Herbicide risk assessment during the Wheat Self-sufficiency Project in Iran

BACKGROUND: The present study describes the quantitative changes in herbicide use during the specific observation periods in the Wheat Self-sufficiency Project in Iran from 1994 to 2004 and the associated changes in herbicide risk, area and yield in this context. A risk index, the environmental impact quotient (EIQ), was used to estimate the environmental impacts (EIs) of herbicides applied to wheat agroecosystems. RESULTS: The results suggest that, during this period, the overall risk posed by the herbicides applied to wheat agroecosystems increased substantially, as evidenced by a 71% increase in herbicide usage (weight of pesticide applied) and a 62.2% increase in EI rating, in spite of an 8.2% decrease in overall EIQ rating and an 89.2% decrease in mean application rate. Furthermore, a 0.57% increase in the area and a 23.6% and 22.7% increase in irrigated and rainfed yields, respectively, were observed. The results also indicate that the EIQ(FUR) of two herbicides, dichlorprop-P/mecoprop-P/MCPA and difenzoquat, is much higher than that of other herbicides, and they could be qualified as high-risk herbicides. CONCLUSION: As a whole, an increase in herbicide usage (weight of pesticide applied) was an important factor on herbicide environmental impact boost. However, this increase has not led to a similar increase in wheat yield, which could be attributed in part to the negative impact of high herbicide consumption in wheat fields and subsequent threat to the long-term sustainability of these agroecosystems.     

Altered pesticide use on transgenic crops and the associated general impact from an environmental perspective

The large-scale commercial cultivation of transgenic crops has undergone a steady increase since their introduction 10 years ago. Most of these crops bear introduced traits that are of agronomic importance, such as herbicide or insect resistance. These traits are likely to impact upon the use of pesticides on these crops, as well as the pesticide market as a whole. Organizations like USDA-ERS and NCFAP monitor the changes in crop pest management associated with the adoption of transgenic crops. As part of an IUPAC project on this topic, recent data are reviewed regarding the alterations in pesticide use that have been observed in practice. Most results indicate a decrease in the amounts of active ingredients applied to transgenic crops compared with conventional crops. In addition, a generic environmental indicator -- the environmental impact quotient (EIQ) -- has been applied by these authors and others to estimate the environmental consequences of the altered pesticide use on transgenic crops. The results show that the predicted environmental impact decreases in transgenic crops. With the advent of new types of agronomic trait and crops that have been genetically modified, it is useful to take also their potential environmental impacts into account.     

蔬菜安全生产过程中农药污染危害与控制途径分析

蔬菜产品从"田间到餐桌"需要经过一个较长的链条,其中蔬菜的生产在这个链条中占有重要地位。蔬菜安全生产是社会和谐发展的客观要求,是经济效益持续稳定的根本保障,生态健康也对蔬菜安全生产中农药的科学使用提出了更高要求。蔬菜生产过程中的污染包括产地环境污染和农业投入品污染,其中又以作为重要的农业投入品的农药引起的污染为主。农药是蔬菜安全生产中减少病虫草等危害损失、保障蔬菜产量的重要核心因素,但如果农药使用不科学就会污染环境、破坏生态平衡、造成蔬菜产品农药残留超标、作物药害或导致人们中毒,直接危害人类健康。国外为推行农产品质量安全从"田间到餐桌"全过程控制,随之相继出现了如良好农业规范(GAP)、良好生产规范(GMP)、危害分析和关键点控制体系(HACCP)等生产管理和控制体系。我国对农药污染控制技术手段比较薄弱,为缓解我国蔬菜生产、病虫害防治和农药污染之间的矛盾,必须对农药的使用进行全程调控。     

农药环境影响指数(EIQ)在农作物病虫害防治工作中的应用

贯彻绿色植保理念,必须科学地监测和最大限度地减少农药对人类健康和生态环境的负面影响。本文介绍了农药环境影响指数(EIQ),讨论了其在农作物病虫害防治工作中应用与局限性。     

Use of models to assess the reduction in contamination of water bodies by agricultural pesticides through the implementation of policy instruments: A case study of the Voluntary Initiative in the UK

Through normal agricultural use, pesticides may reach environmental water bodies via several routes of entry. Various policies and initiatives exist to reduce the effects of pesticides in the environment. One such initiative in place in the UK is the Voluntary Initiative (VI). The VI is a voluntary scheme put forward by the Crop Protection Association with other crop protection and farming organisations to reduce the environmental impacts of pesticides. Mathematical models of pesticide fate can usefully be applied to examine the impact of factors influencing the contamination of water bodies by pesticides. The work reported here used water quality models to examine how changes in farmer behaviour could potentially impact pesticide contamination of environmental water bodies. As far as possible, uncalibrated, standard regulatory models were used. Where suitable models were not available, simple models were defined for the purposes of the study and calibrated using literature data. Scenarios were developed to represent different standards of practice with respect to pesticide user behaviour. The development of these scenarios was guided by the Crop Protection Management Plan (CPMP) aspect of the VI. A framework for the use of modelling in the evaluation of the VI is proposed. The results of the modelling study suggest that, in several areas, widespread adoption of the measures proposed in the VI could lead to reductions in pesticide contamination of environmental water bodies. These areas include pesticide contamination from farmyards, spray drift and field runoff. In other areas (including pesticide leaching to groundwater and contamination of surface water from field drains) the benefits that may potentially be gained from the VI are less clear. A framework to evaluate the VI should take into consideration the following aspects: (1) groundwater is more at risk when there is a combination of leachable compounds, vulnerable soils, shallow groundwater and high product usage; (2) surface water contamination from drains is most likely when heavy rain falls soon after application, the soils are vulnerable and product usage is high; (3) surface water contamination from drift is most likely when the distance between the spray boom and water body is small and product usage is high; (4) surface water contamination from farmyards is dependent on the nature of the farmyard surface, the competence of the spray operator and the level of product usage. Any policy or initiative to reduce pesticide contamination should be measured against farmer behaviour in these areas.     

European Union policy on pesticides: implications for agriculture in Ireland

European Community (EC) legislation has limited the availability of pesticide active substances used in effective plant protection products. The Pesticide Authorisation Directive 91/414/EEC introduced the principle of risk assessment for approval of pesticide active substances. This principle was modified by the introduction of Regulation (EC) 1107/2009, which applies hazard, the intrinsic toxicity of the active substance, rather than risk, the potential for hazard to occur, as the approval criterion. Potential impacts of EC pesticide legislation on agriculture in Ireland are summarised. While these will significantly impact on pesticide availability in the medium to long term, regulations associated with water quality (Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and Drinking Water Directive 1998/83/EC) have the potential to restrict pesticide use more immediately, as concerns regarding public health and economic costs associated with removing pesticides from water increase. This rationale will further reduce the availability of effective pesticide active substances, directly affecting crop protection and increasing pesticide resistance within pest and disease populations. In addition, water quality requirements may also impact on important active substances used in plant protection in Ireland. The future challenge for agriculture in Ireland is to sustain production and profitability using reduced pesticide inputs within a framework of integrated pest management. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Farmer perceptions and pesticide use practices in vegetable production in Ghana

As an initial part of a programme aimed at promoting safe and sound agricultural practices in Ghana, a study was made of farmers' perceptions of pesticides for use and application in vegetable production, using a small survey of 137 farmers who applied pesticides. Field surveys, interviews, questionnaires and analytical games were used to obtain information on the type, scope and extent of use of pesticides, farmers' knowledge of pesticides, and their perceptions about the chemicals' potential for harm. Data from this sample of farmers were used to describe the status of use of pesticides in vegetable cultivation in Ghana. Using chi2 tests, associations between farmers' age and possible pesticide poisoning symptoms, their farm size and method of spraying pesticides, and their perception of pesticide hazard and its perceived effectiveness against pests were also examined. The survey showed that knapsack sprayers were the most widely used type of equipment for spraying pesticides. However, on large-scale vegetable farms of 6-10 acres, motorised sprayers were also used. Various inappropriate practices in the handling and use of pesticides caused possible poisoning symptoms among those farmers who generally did not wear protective clothing. Younger farmers (<45 years of age) were the most vulnerable group, probably because they did more spraying than older farmers (>45 years of age). Farmers did not necessarily associate hazardous pesticides with better pest control. The introduction of well-targeted training programmes for farmers on the need for and safe use of pesticides is advocated.     

Aerial applications of pesticides in the United Kingdom: 1978 to 1998

The aerial application of pesticides increased rapidly following the end of the Second World War, as, along with the development of a wider range of synthetic pesticides, more planes and pilots became available. It also became clear that new and previously inaccessible areas could be sprayed from the air. By the 1980s there were around 100 planes in the United Kingdom (UK) capable of spraying pesticides. However, increasing environmental pressure brought about the introduction of tougher legislation to control pesticide usage. The Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 (as amended) introduced tight controls over the application of pesticides from the air. Aerial application of pesticides has been monitored each year by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) since 1978, during which time the area treated has decreased significantly. This has been partly as a result of changes in legislation but also due to technological improvements in conventional crop‐protection methods. The area treated from the air in the UK has never risen above 2.5% of the area treated from the ground and in 1998 had fallen to less than 0.04% of the total area treated with pesticides. It is likely that this figure will continue to fall in the future. By 1998, the only pesticides to be sprayed from the air comprised fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. As a group, herbicides comprised the greatest area of treatment and the only target to show an increase in area treated in recent years has been bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L) Kuhn). © Crown copyright 2000. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.     

Novel approaches to integrated pest and disease control in glasshouse vegetables in the Netherlands

As a result of government policy and consumers' attitudes to environmentally compatible growing systems, research is focused on reduction of pesticide input into the environment. This aim is approached in different ways. With so-called “closed growing systems”, soil fumigants are no longer needed, resulting in an estimated 60% reduction in the total use of pesticides. Further, far smaller quantities of (systemic) pesticides need to be added to plants, via the nutrient solution, than with soil-grown crops. Water disinfestation is essential to minimize the spread of diseases and heat treatment and ozonization are already used under commercial conditions. Filtration appears to be neither reliable nor practical. Other disinfestation methods are under investigation. Ventilators may be provided with insect-proof screens to minimize infection pressure, especially on young plant material. Air filters in combination with mechanical ventilation may be an option for the future to raise healthy plants. A further reduction in the use of pesticides can be achieved by developing biological and integrated control of insects and fungi. Simultaneous application of several biocontrol methods in the fruit vegetable area has increased the complexity of IPM. Open rearing systems of parasitoids on alternative hosts to control cotton aphids and leaf miners are promising. IPM is highly dependent on the availability of selective chemicals. Biological control of root-infecting fungi in substrate crops shows promise. Integrated control of powdery mildew in cucumbers using a combination of nutritional and climatic management and varieties showing partial resistance will be studied. Improvement of application techniques for pesticides is being studied by plant pathologists in cooperation with technical experts. The aim is to reduce pesticide application rates, to minimize losses to the environment and to avoid health risks for the worker. By developing decision-support systems for crop protection, optimal use of beneficial insects is achieved and unnecessary applications of chemicals are avoided. A programme to develop such a system for the sweet pepper crop is under way.     

Applying weather index insurance to agricultural pest and disease risks

In this paper, we explore the application of weather index insurance to plant pest and disease management strategies using two distinct models: (1) insuring crop loss due to disease incidence (“Crop Insurance”) and (2) insuring the use of pesticides (“Pesticide Insurance”). We find that despite the seeming ease of applying weather-based pest incidence models to an insurance product, insuring plant disease incidence models is presently unsuitable for the insurance market for both scientific and behavioral reasons. However, derivative-like applications of weather index insurance to insure pesticide use offer a means to introduce financial leverage into pesticide usage decisions. Risk management with weather index insurance would thus function as a complement to existing risk management strategies using pesticides, and offer a market-based mechanism for pesticide abatement. We conclude that more interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to develop weather index insurance for remuneration of losses due to plant pests and diseases, but weather index insurance offers a potential mechanism to reduce inefficiencies and negative externalities in agricultural markets if pesticide expenditures are insured instead of crop losses.     

Pesticide usage in some vegetable crops in Great Britain: real on-farm applications

The last decade has seen an increasing requirement throughout the United Kingdom (UK) for accurate, timely information on pesticide usage on fresh produce such as vegetables to satisfy government legislation and provide data as part of the registration and review process of pesticides. These data, collected by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's Pesticide Usage Survey Group (PUSG), provide information on current and past usage patterns and allow the impact of use on the environment, operator and consumer to be more accurately assessed from actual usage patterns rather than worst-case scenarios. Surveys of commercially grown carrot, Brussels sprouts and onion crops in Great Britain were undertaken at regular intervals between 1986 and 1999, using fully stratified samples of growers. Only on Brussels sprouts was there a significant decline in pesticide use over this period, but the frequency of treatments increased on all three crops, reflecting the recent introduction of more active molecules and lower dose rates. The implications for growers of EU Directive 91/44 are discussed if active ingredients are lost because they fail to achieve Annex 1 listing.     

Jointness in farmers' decision to apply pesticides in multiple crops and its determinants at the farm level in Bangladesh

Decision about pesticide application for pest control is an issue of major concern, but research on factors affecting decision-making is limited. This study investigates jointness in farmers' decision to apply pesticides in multiple crops and socio-economic determinants of pesticide use across crops using a survey of 2083 farms from 17 districts in Bangladesh applying a multivariate Tobit model. Overall, 75.4% and 12.7% of the farmers applied pesticides in one and two crops, respectively. The decision to apply pesticides in multiple crops was found to be negatively correlated, providing evidence of jointness. Also, individual socio-economic factors exerted variable influences on pesticide use in different crops. Output price significantly increases pesticide use whereas the influence of fertilizer price and labour wage is varied. Educated farmers use significantly more pesticides in rice and oilseed. Marginal and small farmers use significantly less pesticides in wheat/maize and pulse. Policy implications include price policies to reduce fertilizer prices and engaging agricultural extension agencies and non-governmental organizations to disseminate information on specific crop combinations which will synergistically reduce pesticide use.     

Eco‐efficiency as a strategy for optimizing the sustainability of pest management

Agricultural industrialization and the subsequent reliance on pesticides has resulted in numerous unintended consequences, such as impacts upon the environment and by extension human health. Eco‐efficiency is a strategy for sustainably increasing production, while simultaneously decreasing these externalities on ecological systems. Eco‐efficiency is defined as the ratio of production to environmental impacts. It has been widely adopted to improve chemical production, but we investigate the challenges of applying eco‐efficiency to pesticide use. Eco‐efficiency strategies include technological innovation, investment in research and development, improvement of business processes, and accounting for market forces. These components are often part of integrated pest management (IPM) systems that include alternatives to pesticides, but its implementation is often thwarted by commercial realities and technical challenges. We propose the creation and adoption of an eco‐efficiency index for pesticide use so that the broad benefits of eco‐efficient strategies such as IPM can be more readily quantified. We propose an index based upon the ratio of crop yield to a risk quotient (RQ) calculated from pesticide toxicity. Eco‐efficiency is an operational basis for optimizing pest management for sustainability. It naturally favors adoption of IPM and should be considered by regulators, researchers, and practitioners involved in pest management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of pesticides in waters from a chalk catchment,cambridgeshire

WRc are undertaking a long term study of pesticides in the aquatic environment. A study of the pesticides in the rain, river water and groundwater of the Granta catchment in Cambridgeshire is now in its fourth year. Preliminary results are presented and the concentrations of agricultural pesticides in environmental waters are related to the land-use within the catchment. The Granta study is incomplete but certain anomalies in pesticide occurrence can be identified. In particular, the triazines are much more prevalent in the groundwaters than their agricultural usage would lead one to expect. The limited data base gives problems with modelling the contaminant transport in groundwater. The present situation is reviewed and areas of future work necessary to fulfil the modelling needs identified. These areas of study. The historical land-use and pesticide usage; the groundwater quality data base; the pesticide transport in the unsaturated zone.     

Procedures and potentialities in sugar beet production

Cultivation procedures for the sugar beet crop continue to change considerably in England. The average contract per grower has increased from 3.4 in 1936 to 8.2 ha in 1973. Within the last decade the use of genetic monogerm seed has extended to 65% of the area sown, and pelleted seed to 90%. Seed spacing has doubled and the hand work needed to establish the crop drastically decreased. Much of the crop is now sown in March, instead of April or even May. The average yield of sugar has increased since 1936 from less than 3.6 to over 6 t ha^?1. These changes have been associated with routine usage of fungicide and insecticide on seed and chemical weed control on 90% of the crop in recent years; insecticide, mainly organophosphorus, has been used to control aphids and virus on 36 000 to 125 000 ha of crop annually on the basis of spray warnings; sporadic pesticide control has been used against an abundance of seedling, leaf- and root-eating pests and fungi. The changes in cultural practices have been paralleled by changes in the relative importance of the various pests and diseases—for instance, wide seed spacing and the use of herbicide have intensified seedling pest problems. The extent to which crop losses from weeds, pests and diseases have been assessed as a basis for recommendations for control is discussed, as well as the economics of control by pesticides.     

宁波出口蔬菜基地农药残留量的监控

为了有效地应对入世后出口蔬菜面临的种种技术壁垒挑战．2002年11月份起从出口蔬菜基地灌溉水和土壤农药残留普查、蔬菜农药残留量检测、基地所用农药有效成分分析、日本官方未登记农药监控4个方面,实施对宁波出口蔬菜基地农药残留量的监控工作。结果表明,基地灌溉水和土壤农药残留污染轻微,土壤农药残留量达到我国土壤环境质量一级与二级标准;蔬菜农药残留量控制良好,农药残留量均未超过输入国规定的限量要求：农药有效成分经分析与标识一致：重点监控了日本官方未登记或登记已失效而在宁波地区个别农民可能使用的农药,确保蔬菜的卫生质量。     

中欧蔬菜农药登记和限量标准差异及技术壁垒措施解析——以西兰花为例

我国出口欧盟的蔬菜产品屡受欧盟技术性贸易壁垒的限制。本文以农药残留超标出口受阻的典型蔬菜品种西兰花为例,研究中欧农药残留限量标准及农药登记情况,通过对比西兰花农药登记情况、农药残留限量标准、农药管理差异,分析中欧差距,为应对技术性贸易壁垒提出以下建议:加快建立和完善中国特色的农药登记和农药残留限量标准法规;增强农药信息开放性;积极应对欧盟WTO/SPS通报;以及设置贸易壁垒限制劣质产品的进口。     

高效叶面沉积的功能化农药递送体系研究进展

农药在靶标表面的持留与沉积是剂量传递中的重要过程,直接关系到农药剂量传递效率和生态环境安全。目前我国农药在施用过程中界面传递环节损失较大,导致农药利用率低下,因此,如何通过合理的科学手段增加农药的叶面沉积效率,对改善农药流失具有重要的意义,也是当前我国农业发展的重大科技问题之一。近年来,根据有害生物的发生规律、作用特点及环境条件,应运而生了多种高效、安全、经济的功能化药物递送体系,不仅可以通过调控农药的持续释放来延长持效期,又可以提高农药在靶标表面上的沉积与持留,是提高农药有效性与安全性的重要途径。基于此,本文分别从靶标作物表面化学成分与微纳结构两个关键因素出发,综述了功能化载体在改善农药叶面沉积性能方面的研究概况及其发展趋势,并针对功能化载体的制备工艺、拓扑形貌、释放性能、叶面沉积与持留及其靶标生物防效等方面进行了归纳。内容主要包括利用功能分子 (多巴胺、单宁酸、聚乙烯醇、聚乳酸等) 对载体表面进行修饰改性,增加载体与靶标之间的非共价键作用,或者构建具有特殊拓扑形貌的载体 (纤维状、网络状、帽子形等),以此来增加界面传递过程中载体与靶标之间的尺寸效应,减少损失,最终提高农药的叶面沉积性能与剂量释放调控。此外,文章还分析了当前高效叶面沉积功能化载体应用中存在的问题与未来的研究方向,以期为进一步提高农药剂量传递效率开拓新的方向。     

A process to provide harmonised criteria for the selection of indicators for pesticide risk reduction within the framework of the sustainable use directive

In October 2009, the Council of the European Union adopted the Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (EU 128/2009/EC). This directive establishes a framework to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides by reducing the risk and impacts of pesticide use on both human health and the environment, and promoting the use of integrated pest management and of alternative approaches or techniques. These risks thus need to be assessed using appropriate risk indicators. The OPERA Research Centre organised an expert working group and has had several consultations with stakeholders in order to identify a common way of thinking in evaluating and identifying the factors that should be considered in selecting each indicator. Harmonised criteria have been suggested to allow the selection of the most appropriate indicators, focusing on the use phase of pesticide, as requested by the sustainable use directive. The proposed methodology has led to a sharing of perspectives and knowledge between the experts involved, and some principles have been identified to help national regulatory institutions to estimate general trends in pesticide risk reduction .     

Small-scale vegetable producers’ perception of pests and pesticide uses in East Shewa zone,Ethiopia

Vegetable growers’ knowledge of pest and their control method was assessed in 2014 in East Shewa zone, Ethiopia. Vegetable growers were well aware of key pests of vegetables, although some of them did not consider pests as constraint to vegetable production. All respondents scouted their vegetables for pests and used presence or absence of pest as criterion for spraying. About 76% of the respondents read pesticide label before buying pesticides, while the rest 24% of the respondents did not read pesticide labels. All vegetable growers sprayed insecticide, whereas fungicides and herbicides were applied by 90% and 7% of the respondents, respectively. About 72% of the respondents washed their sprayer after each application day and discharged the washings onto the soil. Moreover, the majority (62%) of the respondents threw empty pesticide containers around the field. Also, it was found that 71% of the respondents did not use personal protective equipment (PPE) while spraying pesticides, but a few used one or two types of PPE. More than half of the respondents sprayed pesticides on mature crops and sold the produce within three to five days.