Website: https://agro.auth.gr/en/labs/pesticide-science/

 

Founding Year: 1990

 

Memorandum of Association/Government’s Gazette Issue (FEK): Presidential Decree 144, FEK 55, 10/4/1990

 

 

Address / Communication:

Pesticide Science Laboratory building, Aristotle University Farm, Thermi, 57001

Email: zvryzas@agro.auth.gr

Tel: +302310991661, +2310991655

 

 

Members – Teaching Staff

Vryzas Zisis, Associate Professor

Tel: + 302310991661

e-mail: zvryzas@agro.auth.gr

 

Kintzikoglou Aikaterini, Laboratory Teaching Staff

Tel: + 302310991655

e-mail: akintzik@agro.auth.gr

 

Papadakis Emmanouil-Nikolaos, Laboratory Teaching Staff, Ph.D

Tel: + 302310991670

e-mail: papadakm@agro.auth.gr

 

Emeritus and retired professors

Menkissoglu-Spiroudi Urania, Professor Emeritus

Papadopoulou-Mourkidou, Professor Emeritus

 

 

Research Field

Education and research on the chemistry, properties, mode of action, metabolism, toxicology and environmental fate of pesticides; formulation, residues and regulations and laws regarding the use and marketing of pesticides in the EU.

 

History

The Pesticide Science Laboratory was founded in 1990 as an independent educational and research unit of the Department of Agriculture of AUTH (PD 144, FEK 55, 10/4/1990). The research facilities of the Pesticide Science Laboratory are in a separate and specially organized building located at the University Farm of AUTH in Thermi. Initial laboratory installation and infrastructure was mainly funded by the Ministry of Agriculture in the frame of several research programs on agrochemical pollution of water bodies (mainly rivers and lakes). Further infrastructure development was from revenue obtained by providing analytical services to the public and private sector for pesticide residue determination in various matrices (plant products, soil, water). Of special importance was the collaboration with most of the tobacco exporting companies in Greece in the 1992-2004 period for analyzing pesticide residues in tobacco leaves. In 2005, a major improvement of infrastructure and the acquisition of modern analytical instrumentation was achieved via two EU-funded programs in the frame of the Third European Community Support Program on Competitiveness. In addition, funds of the above programs were allocated for the re-organization of the building installation to accommodate the operation of a Quality Control Program leading to certification according to the ISO9001 Quality Management System and the subsequent accreditation according to the ISO17025 standard. Finally, in 2020 the infrastructure of the Laboratory was further improved by the acquisition of modern analytical systems through the project “Research infrastructure for the enhancement of innovation and the production of high quality products with reduced environmental footprint along the whole agri-food chain”, funded by the Region of Central Macedonia .

 

Teaching Activities

The members of the Pesticide Science Laboratory participate in both the Undergraduate and Graduate programs of the School of Agriculture and specifically in following courses and activities:

Undergraduate Program Courses: (a) Pesticides, (b) Chemistry and action of plant protection products

Graduate Program Courses: Pesticides in Modern Plant Protection

Moreover, the members of the Pesticide Science Laboratory supervise students on their undergraduate and postgraduate theses.

 

 

Research Activities

• Pesticide Risk assessment employing standard and novel techniques
• Low Risk/Concern pesticides
• Metabolomic studies on the biological activity of pesticides (efficacy and toxicity)
• Development and implementation of analytical methods for the determination of pesticide residues in food of plant and animal origin and tobacco, as well as the presence of pesticides in the environment (soil, sediment, water, air).
• Development and implementation of analytical methods for the determination of organic contaminants (mycotoxins, antibiotics, etc) and pollutants (PAHs) in food and the environment.
• Isolation, chemical analysis and study of the action of bioactive compounds derived from plants and their applications in plant protection.
• Monitoring studies for pesticide in both surface and groundwaters, identification of pollution sources and proposals of pollution mitigation.
• Pesticide fate and behaviour studies in the environment.
• Metabolism and accelerated microbial dissipation of pesticides in the environment. Pesticide effect on soil microbial structure and activity.

 

 

Facilities and Equipment

• HPLC systems equipped with UV/Vis, DAD and mass spectrometry detectors (QqQ, QTOF)
• GC system equipped with mass spectrometry detector (IT)
• UV/Vis spectrophotometer
• Microwave-assisted extraction system
• Nitrogen blowdown evaporation system
• Centrifuges, including a refrigerated one
• Vacuum manifolds for SPE
• Rotary evaporator
• Laboratory incubator
• Refrigerators, including a walk-in cold room
• Freezers
• Laminar flow cabinet

Recent Research Projects

• Targeted low-risk crop protection and nutrition, reducing production costs and energy consumption for the flagship crops of PAMTH’s RIS3 core specialization. ACTION RSO1a, 2026-2029.
• Fit-for-purpose and innovative risk assessment for low-concern pesticide active substances and uses. Call: Develop a stepwise approach for a fit for purpose risk assessment, in particular for low-concern active substances and uses, GP/ EFSA/PLANTS/2023/04.
• Application of a New Risk Assessment Scheme for Low-Risk fungicides. EUBA-EFSA-2024-ENREL-01: Selection of hosting sites and fellows for EFSA’s European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship (EU-FORA) Programme, 2025-2026
• Development of Research Infrastructure for Research & Innovation in Sustainable Shellfish Production, Program “Central Macedonia 2021–2027”
• “Organic Vs Conventional vineyard growing systems: Exploring the population stracture of Black Aspergilli species in relation to grape berries microbiome and mycotoxigenic risk” (MIS 5047881).” Financed by European Social Fund- ESF, through the Operational Program «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020, Duration 2019-2021.
• The Vineyard Roads” (project code: 2018ΣΕ01300000) part of the “Emblematic Research Action of National Scope for the exploitation of new technologies in the Agri-food sector, specializing in genomic technologies and pilot application in the value chains of “olive”, “grapevine”, “honey “and “livestock”)» financed by Greek national funds through the Public Investments Program (PIP) of General Secretariat for Research & Technology (GSRT) Duration 2019-2021.
• EREYNO- DHMIOURGO-KAINOTOMO call, Optimization of the production of propagative material of vegetable crops and plant protection management in the greenhouses with biological and biotechnological methods Funding: General Secretariat of Research & Technology, Duration 2018-2021.
• Research Infrastructure project, Research infrastructure for the enhancement of innovation and the production of high quality products with reduced environmental footprint along the whole agri-food chain. Funding: Region of Central Macedonia, Duration 2018-2019
• ΕLIDEK: Looking up for Novel nITRification Inhibitors: New stories with old Compounds. Funding: General Secretariat of Research & Technology, Duration 2018-2021.
• EXCELLENCE II, Essential-oil mediated plant-microbe interactions in the Mediterranean environment: in search of a role and novel applications (ESEPIMENT), Funding: General Secretariat of Research and Technology, Greece, Duration 2014-2015
• Contest for Business Plan for Research and Innovation, 2016:. Inorganic nanoparticles as plant protection products. Funding: K+N Efthymiadis S.A. Agrochemical Company, 2016 (1st price in the Contest)Evaluation of Laminarin in a ΙPΜ program controlling Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) and Phytophthora diseases in tobacco crops cv. Basmas, in Greece 2012-2013 funded by ALFA Company.
• Monitoring of chemical quality of irrigation waters (surface and groundwater) of the river basins of Macedonia-Thrace and Thessaly. Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food (2009-2013) and the EU.

 

 

 

 

Recent Theses

PhD Theses:

Mohammad Dalower Hossain Prodham, 2015. Variability of pesticide residues in medium and large size vegetable crop units.

Tsaboula, A.D. Pollution of surface water with pesticides and assessment of chemical quality by use of biological and chemical indicators.

 

MSc Theses:

Doitsinis Konstantinos, 2020. Evaluation of organic acids for Root Knot nematodes Meloidogyne spp control.

Bratidou Parlapani Athanasia, 2020. Evaluation of Thymus citriodorus (Schreb) botanical products as ecofriendly nematicides and effects on soil microbial community.

 

Diploma Theses:

Christodoulou Theodora, 2026. Detection and environmental risk assessment of pesticides in rivers of Northern Greece.

Alexandrakis Efstathios, 2025.  Chemical control of peach pests and diseases.

Karapanagiotis Panagiotis, 2025. Comparative evaluation of residues of agricultural pesticides in grapes.

Katsios Emmanouil, 2025. Chemical control in apples and pesticide residue levels: Imathia case study.

Papasotiriou Georgios, 2025. Determination of pesticide residues in greenhouse tomatoes.

Strapatsa Maria, 2023. Development of an analytical method for the determination of pesticides in surface water.

Rizopoulou Ifigenia, 2021. Evaluation of analytical methods for the determination of mycotoxins in wine.