November/December 2004

Pesticide Potpourri

  • wpdoc18.gifFlorida strawberry growers often use Canadian transplants. Collaborative efforts by UF and Canadian researchers have generated new methods of production that may potentially save water while increasing early season yields. The use of prohexadione-calcium, a growth regulator that inhibits gibberellin synthesis, resulted in transplants that required less overhead irrigation for establishment in the field and had higher early season fruit yield. It was estimated that use of this material may save Florida one billion gallons of water per year and increase early season fruit yields by up to 25 percent. (Citrus & Vegetable Magazine, November, 2004).

  • wpdoc19.gifA poll of pest control operators regarding which wildlife species generates the most calls ranked raccoons and squirrels evenly (31 and 32 percent, respectively), followed by moles (14 percent), snakes and skunks (seven percent), bats (six percent), and opossums (three percent). (PCT, October 2004).

  • wpdoc20.gifOfficials from EPA Region 2 (NY, NJ, Virgin Islands, 7 Tribal Nations, and Puerto Rico) traveled to Puerto Rico to call attention to the perils of illegal pesticides used to kill roaches and rodents in residences. Multiple efforts at education are being used to inform the consumer not to purchase these products and the businesses not to stock them. An inspection by federal and state officials in Puerto Rico found that over half of stores carry illegal pesticides, such as “Chinese chalk” and “Tres Pasitos.” (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 10/24/04).
  • wpdoc21.gifThe adoption of B.t. cotton can substantially reduce the risk and the incidence of pesticide poisonings reports a research group at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the latest issue of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. Using data gathered from a 1992-1996 survey of farmers in northern China, researchers showed that B.t. cotton adoption reduced pesticide use. Farmers who grew only B.t. cotton applied about 18 Kg of formulated pesticide per hectare, while farmers who grew only conventional cotton sprayed about 46 Kg per ha (a 60 percent reduction). While almost 33 percent of the farmers who exclusively used non-B.t. cotton reported pesticide poisoning, only 9 percent of those who exclusively used B.t. cotton reported such cases. (Crop Biotech Update, 10/22/04).
  • wpdoc22.gifTomato plants sporting animal genes can resist a common, lethal plant virus as well as thrive in cold temperatures. Marilyn Roossinck and colleagues found that two genes protected tomatoes from a strain of cucumber mosaic virus that kills plants. Cucumber mosaic virus has the broadest spectrum of any plant virus and infects more than 1,200 plant species, yet no natural resistance or tolerance has ever been identified in tomatoes. Some strains can wipe out entire tomato fields. Previous studies have shown the virus induces apoptosis, or programmed cell death. The team inserted one of two animal genes, bcl-xL or ced-9, that counter apoptosis. They found that the more the proteins were produced, the better protected the plants were against the virus. Molecular studies revealed the virus was still present, but the plants could now tolerate it. In addition, the proteins protected against cold, to which tomatoes are very sensitive. The team says these inserted genes have a potential value for farmers and for studying apoptosis in plants. Since the animal proteins work in plants, it suggests that parts of this system are evolutionarily preserved across kingdoms, guarding against biological and physical threats. (PNAS Online Early Edition, 10/25/04).
  • wpdoc23.gifA review of more than 140 augmentative biocontrol studies reported in the last 55 years led the authors T. Collier and R. Van Steenwyk to conclude that: augmentation achieved target densities in about 15 percent of the case studies, failed 64 percent of the time, and was usually less effective than pesticides. In their paper, "A Critical Evaluation of Augmentative Biological Control," published in Biological Control, the reviewers identified twelve ecological factors implicated as potential limits on augmentation efficacy. Generally, augmentative releases also tended to be higher-cost than pesticides. [Biological Control, 31(2), 245-256, October 2004].
  • wpdoc24.gifStefan Jaronski, who works at the Agricultural Research Service in Sidney, Montana, has found that raw canola oil has fatty acids that will attract grasshoppers to the deadly fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. When Jaronski mixed spores of the fungi with the oil, he found grasshoppers were drawn to plants sprayed with the mixture. They became infected with the fungi while feeding on the sprayed plants, and usually died within a week. Jaronski, who has worked with insect-killing fungi since 1983, said grasshoppers find the black and strong- smelling raw canola oil irresistible. It is less expensive than processed canola oil, and using it for grasshopper control could create a new market for the crop. Jaronski said he tested rangeland in Wyoming and South Dakota that had severe grasshopper infestations. As in the lab, grasshoppers were attracted to the raw canola oil and became infected with the fungal spores. (Associated Press, 10/25/04).
  • wpdoc25.gifEMBRAPA, the Brazilian government's agricultural research agency, was cited as saying that Brazil, the world's second-largest soybean producer, plans to develop by 2007 seeds resistant to Asian rust, a blight that damaged nine percent of this year's crop. The agency's director, Jose Geraldo Eugenio de Franca, was cited as saying that it will invest 12 million reais ($4.2 million) to produce soy seeds that require less fungicide to combat the disease, helping producers to reduce production costs. Research that began in 2001 at EMBRAPA's branch in Londrina, Parana state was accelerated this year after Brazilian farmers lost $2 billion to the rust. "We're getting ready to become as competitive as we were three years ago, when there was no plague. The goal is to develop seeds that won't need fungicide at all." said de Franca. (Bloomberg, 10/27/04).
  • wpdoc26.gifTo keep crops free of insects, Indian farmers are reportedly spraying their cotton and chili fields with cola drinks. There have been reports of hundreds of farmers turning to “Coke®” in Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh states. Gotu Laxmaiah, a farmer from Ramakrishnapuram in Andra Pradesh, was cited as saying he was delighted with his new cola spray, which he applied this year to several hectares of cotton, adding, "I observed that the pests began to die after the soft drink was sprayed on my cotton." Mr Laxmaiah and others said that their cola sprays are invaluable because they are safe to handle, do not need to be diluted and, mainly, are cheap. (The Guardian, 11/2/04).
  • wpdoc27.gifMany of the readers of Chemically Speaking may already know that I am retiring as Pesticide Information Coordinator from the University of Florida on December 31, 2004. During the past 37 years I have worked with pesticide issues in the agrochemical industry, a state regulatory agency, and as Pesticide Information Coordinator at Oklahoma State University and at the University of Florida. It has been interesting and challenging and enjoyable. During this time EPA was established and applicator certification and the Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides (WPS) were implemented. The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) was passed.  Many older pesticides have been cancelled or removed from the market. Pest management has evolved and accommodated these changes and challenges through innovation, research and education. Thanks for your support of the Pesticide Information Program at the University of Florida. UF-IFAS expects to name my replacement in the near future. My wife and I will remain in Gainesville and look forward to travel, working on hobbies, and involvement with some community activities. Chemically Speaking will continue under the leadership of Mark Mossler who has been the primary author for several years.

Norm Nesheim

 

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