Pesticides Flashcards
What is a pesticide?
Any substance or mixture intended to prevent, destroy, repel, and mitigate any pest and intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant
How can pesticides be categorized?
based on intended purpose
based on application
based on relation to target pest (mode of action)
based on chemistry
What are pesticide categories based on intended purpose?
insecticides (can be for a specific species or point in lifecycle)
herbicides (most widely used)
fungicides
rodenticides (mostly for food storage)
What are pesticide categories based on application?
How? air application - plane, tractor, human plastic covered broadcast vs. targeted When? same time as planting (treated seed or next to seed) specific stages of growth
What are pesticide categories based on mode of action?
contact - must contact pest, some more stable than others that require re-application, can remain on plant until insect lands (lots of fungicides and insecticides)
systemic - translocated with plant tissue, relies on persistence, pest ingests tissue and (active) pesticide
What makes a product a pesticide?
intent, claims, composition, knowledge that it will be used as a pesticide
What are the benefits of pesticide use?
higher yields
improved quality
reduced labor, machinery, fuel
How has pesticide use changed over time?
boom of use started in 1960s - 1980s - increased planted acres + increased treated acres
downward trend since 1980 - improved application methods and better ingredients - need less
*many old pesticides still used
*USDA no longer tracks pesticide/fertilizer use
What are the drivers of changes in pesticide use?
changes in pest pressures
environmental and weather conditions
crop acreages have changed
ag practices
cost-effectiveness (value of damage reductions vs. control costs)
regulations
access to experts
tech innovations
new products that decrease per acre application rate
adoption of GE crops
price of crops, pesticides, other practices
IPM
farm and energy policy
risk and uncertainty (responsive vs. preventative - monitoring costs)
What are different classes of pesticides based on chemistry?
chlorinated hydrocarbons organophosphates carbamates triazine herbicides phenoxy herbicides botanicals - pyrethroids,
What are chlorinated hydrocarbons (organochlorines)?
insecticides - mostly off the market now
act as nerve agents
widely used in 1940s-1960s
What are examples of chlorinated hydrocarbons?
DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, lindane
How do chlorinated hydrocarbons work?
concentrate in the fatty tissue and bioaccumulate
act as nerve agents
disrupt calcium mobilization
What are concerns with chlorinated hydrocarbons?
very persistent in the environment
toxic to non-target organisms - fish especially (lindane)
bioaccumulation - concentration in food chain, harm predatory birds
What are organophosphates?
insecticides - most commonly used
replaced many organochlorines in the 1970s
many are restricted use