

Test Matters
In 14 years of field and experimental activities, Agroblu performed over 1500 trials in Italy, Spain and Greece with:
- herbicides
- insecticides
- fungicides
- acaricides
- growth regulators
- biocide products
- nematicides

Test Crops
- Annuals: cereals (rice, wheat, maize, barley) and cotton
- Vegetables: all the European crops grown in the greenhouse and open field
- Annual oil crops: soy, peas, beans and special crops such as peanuts
- Tree crops:, pome fruit, stone fruit, olives and special crops, such as grapes and pistachio
- Bush fruit: blueberry, raspberry, red/black currant