Download - The Importance of Pesticides
The Worldwide Importance of Pesticides for Crop Production
Leonard P. Gianessi
CropLife Foundation
Tropical Export Crops
Bananas, cocoa, coffee, tea, rubber Perennial trees/bushes that cannot
survive freezes Diseases, insects, and weeds flourish in
the tropics Without pesticides, production would
decline significantly
Bananas
34 billion pounds exported annually
Most popular fruit in the world
Sigatoka fungal germ tube penetrating opening in banana leaf
Sigatoka-infected banana plants
Bananas: Sigatoka Disease
Present in all banana growing countries In 1934, destroyed 22,000 acres of
bananas in Central America Fungicide treatments began in 1936
Treated
Untreated
Banana Export Plantations: Today
Fungicides are applied 25‒35 times annually
Coffee
Americans drink 330 million cups a day
4 billion coffee trees in Brazil
Coffee Trees
Coffee Rust
Fungal spores penetrate coffee leaves
Coffee Rust
Destroyed Ceylon’s coffee plantations in 1860s (Sri Lanka)
Coffee production increased in Latin America (rust not present)
Coffee Rust: Today
1970: Coffee rust detected in Brazil
Spread throughout Latin America
Fungicides are sprayed 6-9 times per season
Pesticide Use Markets
Highly developed (>90% acres treated) US, Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada
Developing China, India
Not Developing (<5% acres treated) Sub-Saharan Africa
Pesticide Use Driver: Developed Countries
Consumer demand for picture-perfect produce
Consumers have zero tolerance for wormy apples
U.S. apples have been sprayed with insecticides for over 100 years
Cherry Fruit Fly
Cherry Fruit Fly Larvae
New Zealand: Kiwifruit
New Zealand accounts for 33% of world’s trade in kiwi
500 million pounds exported annually
Brownheaded Leafroller Caterpillar
Found only in New Zealand
Present in all kiwifruit regions
Growers advised to apply insecticides
Leafroller Damage to Kiwifruit
In untreated orchards, >50% of fruit can be damaged
Completely unacceptable for export markets
California: Avocados
380 million pounds $6000/acre All sold fresh
Avocado Thrip
First noted in California in 1996
Feeds on surface
Avocado Thrip: Fruit Scarring
40% Reduction in Value (- $2400/A)
Supermarket Shopping Survey
Two-thirds of respondents were willing to pay 5 ‒ 10% higher prices for certified pesticide-free produce, yet were unwilling to accept any cosmetic defects or insect damage.
ERS, USDA, 1990
Herbicide Use Driver: Developed Countries
Shortages of workers to weed fields starting around the 1950s-60s
Herbicides greatly reduced the need for weeding by hand
California: Weeding Vegetable Crops 1940s ‒ 1960s
Thousands of legal temporary workers from Mexico in the Bracero (Strong Arm) Program
Millions of people weeded U.S. cotton fields into the 1950s
Hand Weeding
Decline in Hand Weeding 1950s - 1960s
Millions of Workers Left Southern States for Urban Factory Jobs
The Bracero program ended in 1964
Hand Weeding Was Replaced with Herbicides
Japanese Rice Weeding: 1950s
500 Hand Weeding Hours/Ha : 1 Billion Hours Total
Herbicide Treated Rice: Japan
Untreated Treated
2 herbicide treatments give season-long weed control
Japan: Weed Control in Rice
Herbicides replace the need for 1.89 million people weeding every day for 60 days in the summer all over Japan
Matsunaka, 2001
EU Rice
Risotto Milanese Paella
90% Self sufficient in production 400,000 hectares
Le Mondine
Le Mondine Weeding
Le Mondine
Left Farmwork for Factory Jobs
EU Rice: Today
Two herbicide applications per hectare replace hundreds of hours of hand weeding.
Weed Control Research: EU
Help is on the Way!
Weed Control Research: EU
Pesticide Use Drivers: Developed Countries
Need to produce more food for growing populations
Pesticides have effectively controlled pests leading to yield increases
U.S. Population, 1900 - 2000
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Millions
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
1950 = 100
U.S. Farm Output
U.S. Aggregate Farm Input Use
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
1950 = 100 Land
Labor
Machinery
U.S. Aggregate Farm Input Use
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
1950 = 100Land
Labor
Machinery
Chemicals
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
Lbs/ Acre
Potato Yield: US
Synthetic chemical pesticides introduced
U.S. Rice: Weeds Not Well Controlled Before Herbicides
Hand Weeders Not Used
Untreated HerbicideTreated
U.S. Rice Yields
0
2000
4000
6000
1899 1914 1929 1944 1959 1974 1989
Lbs./ Acre
Herbicides Introduced
Herbicide Adoption Complete
Herbicides
Contributed directly to improved yields due to increased efficacy
Facilitated the adoption of other yield-increasing practices
Herbicide Effectiveness Continuously Improved 1950s-Today
U.S. Corn Grain Yield
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1865 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005
BU/Acre
Hybrids introduced
Fertilizers Introduced
2,4-D Introduced
Atrazine Introduced
Alachlor/Metolachlor Introduced
Post-Emergence Grass Herbicides Introduced
Roundup Ready Varieties Introduced
Pesticides are used widely in agriculture in the United States. Their application has improved crop yields and increased the quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet, thereby contributing to improvements in public health.
NAS, 1993
Canada Wheat Yields
0
1
2
3
1910 1935 1960 1985 2010
MT/Ha
Herbicides Introduced
Grass Control Herbicides Introduced
Australian Grain Belt
Tillage: Australia
Dries out the soil and delays planting
Australian Wheat Yield1930-2010 (Trendlines)
T/Ha
Herbicides introduced
10% No-till
78% No-till
44% No-till
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
44% No-Till
Herbicides Introduced
10% No-Till
78% No-Till
Japanese Rice
Japan is self-sufficient in rice
Average person eats 5 kg of rice/month
Japanese Rice
Famines due to rice blast
1695, 1783, 1833‒1837
Last major rice blast Outbreak : 1953
Fungicides have prevented outbreaks since then
Rice blast
Monument to fungicidal rice blast control in Nankoku, Japan
Norway
5 million people Short growing season Imports 50% of food
supply Pesticides used on
>90% of crop acres
Norwegian Government Questions
What if food imports are cut off? Could a basic diet support the
Norwegian population?
Norwegian Government Questions
What if food imports are cut off? Could a basic diet support the
Norwegian population? Yes – with pesticides
Norwegian Government Questions
What if food imports are cut off? Could a basic diet support the
Norwegian population? Yes – with pesticides Without pesticides – 20% of the population
could not be fed
Pesticide Use Drivers: Developing Markets
Shortages of workers to hand weed fields
Need to produce more food for growing population
China Weed/Crop Status: 1980s
43 million hectares heavily infested 17.5 million tons of grain lost
Weedy maize field in China
Hand Weeding in China
Millions of Farm Workers are Moving to Urban Areas
Herbicide Use: China
Million Hectares
China Wheat (#1 in World)
Wheat losses due to rust (million tonnes)
1950 – 6.0 1964 – 3.2 1990 – 1.8 2002 – 1.3
Now: Treat 6 million hectares with fungicides
Wheat rust
Crop Yields : China
0
2
4
6
8
1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008
Rice Wheat Maize
Ton/Ha
India’s Economy
8% annual growth in GDP 500 million skilled laborers need to
be trained by 2022
Rice in India
Hand weeding
India: Soybeans
Herbicide treated plot Untreated plot
India: Crop Herbicide Market
217
416
0
100
200
300
400
500
2005 2010
MillionUS$
Phillips McDougal
Brazil: Soybean Production
0
15
30
45
60
75
1952 1962 1972 1982 1992 2002
MillionTons
Soybean Rust Pustules
Brazil: First appeared 2001
By 2003: Spread to entire country
Yield losses up to 75%
Brazil: Spraying Soybeans
Fungicides increase yields by 43%
Brazil: Soybean Fungicide Market
25
200
600 600
800
0
200
400
600
800
1000
2001 2003 2005 2007 2009
MillionUS$
Sub-Saharan Africa
43 Countries 700 Million People 180 Million Farms
African Yields (Tons/hectare)
Experimental Plots
Average Farmer
Maize
8
1-2
Rice
4
1
Optimal Yields on Experimental Plots
Plant at Right Time
Weed at Right Time
Fertilize at Right Time
Hand Weeding is the Predominant Weed Control Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa
50-70% of the labor in crop production is spent weeding
Constraints on Timely Hand Weeding
Women can be too tired or sick (malaria)
Fields can be muddy Competing time
demands: child care Pregnancy
In Africa, yield losses due to weeds range from 20% to total crop failure.
The majority of farmers in Africa identify weeding as the major constraint in their farming systems.
The Spraying of Chemical Herbicides is an Alternative to Hand Weeding
Herbicide Experiment: Kenya
Weedy Herbicide Treated
Maize Yields +53%
Bean Yields +94%
Herbicide Use: Smallholder Farms
1-5% use herbicides Lack of training of farmers Lack of training of Extension Service
workers Lack of spray services
Herbicide Use: Lack of Interest
Weeds are seen as “women’s work” Governments don’t take seriously International development agencies are
reluctant to support pesticide strategies
Regional Crop Pesticide Markets
Phillips McDougal
Regional Crop Pesticide Markets
Phillips McDougal
Regional Crop Pesticide Markets
Phillips McDougal
Regional Crop Pesticide Markets
Phillips McDougal
Cereal Yields by Region
0
1
2
3
4
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
MT/Ha
LatinAmerica
Asia
Africa
FAO
Conclusions
Pesticide use increases crop production Freeing labor from the drudgery of
hand weeding is central to economic growth
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