Prof. Mario Lešnik E-mail: mario.lesnik@um.si Current position: Researcher, full professor and head of department at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Phytomedicine, Maribor, Slovenia. Degree: Ph.D. in Agronomy, 1999, University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty. Previous position: Researcher and teacher at the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Phytomedicine, Maribor, Slovenia. Research interests: phytomedicine, pesticide science, entomology, phytopathology, botany, weed research, taxonomy. Projects: An environmental and economic evaluation of new plant protection technologies aimed to significantly reduce the use of conventional chemical pesticides. Introduction of new technologies to agricultural companies and modern farms. Environmental consequences of biological control in agriculture. Member of the Slovenian plant protection society, European weed research society, EUFRIN – European Network of Fruit Research Institutes. Member of several expert boards at the Ministry of Agriculture of RS.