June 2005

Pesticide Potpourri

  • wpdoc14.gifTwo House Representatives introduced a bill at the end of April that would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to affirm that a permit is not required to spray pesticide over water in certain circumstances, such as if the application is carried out using federally registered pesticides in accordance with the label directions. With this in place, certain applicators would not need to obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit under the Act. One of the sponsors cited court cases in 2001 and 2002 that sided with the need for applicators to obtain an NPDES permit as reason to amend the Act, since various groups are now using these cases as precedent for suing to intimidate farmers, mosquito districts, and federal and state agencies into stopping or reducing applications. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 4/25/05).
  • wpdoc15.gifThe B.t. gene, which has already been incorporated into potato, cotton, and corn, enables a plant to produce an insecticide. Obviously, pest managers fear that heavy use of this toxin will breed resistant insects. To combat this, a group of researchers have modified the B.t. gene to make it more difficult for insects to evolve resistance. The original B.t. gene was fused with a gene segment called RB, creating BtRB. The toxin encoded by this fused gene was able to bind to more types of molecules in the insects' gut, making it more lethal. Rice and corn plants with this BtRB fusion gene were shown to be more toxic to a wider range of insects than plants with B.t. alone. Corn plants producing low levels of BtRB killed 75 percent of stem borer larvae, compared with 17 percent in B.t.-only plants. B.t.-resistant cotton leaf worm was highly susceptible to BtRB plants, with 90 percent of larvae dying within nine days. However, the toxin did not affect all insects, such as several aphid species. (PNAS Online Early Edition, 5/16/05).
  • Crompton Corporation (old Uniroyal) and Great Lakes Chemical Corporation (bromine compounds) recently announced merger. The transaction will create the third-largest publicly traded U.S. specialty chemicals company, with a market capitalization of $3.2 billion. (The Grower, May 2005).
  • wpdoc16.gifIn an unusual occurrence, BASF was awarded $2.5 million in damages from 25 farmers who acknowledged violating the patent for a herbicide-resistant rice seed. BASF holds the patent on the Clearfield® rice seed that allows farmers to control weed infestations by applying BASF's herbicide, Newpath® (imazethapyr). Farmers who buy Clearfield® rice have to sign an agreement not to save and replant seeds because that could allow red rice and Clearfield rice to cross-pollinate and destroy the effectiveness of the herbicide. Under the settlement, the defendant farmers must sell all rice seed they produced and plant soybeans next year on any of their Clearfield® rice fields of the last two growing seasons. BASF also has the right to inspect their farms. (AP, 5/17/05).
  • wpdoc17.gifA recent article pointed out why aerial application is the best way to combat soybean rust in Brazil and perhaps the USA. In addition to the speed (timeliness), ability to work wet fields, and the lack of crop disturbance, aerial applicators can very precisely deliver sprays with the correct size drops (between 285 and 335 microns in diameter) that filter to the bottom of the canopy. However, the aerial applicator is cautioned to avoid spraying during the heat of the day as more energy is absorbed into the canopy, making it difficult for drops to pass through the micro- inversion layer that forms at the top of the crop. (Agricultural Aviation, May/June 2005).
  • wpdoc18.gifA news release from UF’s mosquito management group summarized some recent findings regarding mechanical mosquito traps, which can retail from $300 to $1,500. After working with the machines for nearly a decade, it seems that mosquitos in general still prefer a live host trap versus one that uses just carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide plus some type of attractant. The traps do catch mosquitoes and one of the companies that produce the traps stated that a new mosquito specific lure (Asian tiger mosquito) was now available. People should also place and manage the traps properly, by running the trap continuously during months that mosquitoes are present and placing the traps between the source and the areas where humans gather. (UF Press Release, 5/19/05).
  • wpdoc19.gifArgentinian soybean growers were surprised to find out that a “minor” change in that country’s customs law could block soybean exportation. Article 46 of the law was modified to prohibit import and export of products that violate intellectual property rights. Consequently, Monsanto may have the potential to force an immediate settlement on royalties for Roundup® Ready soybeans. This may bring grower associations back to the negotiating table with Monsanto, which wants to collect royalties when farmers sell their crop. Not surprisingly, the growers would rather pay royalties when they buy seed through rarely-practiced legal seed sales. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 4/25/05).
  • wpdoc20.gifA flash animation produced by the makers of The Meatrix has been released attacking conventional agriculture. Designed to coincide with the release of the latest Star Wars movie, Organic Trade Association (OTA)'s presentation claims that “an empire of pollution and pesticides- genetic engineering- has destroyed the planet!" OTA's Store Wars presents conventional agriculture, represented by Darth
  • Tater, as the “evil dark side of the farm - more chemical than vegetable” and encourages shoppers to chose organic over “toxic conventional foods.” Found at http://www.storewars.org/ the site also makes health, quality and taste claims comparing organic with conventional agriculture products. While OTA cannot make any substantiated claims that organic food is healthier for your or better for the planet, the chief trick up their sleeve is to libel conventional food. (www.agbioworld.org, 5/11/05).

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