Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
unnecessary. Partnerships tried to communicate that conventional pesti-
cides impact an entire insect complex, not just the pest in question, and
that the value of reducing the population of that pest with an
organophosphate had to be weighed against the likelihood that addi-
tional treatments would be needed as a result of the disruption caused.
Changing pesticide use, in either quantity or quality, has been the chief
goal of all but three.
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Most growers participating in partnerships share the expectation that
organophosphates are “going away” at some point in the near future due
to regulatory action, and participate in partnerships in part because they
want to develop alternatives before they are “forced” on them. Partner-
ships funded or staffed by CAFF and SAREP have held out the ideal of
pesticide reduction, while most grower participants take a more pragmatic
approach of substituting pesticides as their management conditions
dictate. Biocontrol and cultural pest-control techniques have played an
auxiliary role. Specific examples of practices are listed in table 5.3.
Agroecological partnerships integrated social concern about pesticide
use with the new dynamics within farming system insect complexes.
Nine leaders cited organophosphate pesticide resistance as a contribut-
ing factor to the creation of the partnership. (Recall table 3.3.) This plus
Table 5.3
Chief techniques of insect pest management promoted by selected partnerships.
Techniques to reduce and replace
Biocontrol and
pesticides
cultural techniques
Walnuts,
Pheromone mating disruption; foster
Orchard sanitation;
pears,
biocontrol by eliminating OPs from
beneficial insect
apples
orchard; precise timing of pesticide
releases; bird/bat boxes
applications; reduced rates of
application
Grapes
Educating growers and wineries
Leaf pulling; beneficial
(wine,
about thresholds; softer pesticides;
insect releases; cover
table,
precise timing of pesticide applications;
crops to moderate vigor
raisin)
reduced rates of application
Almonds,
Develop specific economic thresholds;
Early harvest; orchard
prunes,
pesticide use decision rules; softer
sanitation; beneficial
stone
pesticides (Bt, insect growth regulators,
insect releases; cover
fruit
pheromones, ant baits); precise timing
crops
of pesticide applications; reduced rates
of application
