The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has developed a list of
California crop/pest situations which may lack pest management alternatives to
specific pesticides which may not be available in the future, leaving growers
with
no method for control. Lack of availability could be due to regulatory action,
voluntary withdrawal from the California market, or other actions.
We would like to receive information from anyone who has knowledge of possible
alternatives for these situations. We would also like to make this list widely
available to stimulate new research projects to investigate these systems. Some
of
these systems could make good projects for university seniors or graduate
students.
DPR does not have any money to support such research. We can, however,
facilitate contacts between researchers and possible funding sources.
The list was generated by a task force under the direction of Dr. Mary Louise
Flint, director of IPM Education and Publications, University of California
Statewide IPM Project. This task force was initiated by the Pest Management
Advisory Committee, which was created by the Department of Pesticide Regulation
and the California Department of Food and Agriculture in June 1992 to help find
alternative crop protection strategies. The purpose of the task force was to
determine what pesticides might be lost on a number of crops and to determine
what alternatives exist for these uses. The task force also developed a list of
pests
which are showing or likely to show pesticide resistance problems that could
seriously affect their management.
Here is the list of pest and crops, not in any order of priority, that lack
alternatives
to particular pesticides, which are given in parenthesis.
1. Nematodes on most of the reviewed crops (fenamiphos, aldicarb, and
other materials).
2. Lacy scab in prunes (captan).
3. Third generation codling moth in walnuts (azinphosmethyl).
4. Downy mildew, purple blotch, and botrytis in onions where 3 year
rotation is impractical (chlorothalonil).
5. Late blight in potatoes, especially in coastal humid areas (chlorothalonil,
maneb, mancozeb).
6. Aphids in seed potato crops and russet Burbank varieties in the Tule
Lake area of California (methamidophos).
7. Darkling beetles in lettuce (endosulfan).
8. Root aphid in lettuce (disulfoton).
9. Scab in pears, particularly in the Lake County area (captan).
10. Phomopsis in grapes (captan).
11. Lygus bugs in tomatoes (endosulfan).
12. Early blight in tomatoes (chlorothalonil, mancozeb).
13. Rice water weevil in rice (carbofuran).
14. Mites in dry beans (propargite).
DPR is looking for, and wishes to encourage the development of, chemical
and non chemical alternatives which:
a) are readily available (and will continue to be available);
b) are effective in the area where they will be used;
c) have sufficient information on how to use them effectively in an area;
d) are competitively priced;
e) are no more hazardous for the environment and human health;
f) can be integrated into an economically viable production system.
The task force felt that some pests are likely to develop resistance to
all or almost all pesticides and need further research in developing IPM
strategies that would lessen resistance problems. These pests include:
1. Silverleaf or sweetpotato whitefly in broccoli.
2. Aphids in lettuce and broccoli.
3. Leafminers in lettuce.
4. Flies in structural control.
5. Mosquitoes.
6. Rodents in structural control.
7. Codling moth in apples, pears, and walnuts.
Pest management alternatives on these and other crops will continue to be
investigated and these lists are likely to be modified in the future. Anyone
having information about any of these situations or wishing to comment or
participate in this process should contact us through electronic mail (email)
at our email address: pestmgt@cdpr.ca.gov.