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Controlling Pests

Controlling Pests. Yesterday we talked about types of agriculture and sustainability One thing that can greatly add sustainability is choosing appropriate pest management strategies Pests can include… Small animals Insects Disease Bacteria. Types of pesticides.

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Controlling Pests

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  1. Controlling Pests • Yesterday we talked about types of agriculture and sustainability • One thing that can greatly add sustainability is choosing appropriate pest management strategies • Pests can include… • Small animals • Insects • Disease • Bacteria

  2. Types of pesticides • Pesticides differ in many ways • Chemistry • Effective time • Environmental persistence (how long they stay in the environment) • Effect on food webs • How the pesticide works (reproductive suppression, nervous system crash, etc.) • How fast they work • Application method

  3. Types of pesticides • Biological • Living organisms used to control pests • Examples are bacteria, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and viruses • Viruses still go in this category even though they aren’t living • CASE STUDY: • Bt is a soil bacteria that occurs naturally in caterpillar/butterfly guts • Acts as a toxin to specific groups of insects • Only insects that eat that crop will die • Carbamates • Also known as urethanes • Affect nervous system • 100 g of carbamate = 2,000 g of DDT • Water soluble, so they could get into surface or ground water sources • CASE STUDY: • Carbide plant in Bhopal, India leaked and exposed hundreds of thousands of people • 8,000 died • 200,000 with permanent injuries

  4. Types of pesticides • Persistent Organic Compounds • POPs • Chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as DDT • Resistant to environmental degradation • Bioaccumulation • Can be found all over the world even if they weren’t used there • Organophosphates • EXTREMELY toxic but only stay in the environment for a short time • Example: malathion to control mosquitos with West Nile Virus • Fumigants • Sterilize soil and prevent pest infestation of stored grains • Inorganic • Arsenic, copper, lead, mercury • Highly toxic and accumulate • Organic/Natural • Natural poisons derived from plants • Examples: tobacco and chrysanthemum

  5. Pros and cons Pros Cons Kill unwanted pests Increase food supply More food available = less expensive food Newer pesticides are safer and more specific Reduces labor costs Agriculture is more profitable Accumulate in food chains Pests develop resistance About $5 to $10 in damage to the environment for every $1 spent on pesticides Expensive to purchase/apply Runoff into water systems Inefficient – only 5% of pesticides reach the pest Can threaten other species that are endangered/pollinators

  6. Integrated pest management • IPM uses a variety of methods • Goal is not to eradicate pests, just control them • Chemical pesticides are the last resort • IPM can include • Polyculture, intercropping, crop rotation • Planting pest-resistant crops • Using mulch, Bt, or natural predators to control weeds/pests • Releasing sterilized insects so they can’t reproduce • Regular monitoring • Development of GMOs that are more resistant

  7. Relevant Laws • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Control Act (FIFRA) • 1947 • Regulates manufacture/use of pesticides • Pesticides must be registered and approved with labels that describe use and disposal • Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act • 1972 • Requires registration of all pesticides in US commerce • Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) • 1996 • Protects children and infants in reference to pesticide residue in foods they may consume

  8. Assignment for 4/10/14If you don’t finish in class, It becomes homework • You are a farmer in Warren County who is having a pest invasion, and you must decide if you will use pesticides or GMOs to control your pest issue. • Write a 2 paragraph essay that describes and explains your choice with the following information: • Your choice and 2 pros of your choice • How this plays into sustainability • What specific pesticide you would use or how you would genetically modify your plants • One possible con and how you would address it • What you think the public’s reaction would be to your choice

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