Application Of Pesticides To Crops

Pesticides continue to provide an important tool in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. Hitherto IPM programmes have had a strong bias towards insect control, but farmers need to control weeds, plant pathogens and other pest problems.This book follows the author's successful “pesticide application methods” by relating the equipment needs to the overall pest control requirement of major crops. It outlines the pest problems against which farmers are using pesticides and focusses on the details of the application techniques they need to optimise pesticide use.Much attention is now being given to genetically modified crops, but these do not necessarily avoid the use of pesticides. Some are engineered to be resistant to certain herbicides, so the use of these herbicides will still require careful application in order to minimise environmental side effects. Similarly, crops engineered for resistance to certain insect pest species may remain susceptible to other pests, thus emphasising the need for crop monitoring and careful use of any chemicals to avoid disrupting biological control.

Many of the pesticides applied to food crops in this country are present in foods and may pose risks to human health. Current regulations are intended to protect the health of the general population by controlling pesticide use. This book explores whether the present regulatory approaches adequately protect infants and children, who may differ from adults in susceptibility and in dietary exposures to pesticide residues. The committee focuses on four major areas: Susceptibility: Are children more susceptible or less susceptible than adults to the effects of dietary exposure to pesticides? Exposure: What foods do infants and children eat, and which pesticides and how much of them are present in those foods? Is the current information on consumption and residues adequate to estimate exposure? Toxicity: Are toxicity tests in laboratory animals adequate to predict toxicity in human infants and children? Do the extent and type of toxicity of some chemicals vary by species and by age? Assessing risk: How is dietary exposure to pesticide residues associated with response? How can laboratory data on lifetime exposures of animals be used to derive meaningful estimates of risk to children? Does risk accumulate more rapidly during the early years of life? This book will be of interest to policymakers, administrators of research in the public and private sectors, toxicologists, pediatricians and other health professionals, and the pesticide industry.

This book describes the main types of manually-operated or manually-carried pesticide application equipment. Most of the small-scale farmers in the developing countries, who have used pesticides, rely on a lever operated knapsack sprayer. These sprayers are now manufactured in many of the developing countries, who are introducing modern designs. The details of the design and the types of nozzle needed to treat crops and improve safety to the user are described. Changes in manufacturing techniques are resulting in certain plastics being used instead of brass. The less expensive compression sprayers are also described as these may become more important on the smallest farms. Details of the range of nozzles that can be used with hydraulic sprayers are given so the user can make a better selection of nozzle to apply pesticides more efficiently. Equipment used to apply reduced volumnes such as the spinning disc applicators is important, especially in areas where water supplies are difficult to obtain. Fog, granule, dust and other special applicators are also described. Specifications for the main types of applicator are given to assist those who have to purchase the equipment. The remaining sections provide guidance on safe application of pesticides and maintenance of the equipment. A glossary of terms is included.

PESTICIDE APPLICATION METHODS Pesticide Application Methods is the standard work for all those involved in crop protection. This fully revised and expanded edition provides up-to-date information on the different types of application techniques and how they should be used to ensure efficient and effective pest control. The third edition of this excellent book was published more than 10 years ago, since when a number of important developments have taken place. Examples include changes to legislation both in the EU and USA concerning water quality. This has an impact on how spray is applied and, more particularly, how the sprayer is designed to minimise quantities that remain in the equipment when spraying is completed, and in addition inform how and when the sprayer is cleaned. Concern about spray drift has also continued and has led to more research on how to reduce the amount of spray that moves downwind from a treated area. Important new information on this topic is included within the new edition. Professor Graham Matthews has been joined by two new co-authors to increase the breadth and depth of coverage in this updated edition of Pesticide Application Methods. This important new edition is a commercially significant reference tool and will be of great use and interest to all those working in crop protection, including agricultural entomologists and plant pathologists, pesticide scientists, advisors and consultants, large-scale growers, agricultural and horticultural scientists, agrochemical industry personnel including those involved in equipment supply and product formulation. Libraries in government and commercial research establishments, universities and agricultural colleges where agricultural and biological sciences are studied and taught should have multiple copies of this definitive book on their shelves.

Chemical pesticides have contributed greatly to the increase of yields in agriculture by controlling pests and diseases and also towards checking the insect-borne diseases like malaria in the human health sector. However their sporadic use has been leading to significant erosion not only to public health but also to food quality resulting in an impact load on the environment and hence the development of pest resistance. The latter is reducing their efficacy and consequently one has to continually search for other chemical pesticides that may be more toxic and expensive. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) several hundred thousand tons of dangerous and useless pesticides are currently plaguing the countries around the globe. Even worse funds available for the cleanup of these obsolete pesticides are highly inadequate. On the other hand the rise in cost of pesticides has also economic consequences both to the individual farmer and the nation. Though overuse and misuse there is considerable waste, adding to the cost and contributing to the adverse environmental and health consequences. This not only affects the user of pesticides but also the ecosystem in general by entering the food chain and polluting the water table and surface water. Unprecedented rise of cancer chronic kidney disease, suppression of the immune system sterility among males and females, endocrine disorders, neurological and behavioural disorders, especially among children, have been attributed to chronic poisoning. Thus the formulation and applications of pesticides must be accurate in order to obtain the best possible must be accurate in order to obtain the best possible result, which will help in reducing the pesticide load in the environment. Besides the status report of the experts from 13 developing countries, this publication includes manuscripts and papers by eminent experts dealing with the technology of application of pesticides; usage of pesticides and occupational health; eco-friendly alternate strategies for the management of crop pests, diseases and weeds through biotechnological approaches; legislation governing the use of pesticides; technologies and alternative technologies; biological control etc. The publication also includes a set of recommendations made during the workshop. Contents Introduction; Inaugural Addres by Tissa Vitarana; Address by Arun P Kulshreshtha; Address by Guest of Honour Sarat Weerasena; Address by Chief Guest Kapila Gunasekara; Vote of Thanks by M C N Jayasuriya; Welcome Address by Tissa Vitarana; Workshop Strategy by M C N Jayasuriya; Kenyote Address by V Gowariker; Usage of Pesticides and Occupational Health by Ravindra Fernando; Eco-friendly Alternate Strategies for the Management of Crop Pests, Diseases and Weeds through Biotechnological Approaches by Seema Wahab; Legislation Governing the Use of Pesticides by Gamini Manuweera. Country Status Report Bangladesh by M S Malek & Md Mahubar Rahman; Colombia by Laverde Luis Antonio Gomz; Egypt by Yasser El-Sheikh; India by Sanjay Bajpai; Indonesia by Priyo Wahyudi; Malaysia by Subramanian David; Mauritius by Deovruth Abeeluck; Myanmar by Dr San San Yu; Nepal by Neesha Rana (Basnyat); Pakistan by Tahera Syeds Khatoon; Sri Lanka by L Nugaliyadde, A A L Amarasinghe, U Gangoda, D M N Dissanayake, G K Manuweera & A S K Abeysekera; Zambia by Patrick Chiza Chikoti. Panel Discussions Application of Pesticides: Technologies and Alternative Technologies by Chairperson: Sarath Bandara; Application of Pesticides: Effects on Occupational Health by Chairperson: W A J M de Costa; Biological Control by Chairperson: G K Manuweera; Application of Pesticides: Legislation by Chairperson: G K Manuweera. Recommendations Technology of Application of Pesticides; Kandy Declaration.

These guidelines have been prepared to offer practical help and guidance to all those involved in using pesticides for food and fibre production as well as in public health programmes. The guidelines in this document cover the application of pesticides using any ground-based field crop sprayers, including operator-carried and tree and bush crop sprayers.