PESTICIDES

PESTICIDES

• ANYTHING USED TO CONTROL “PEST” POPULATIONS

• BROADLY CATEGORIZED BY TARGET GROUP

• HERBICIDES – WEEDS

• INSECTICIDES – INSECTS

• RODENTICIDES – RODENTS

• FUNGICIDES - FUNGUS

COMPARING PESTICIDES

FIRST GENERATION PESTICIDES

• ALL NATURAL

• 1400’S - HEAVY METALS

USED

• 1800S – PYRETHRUM ,

NICOTINE, AND ROTENONE

SECOND GENERATION PESTICIDES

• 1940 AND BEYOND

• MUCH MORE POTENT THAN FIRST GENERATION

• MAN-MADE (SYNTHETIC)

CLASSES OF PESTICIDES

• CLASSIFIED BY CHEMICAL STRUCTURE (ALL HAVE SIMILAR

STABILITY, SOLUBILITY, MOBILITY, AND TOXICOLOGY)

INORGANIC PESTICIDES

• ARSENIC, SULFUR, COPPER, LEAD, MERCURY

• NATURALLY OCCURRING IN ENVIRONMENT

• HIGHLY TOXIC AND ALMOST INDESTRUCTIBLE

• VERY LONG PERSISTENCE

• GENERALLY NEUROTOXINS

NATURAL ORGANIC PESTICIDES

• BOTANICALS (PLANTS)

• INCLUDES: ALL TOXIC TO INSECTS BUT OTHER GROUPS AFFECTED ARE:

• NICOTINE – TOXIC TO MANY ORGANISMS INCLUDING HUMANS

• ROTENONE –FISH

• PYRETHRUM –APHIDS, TICKS, ETC.

CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS

• SYNTHETIC ORGANIC INSECTICIDES THAT INHIBIT NERVE SIGNALS

• FAST ACTING, HIGHLY TOXIC IN SENSITIVE ORGANISMS

• PERSISTENT FOR DECADES

• BIOMAGNIFY

• INCLUDE DDT, CHLORDANE, ALDRIN, DIELDRIN, TOXAPHENE, MOTHBALLS, LINDANE

• MANY HAVE BEEN BANNED FROM WORLDWIDE USE DUE TO HEALTH HAZARDS

• ACT AS A HORMONE DISRUPTOR (BALD EAGLES)

ORGANOPHOSPHATES

• DEVELOPED FROM NERVE GAS RESEARCH IN WWII

• EXAMPLES INCLUDE: PARATHION, MALATHION, DICHLORVOS, DDVP, AND TEPP

• INHIBIT NEUROTRANSMISSION

• MUCH LESS PERSISTENT BECAUSE THEY ARE QUICKLY DEGRADED BUT EXTREMELY TOXIC TO BIRDS, FISH, AND MAMMALS

CARBAMATES

• SIMILAR TO ORGANOPHOSPHATES

• TARGET BEE POPULATIONS UNINTENTIONALLY

• EXAMPLES INCLUDE CARBARYL, ALDICARB,

AMINOCARB, CARBOFURAN, AND MIREX

THE NEW DDT??

• HALOGENATED PYRROLES

• NEW CLASS OF COMPOUNDS BASED ON A

NATURALLY OCCURRING MICROBIAL TOXIN

• USED TO REPLACE ORGANOPHOSPHATES

• HAS SHOWN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION IN

BIRD POPULATIONS

BIOPESTICIDES

• ORGANISMS OR TOXINS DERIVED FROM THEM USED IN THE PLACE OF PESTICIDES

• FOR EXAMPLE – BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS OR BACILLIS POPILLIAE KILL CATERPILLARS AND BEETLES BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE A TOXIN THE DESTROYS THEIR DIGESTIVE TRACT

• VIRAL DISEASES HAVE ALSO BEEN USED AGAINST SPECIFIC PESTS

PESTICIDE RESISTANCE

• MOST NEVER REACH THEIR INTENDED TARGET

• ALSO NEVER KILL 100% OF THE INTENDED SPECIES EVEN

UNDER THE BEST CONDITIONS

• CAUSES PEST RESURGENCE (REBOUND) – SURVIVING

MEMBERS REBUILD A RESISTANT POPULATION

• PESTICIDE TREADMILL

• BASED ON PEST RESURGENCE

• FARMERS HAVE TO APPLY MORE PESTICIDES TO HAVE DESIRED EFFECT

PESTICIDE REGULATION IN THE US

• FIFRA – FEDERAL INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, AND RODENTICIDE ACT

• ALL COMMERCIAL PESTICIDES MUST BE APPROVED BY THE EPA FOR

GENERAL OR RESTRICTED USE

• THE EPA SETS A TOLERANCE LEVEL SPECIFYING THE AMOUNT OF THE

PESTICIDE THAT CAN REMAIN ON THE PRODUCT WHEN IT IS EATEN

(FRUITS AND VEGGIES)

FQPA – FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT

• REQUIRES

• NEW STANDARDS FOR PESTICIDE TOLERANCE LEVELS IN

FOOD

• ACTIVE INGREDIENTS ARE SAFE FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN

• EPA HAS TO CONSIDER SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS WHEN SETTING

TOLERANCE LEVELS

UNION CARBIDE/ BHOPAL, INDIA DISASTER

• BHOPAL FACILITY WAS PART OF INDIA’S GREEN REVOLUTION TO

PRODUCE/STORE PESTICIDES – PRODUCED METHYL ISOCYANATE

(MIC) (TOXIC GAS USED TO MAKE PESTICIDES)

• LARGEST INDUSTRIAL DISASTER IN HISTORY (1984) – WATER GOT

INTO AN MIC STORAGE CONTAINER

• 40 TONS OF MIC ESCAPED

• HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WERE AFFECTED (RESPIRATORY

AGGRAVATION) AND UP TO 4,000 KILLED

OTHER WAYS TO CONTROL PESTS

• WHAT IS THE REAL GOAL OF PEST CONTROL?

• GOAL SHOULD BE TO REDUCE CROP DAMAGE TO AN

ECONOMICALLY TOLERABLE LEVEL

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

• OVERALL GOAL IS NOT TO ERADICATE PEST POPULATIONS BUT

TO REDUCE CROP DAMAGE TO AN ECONOMICALLY TOLERABLE

LEVEL

• LOOK AT ALL ASPECTS OF MANAGING PESTS –

BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL, COSTS, ETC.

HOW CAN CULTIVATION HELP PEST CONTROL?

• CROP ROTATION

• PLANT HEDGES AND TREES AROUND FIELDS TO MAKE HABITATS FOR NATURAL ENEMIES

• USE VACUUM MACHINES TO REMOVE BUGS

NATURAL ENEMIES

• USE OF PREDATORS, PATHOGENS, AND PARASITES TO CONTROL PESTS

• PROS

• FOCUSES OF TARGET SPECIES AND IS NONTOXIC TO OTHER SPECIES

• CONS

• CANNOT BE MASS PRODUCED; CAN ATTACK DESIRABLE INSECTS; SLOWER ACTING

PHEROMONES

• GOOD B/C

• IT TARGETS ONE SPECIES

• WORKS IN TRACE AMOUNTS

• LITTLE CHANCE OF GENETIC RESISTANCE