September 2005

Pesticide Potpourri

  • wpdoc13.gifPlant pathologists at the USDA’s South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory have found that grafted watermelon (watermelon scion grafted to squash or gourd rootstock) has several key benefits such as fusarium resistance and flesh firmness. Fruit from certain grafted plants were at least 25 percent firmer and were resistant not only to fusarium, but to many other soilborne pathogens. Loss of available field rotation and methyl bromide have made grafting a possible choice to maintain or increase the market share that seedless watermelon has been able to garner, both in whole and cut fresh fruit markets. (Citrus & Vegetable Magazine, August, 2005).
  • wpdoc14.gifUSDA researchers have identified a natural enemy that may aid in the control of the Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum). The moth, Siamusotima aranea, is unusual in several respects. The moth is the first to be identified among fern-feeders (rather than stem-borers) in Asia, and the larval stage looks more coleopteran than lepidopteran (caterpillar). The larvae has armored segment on its posterior similar to beetles but unlike anything seen before in moths. (USDA ARS, 8/17/05).
  • wpdoc15.gifThe EPA is making available on the web a database that provides information about what happens to pesticides after they are used in the environment. The database contains summary information on the physical and chemical properties and the environmental fate and transport of pesticides found in products registered in the United States. It also contains information on the degradates, or breakdown products, of these registered pesticides. Using a query-based system, the Pesticide Fate Database allows users to search, sort, and retrieve up-to-date pesticide fate and chemistry information derived from studies submitted by pesticide manufacturers in support of the registration/reregistration of their pesticide products. Some of the important information about pesticides in the current database include: basic physical and chemical properties, biotic and abiotic degradation half-lives in soil and water, adsorption/desorption constants, and bioconcentration factors in fish. For non-agricultural chemicals such as antifoulants and wood preservatives, the availability of the chemicals in water and leaching data are also included. This information about pesticides can be used for assessing pesticide exposure for ecological risk assessments and drinking water exposure assessments. The database is currently populated with about 188 pesticide active ingredients and will be expanded to include more chemicals in the future. The Pesticide Fate Database and instructions for using this database can be found at the following address: http://cfpub.epa.gov/pfate/index.cfm (EPA OPP Update, 8/19/05).
  • wpdoc16.gifA bill will likely pass in the North Carolina legislature this session that will stop local governments from banning genetically modified crops, as three California counties have done. The bill, requested by the Department of Agriculture, passed in the Senate on August 12, the last major hurdle to its success. The House, which passed the bill in May, must agree to a few changes to make it final. Although no North Carolina county or city has tried to ban the crops, the bill has agitated those who say that genetically engineered crops pose a danger to the food supply and could destroy organic farming. Ken Dawson, an organic vegetable farmer from Orange County, was quoted as saying, "They're really playing with Mother Nature in a pretty perverse way. We don't know what the consequences are." Those who oppose the crops say they can easily cross-pollinate with organic and conventional crops, destroying rare heirloom varieties and making natural food almost extinct. Now, as the bill awaits final passage, state leaders are in the middle of a rowdy debate over the future of high-tech agriculture. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, who grows genetically modified soybeans on his Guilford County farm, was quoted as saying, "Research and science has moved agriculture from the horse and plow and very low yields to very efficient operations that can meet the world's food demands. I don't know that we can afford to stop doing that." (The News & Observer, 8/15/05).
  • wpdoc17.gifOn August 18, Monsanto announced that growers planted the Roundup® Ready Corn 2 System on more than 24 million acres in 2005. That represents nearly 30% of the 81.6 million acres of corn USDA estimates were planted in the U.S. this season. It also represents an increase of more than 40% over last year's Roundup® Ready Corn plantings. Their numbers offer a glimpse at how USDA's official biotech acreage estimates break down. According to the June acreage report, biotech hybrids were planted on 52% of corn acres this year. All herbicide resistant hybrids, which include but are not limited to Roundup® Ready hybrids, accounted for 17% of corn acres planted, while stacked-gene hybrids accounted for 9% of corn acres. Bt hybrids made up the difference. Monsanto says one factor driving the growth in Roundup® Ready corn plantings this year is the approval of Roundup® Ready Corn 2 (NK603) for food and feed ingredients in the European Union. That move opened markets for US growers, and ended channeling requirements for grain with the NK603 trait. (Agriculture Online, 8/15/05).
  • wpdoc18.gifWildlife researchers in Australia’s Northern Territory have discovered a unique way to trap cane toads. Cane toads were imported to Queensland in 1935 in a failed attempt to control beetles on sugar cane plantations. They have since spread over a wide area, killing off many of Australia’s native species. The toads find flashing, swirling, dark UV lights irresistible, and over 1,500 have been caught using the lure since the beginning of the year. (Gainesville Sun, 9/11/05).

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