Pesticide Programs Research Articles

Pesticide use in integrated pest and pollinator management framework to protect pollinator health.

Agricultural pesticides have historically been a critical tool in controlling pests and diseases, preventing widespread suffering and crop losses that led to catastrophes such as the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852) and the Cotton Boll Weevil Infestation (1915-1916). However, their usage has brought challenges, including resistance development, secondary pest outbreaks, harm to non-target organisms like pollinators, and environmental contamination. In response to these concerns, integrated pest management (IPM) has emerged as a comprehensive approach, emphasizing non-chemical pest control methods such as cultural practices, biological control, and crop rotation, with pesticides as the last resort. IPM has evolved, influenced by regulations like the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), which prioritizes human health protection, especially for children. The development of systemic pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, introduced a more efficient and targeted pest control method within the IPM framework. However, they have also raised concerns due to their potential adverse effects on pollinators. In recent years, integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM) has emerged as an enhanced approach, integrating pollinator health considerations into pest management strategies. In this article, we discuss this new approach, and briefly present an example of a modifying pesticide program in Pennsylvania apple orchards to illustrate the application of IPPM, in order to highlight the importance of IPPM in sustaining agriculture, protecting vital pollinators, and maintaining effective pest control practices. © 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Tribal Pesticide Program Council Technical Support (EPA)

Tribal Pesticide Program Council Technical Support (EPA)

Reducing cluster rots in Michigan wine grapes using combined pathogen and vinegar fly control

Cluster rots pose a significant threat to the wine grape industry, leading to substantial economic losses. This study aimed to determine the performance of multiple treatments targeting cluster rot pathogens and their insect vectors over three years in southwest Michigan. Grape clusters were rated for disease incidence and severity, insects were collected and identified, and pesticide residues were measured on harvested clusters. In 2020, disease incidence decreased significantly when BLAD was applied in combination with the insecticides spinetoram, imidacloprid with beta-cyfluthrin, or zeta-cypermethrin. Similarly, in 2021, clusters treated with cyprodinil plus fludioxonil mixed with insecticides cyclaniliprole, spinosad, zeta-cypermethrin, or imidacloprid plus beta-cyfluthrin significantly reduced disease incidence compared to fungicide alone. Notably, in 2022, treating clusters solely with an insecticide significantly lowered disease incidence compared to treating with only a fungicide. Disease incidence and severity were positively correlated with the number of Drosophila larvae or the adults emerging from clusters collected in the trial. The relationship between disease and insect incidence were significant in 2021 and 2022, highlighting the importance of controlling insect vectors to manage rots. Through chemical residue testing, we identified pesticide programs that resulted in lower pesticide residues on the grapes. Programs that incorporate organic insecticides or sterilants had statistically lower residues than programs with conventional products. Our findings highlight the effectiveness of incorporating insecticides into late-season IPM programs for reducing cluster rots in wine grapes as managing insect vectors mitigate the impact of cluster rots on grape production.

Managing insect and plant pathogen pests with organic and conventional pesticides in onions.

Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman, Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a significant insect pest of onions (Allium cepa L., Asparagales: Amaryllidaceae). In addition to feeding on onion foliage, they may spread plant pathogens. Currently, onion thrips and pathogens are managed as separate pests with insecticides and fungicides. It may be beneficial to manage these pests simultaneously as limiting onion thrips may reduce pathogen damage. We tested combinations of bio- and conventional pesticides in a season-long management program in Michigan onion fields. From 2020 to 2022, we counted onion thrips weekly and visually estimated plant foliage necrotic damage (%) in experimental plots each year. In 2020, we tested 6 treatment programs including: azadirachtin, spinosad, a copper-based fungicide, azadirachtin + copper-based fungicide, spinosad + copper-based fungicide, and untreated control. The thrips populations were not significantly reduced compared to the control, but necrotic damage was reduced significantly in spinosad-treated plots. In 2021, we tested a combination of 8 bio- and conventional pesticide programs. Compared to the control, the bioinsecticides did not reduce onion thrips populations, but the conventional pesticide programs reduced both onion thrips numbers and necrotic damage. In 2022, we tested only conventional insecticide programs but included 3 different action thresholds for initiation and applied them with or without a fungicide, for 8 treatments. All insecticide programs reduced onion thrips compared to the control, the action threshold did not impact thrips numbers significantly. Overall, the use of action thresholds can lead to fewer insecticide applications and a lower incidence of leaf damage.

Changing the paradigm for pesticide resistance management.

Collaborative action on the part of all stakeholders in pest management is essential to effectively address the challenges of pesticide resistance. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee, recently posted a report on pesticide resistance management and the role the Agency can play in these efforts. In this Perspective, we commend the Agency for acknowledging these needs, and encourage implementation of the recommendations. We urge all stakeholders to follow the example set by the EPA to engage openly, listen to other stakeholders, and determine their role as part of the broader community that is needed to address the challenges of resistance. Our contention is that pesticide resistance will continue to escalate until all stakeholders evaluate their roles in resistance management and work together as a community to influence effective management. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Insecticide resistance of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) in China

Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is a polyphagous thrips that feeds on various horticultural crops worldwide. Its unique biological properties make it highly adaptable, and it has developed resistance to various insecticides as a result. Understanding the susceptibility of F. occidentalis field populations to insecticides is necessary to select suitable agents for their control. In the present study, we tested the toxicity of eight insecticides (spinosad, spinetoram, abamectin, emamectin-benzoate, chlorfenapyr, thiamethoxam, β-cypermethrin, and broflanilide) in 21 field populations of F. occidentalis collected from 2019 to 2021. F. occidentalis has shown variable resistance to seven of these insecticides, but it is susceptible to broflanilide. Populations from Changping, Tongzhou and Yanqing in Beijing were found to be the most resistant, while those from Shunyi, Beijing and Hetian in Xinjiang were the least resistant. The population with the highest level of resistance was collected from Yanqing, Beijing; for emamectin-benzoate, the resistance ratio (RR) of this population compared to the susceptible laboratory strain of F. occidentalis was 7455.6. The overall resistance of F. occidentalis has decreased over the past three years, as demonstrated by the reduction in the proportion of highly resistant populations. This may have been due to the implementation of pesticide reduction programs and the increased use of non-chemical control methods.

KKN TEMATIK UNRAM 2022 MELAKSANAKAN PEMBUATAN PESTISIDA ALAMI BERBAHAN DAUN PEPAYA DI DESA KARANG BAYAN

The agricultural sector is the backbone of the community's economic activities in general. Not only as a source of food for the people every day, but as a source of foreign exchange for the country as well. Karang Bayan Village, which is located in Lingsar District, West Lombok Regency, is an example of a village with a community that until now still relies on the agricultural sector as a life support. This can be seen from the livelihoods of the people, most of whom work as farmers. The commodities planted by Karang Bayan Village farmers are rice, mangosteen, rambutan and durian. The cultivation of these plants does not always run smoothly, one of the factors is the presence of Plant Pest Organisms (OPT). One way to control pests is to use pesticides on plants. Pesticides consist of 2 types, namely chemical pesticides and natural or vegetable pesticides. One example of a plant that can be used as a pesticide is the papaya plant (Carica papaya). Given that papaya leaves are very easy to find and are not put to good use by the Karang Bayan community, the purpose of this service activity is to provide training and assistance in making natural papaya pesticides in Berembeng Timur Hamlet, Karang Bayan Village, Lingsar District, West Lombok Regency. Pesticide manufacturing activities This natural pesticide program starts on December 27, 2022 until January 24, 2023. This natural pesticide production and training activity aims to provide information and invite the public to be able to make their own natural pesticides so that they can be used to reduce the number of pests such as fleas on cultivated plants, especially in mangosteen plant.

Integrating Seeding Rates and Pesticide Programs for Managing Sclerotinia Stem Rot in Glycine max with Nitrogen Fertilizer Applications

Soybean production in the Upper Midwest region of the United States is consistently limited by the disease Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR). To control SSR, multiple management practices have been studied and implemented to reduce SSR development and preserve yield. This study examined the effects of integrating soybean seeding rates and pesticide programs under nitrogen fertilizer applications in the form of urea (46-0-0) that may occur due to management of other crops, such as corn. From 10 site-years between 2020 and 2021, low seeding rates decreased SSR development while also decreasing yields and partial profits. The effect of pesticide applications on SSR development was influenced by both seeding rates and nitrogen applications. Consistently, applications of the fungicide Endura reduced SSR to the lowest levels while also maintaining the highest yields and partial profits. Soybeans grown with nitrogen applications experienced increased SSR development and decreased yields and partial profits. Overall, this work suggests that using low seeding rates and fungicides improves the management of SSR, and using nitrogen fertilizer applications can result in greater SSR development and decreased economic returns, especially in fields with a history of SSR.

Seasonal Population of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and Pesticide Use Pattern after Its Invasion in Caneberry Crops in Pennsylvania (USA)

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a major invasive pest of caneberries (e.g., blackberries and raspberries) and other thin-skinned fruit crops. In recent years, it has been reported as an economically important fruit pest in many countries. In caneberries, the timely detection and management of invasive insect pests such as D. suzukii is important to maintain profitability and avoid fruit export restriction. Invasions by such new pest species in commercial crop production often changes pesticide use patterns and frequency as growers try to control pest populations on their farms. In this study, we examined the seasonal population of D. suzukii and pesticide use patterns before and after D. suzukii invasion in primocane-fruiting raspberry and floricane-fruiting blackberry crop production in Pennsylvania. The results of seasonal monitoring conducted over two years showed higher populations of D. suzukii fruit flies during the settle period. The evaluation of crop-specific pesticide programs showed an increase in pesticide use frequency compared to the crop season before D. suzukii invasion in the blackberry planting. Similarly, over a five-fold increase in pesticide application was recorded in the raspberry planting in the year following invasion. The implications of increased pesticide use patterns in blackberry and raspberry production are discussed.

Theme (concept) paper ‐ Advancing Aggregate Exposure to Chemicals in EU (ExpoAdvance)

Theme (concept) paper ‐ Advancing Aggregate Exposure to Chemicals in EU (ExpoAdvance)

IND01-02 Application of US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) framework for evaluation of human epidemiological literature on Glyphosate neurotoxicity

IND01-02 Application of US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) framework for evaluation of human epidemiological literature on Glyphosate neurotoxicity

Farmers' technology preference and influencing factors for pesticide reduction: evidence from Hubei Province, China.

Based on the successful experience of pesticide reduction in China, this study uses survey data from Hubei Province to measure rice farmers’ technology preferences for pesticide reduction considering their needs, and compare the heterogeneous factors influencing farmers’ adoption behavior. The results show that large-scale farmers prefer drone services and efficient machinery, while small-scale farmers prefer scientific standards and biopesticides for pesticide reduction. Second, farmers’ adoption behavior of pesticide reduction technologies is mostly influenced by education, risk attitude, income, agricultural labor, scale, rice price, residue testing, brand, training, subsidy, and demonstration. Among them, education, risk attitude, scale, rice price, cost, and training, significantly affect farmers’ adoption level of multiple pesticide reduction technologies. Further, higher rice prices and participation in training could promote the use of pesticide reduction technologies in a larger area by farmers. Therefore, the real needs of farmers should be focused on the promotion of pesticide reduction technologies, and pesticide reduction programs in different regions should carry out precise intervention policies. These findings can provide practical policy guidance for effective pesticide reduction in the central region of China.

Reducing Pesticide Risk Associated With Dollar Spot Management on Golf Course Turfgrass

Pesticides are critical tools for golf course managers to maintain healthy and economically profitable golf course playing surfaces. However, the intensity and types of pesticides used on golf courses can be harmful to human and environmental health. Two separate studies were conducted at two locations in Wisconsin, USA between 2014 and 2020 to test the ability of reduced risk fungicide programs to control dollar spot (Clarireedia spp.) on golf course fairways and putting greens. Risk of the pesticide application programs was quantified in both studies using the active ingredient application rate, the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ), hazard quotient (HQ), and the Pesticide Risk Tool (PRT). The first study found that using the Smith-Kerns Dollar Spot Prediction Model to schedule fungicide applications did not reduce pesticide risk on its own, but that a pesticide program utilizing reduced risk products was just as effective in controlling dollar spot as a conventional program while reducing pesticide risk by ~50–80% depending on the pesticide risk indicator used. The second study established an average pesticide risk using HQ based on the pesticide records of 23 randomly selected Wisconsin golf courses. This statewide average was then used to test pesticide programs at 100, 75, 50, and 25% of the average risk for their efficacy in controlling dollar spot over a 4-year period. In the 4 years of the study, dollar spot severity of the 25% risk treatment was statistically indistinguishable from the other three programs. Taken together, these results indicate that pesticide risk can be significantly reduced on golf courses in the US Midwest without sacrificing dollar spot control.

Reducing pesticide use in vineyards. Evidence from the analysis of the French DEPHY network

High quantities of pesticides are applied on vineyards. For example, the average treatment frequency index (TFI) for French vineyards was 13.5 in 2016, whereas the average TFI for wheat (a major annual crop in France) was 4.9 in 2017. Reducing pesticide use is a key issue to improve viticulture sustainability. The aims of this study were (i) to analyse the evolution of pesticide use in vineyard farms voluntarily participating in a pesticide reduction programme, and (ii) to understand the options winegrowers used to reduce their pesticide use. We analysed data from the DEPHY farm network, including 244 cropping systems followed over 10 years and spread across 12 winegrowing regions. We used the TFI to assess the intensity of pesticide use. Mean pesticide use within the network decreased over the 10-year period and mostly concerned fungicide use. By analysing several indicators such as the number of treatments and the mean TFI per fungicide treatment, we were able to identify some of the management options mobilised for achieving this pesticide reduction. The use of biocontrol products and the reduction of sprayed doses were often associated with a low TFI. The analysis of yield evolution showed a significant mean reduction, although it was smaller than the TFI reduction. This raised the question of the impact of pesticide reduction on productivity. Further trade-off analyses are required in the future.

Ecotoxicological QSTR and QSTTR Modeling for the Prediction of Acute Oral Toxicity of Pesticides against Multiple Avian Species.

The ever-increasing use of pesticides in response to the rising agricultural demand has threatened the existence of nontarget organisms like avian species, disrupting the global ecological integrity. Therefore, it is critical to protect and restore different endangered bird species from the perspective of ecosystem safety. In the present work, we have developed regression-based two-dimensional quantitative structure toxicity relationship (2D QSTR) and quantitative structure toxicity-toxicity relationship (QSTTR) models to estimate the toxicity of pesticides on five different avian species following the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines. Rigorous validation has been performed using different statistical internal and external validation parameters to ensure the robustness and interpretability of the developed models. From the developed models, it can be stated that the presence of electronegative and lipophilic features greatly enhance pesticide toxicity, whereas the hydrophilic characters are shown to have a detrimental impact on the toxicity of pesticides. Moreover, the developed QSTTR models have been employed to the in silico toxicity prediction of 124, 154, and 250 pesticides against bobwhite quail, ring-necked pheasant, and mallard duck species, respectively, extracted from the Office of Pesticides Program (OPP) Pesticide Ecotoxicity Database. The information obtained from the modeled descriptors might be used for pesticide risk assessment in the future, with the added benefit of providing an early caution of their possible negative impact on birds for regulatory purposes.

Preventative pest management in field crops influences the biological control potential of epigeal arthropods and soil-borne entomopathogenic fungi

• This study examined how pesticides influence beneficial biota in field crops. • Pesticidal seed treatments and sprays decreased total predator activity-density. • In year one, seed treatments and sprays decreased spider activity-densities. • In year three, spider activity-density increased with seed treatments alone. • Overall, the use of pesticides did not improve crop yield in maize or soybean. Field crop growers in the United States have adopted prophylactic pest management strategies to control sporadic crop pests that are spatially and temporally difficult to predict. While evidence shows these preventative management practices, specifically pesticidal seed treatments, can be important in regions with predictable pest pressures, employing them ubiquitously in field crops across the northeastern U.S. can have variable returns on productivity. Further, prophylactics may also limit the potential of integrated pest management (IPM). A three-year field experiment (2017–2019) was conducted in a maize-soybean cropping system to compare the influence of a preventative pest management practice and a scouting-based IPM practice on biological control organisms. Aboveground predator densities were measured via pitfall trapping and predation temporal dynamics were assessed using a standard sentinel-bait assay at two time points per year. Belowground biological control potential was determined using a sentinel-bait bioassay to quantify the abundance of soil-borne entomopathogenic fungi (EPF). The variable responses of beneficial communities to pesticide inputs were strongly influenced by season and time of application, underscoring the importance of applying pesticides only when necessary. Compared with no pesticide use, pesticidal seed treatments and foliar sprays together in a maize-soybean production system suppressed total predator activity-density, spider activity-density, predation, and infection potential of soil-borne entomopathogenic fungi in one out of three years of the field study. In the third year, the activity-density of spiders increased across all fields in preventative plots that included seed treatments only. Overall, the use of pesticides did not improve crop yield in either maize or soybean. These findings highlight that the use of a prophylactic pesticide program may not always be necessary for maximum crop productivity and that this management approach can occasionally have unintended negative consequences on above- and belowground soil biota and the ecosystem services they provide.

Issues in the design, analysis, and application of rodent developmental neurotoxicology studies

Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) studies could benefit from revisions to study design, data analysis, and some behavioral test methods to enhance reproducibility. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviewed 69 studies submitted to the Office of Pesticide Programs. Two of the behavioral tests identified the lowest observable adverse effect level (LOAEL) 20 and 13 times, respectively, while the other two tests identified the LOAEL only 3 and 4 times, respectively. The EPA review showed that the functional observational battery (FOB) was least effective at detecting the LOAEL, whereas tests of learning and memory (L&M) had methodological shortcomings. Human neurodevelopmental toxicity studies over the past 30 years show that most of the adverse effects are on higher cognitive functions such as L&M. The results of human studies together with structure-function relationships from neuroscience, suggest that tests of working memory, spatial navigation/memory, and egocentric navigation/memory should be added to guideline studies. Collectively, the above suggest that EPA and EU DNT studies would better reflect human findings and be more relevant to children by aligning L&M tests to the same domains that are affected in children, removing less useful methods (FOB), and using newer statistical models to better account for random factors of litter and litter × sex. Common issues in study design and data analyses are discussed: sample size, random group assignment, blinding, elimination of subjective rating methods, avoiding confirmation bias, more complete reporting of species, housing, test protocols, age, test order, and litter effects. Litter in DNT studies should at least be included as a random factor in ANOVA models and may benefit from inclusion of litter × sex as random factors.

Is the Environmental Behavior of Farmers Affecting Their Pesticide Practices? A Case Study from Greece

Policymakers often assume that farmers with pro-environmental behavior are more likely to follow proper pesticide practices and thus, in order to improve the safety of their pesticide practices, they implement strategies and programs designed to raise environmental awareness among the general public. The aim of this paper is to examine whether pro-environmental behavior can instigate proper pesticide practices among farmers. According to our results, farmers’ environmental behavior does not affect their pesticide practices and thus strategies aiming at raising environmental awareness among the general public would not prompt them to follow proper pesticide practices. In addition, the respondents reported following overall proper practices such as wearing masks and appropriate clothes during sprayings as well as rinsing the empty containers by performing the triple-rinse method. However, they did not wear gloves during applications, and many disposed the remaining pesticide concentrate to non-arable land. To conclude, in order to improve farmers’ pesticide practices, strategies and programs specifically designed for farmers must be developed because those addressed to the general public would not be effective. Moreover, certain improper practices found in this study ought to be addressed by policymakers and actors involved in the agricultural sector.

Effect Size Magnification and Epidemiologic Design Calculations: their use in EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs in evaluating study size in epidemiology studies

While most researchers recognize issues associated with small/low powered studies vis-a-vis their lessened ability to detect true effects, fewer recognize issues associated with small/low powered studies and their tendency to produce inflated estimates if those estimated effects are required to pass a statistical threshold to be judged important, relevant, or “discovered”. Effect size magnification (ESM) is a term used to refer to this phenomenon. Specifically: low-powered studies that find evidence of an effect often provide inflated estimates of the size of that effect. This talk will discuss some of the regulatory implications of ESM and our efforts in EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs to understand, reproduce, and finally apply this knowledge to better evaluate the reliability of reported (statistically significant) effect sizes in epidemiology studies and put these into a fuller context. Routinely performing such ESM calculations (aka “post-hoc design calculations”) in epidemiology in a regulatory context can assist in determining the extent to which ESM may be an issue or should be accounted for in interpretation of epidemiological results. In particular, the talk will relate these design calculations to both judging adequacy of power and sample size issues vis-a-vis the observed effect size and in interpreting their potential implications for study conclusions. While such design calculations do not change a statistically significant result to a non-significant result, they do allow regulatory staff to consider that a reportedly large effect may in fact be much lower, to a degree that the effect may have less influence on regulatory decisions.

Translating Observational Research into Regulatory Science: The Role of U.S. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs in Evaluating Epidemiologic Evidence

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is a licensing program that regulates pesticides in the U.S under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). As part of this program, OPP has a regulatory mandate to evaluate a substantial body of health effect and exposure data in order to assess the effects of pesticides on human health. Through this evaluation, OPP plays a critical role in translating observational research into regulatory science and aims to ensure that pesticide risk assessments incorporate epidemiologic evidence on the potential adverse effects on people that may result from pesticide exposure through dietary, environmental, and occupational exposure pathways. The thematic poster will provide background on OPP’s regulatory requirements and then describe the systematic review methodology used to evaluate epidemiologic evidence based on a scientifically robust and transparent approach. This description will emphasize key regulatory considerations and outline elements of OPP’s 2016 framework for incorporating epidemiological data into risk assessments for pesticides. The 2016 framework may be of interest to a range of stakeholders in the scientific community and characterizes OPP’s “fit-for-purpose” approach to systematic review. OPP uses this approach to define to the scope and complexity of reviews and integrate epidemiologic findings into OPP’s overall risk assessment process.