The pesticide-use maps provided on Pesticide National Synthesis Project website show the geographic distribution of estimated pesticide use on agricultural land in the conterminous United States for numerous pesticides. Pesticide concentrations in streams vary widely across the United States and are influenced by many factors, such as the amount and timing of pesticide applications and the soils, climate, and hydrology where they are applied ( Gilliom and others, 2006). Pesticides applied to crops and soil, however, can be transported to surface water and groundwater, where they can degrade water quality. Madeline Potter is a Masters student in the Shrewsbury Lab researching the biology and ecology of Anastatus reduvii, a native parasitoid to control Halyomorpha halys.ĭemian Nunez is a Masters student in the Hooks Lab researching clover and bunch grass living mulches as a potential IPM tool for suppressing pests and promoting beneficial diversity in cantaloupe cropping systems.Pesticides are important to crop management because they contribute to increased crop yields and improve the quality of crops. "Seed Treatments: An Alternative Pesticide Delivery System." LSU AgCenter, Louisiana State University, 19 Oct. "ESA Science Policy Fellows Class of 2019." Entomological Society of America, Leonard, Billy, and Melissa Willrich. "Ecological impacts of pesticide seed treatments on arthropod communities in a grain crop rotation." Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. "Evaluating the potential benefits and long-term sustainability of neonicotinoid seed treatments in mid-Atlantic grain crop production." Powerpoint file, 4 Dec. Arthropod sampling methods, clockwise: foliar counts, sticky cards, litter extractions, pitfall traps (Dubey, ). Despite some pest suppression, neonicotinoids did not produce any positive impacts on crop yield (Figure 2).įigure 3. While investigating the fungicides’ effects, she did see some community and taxa level impacts as well. In wheat, non-target impacts were observed up to 32 weeks after planting. There was not much impact on soil arthropods, but there was greater overall community and taxa level negative impacts on leaf arthropods. Dubey determined that some pest groups were somewhat suppressed, but pest pressure was low throughout the study anyway. The pests that neonicotinoids usually target are not an economic threat in Maryland today, and many of the same pests can be controlled through cultural practices local growers already observe. Dubey sought to determine what target (intended) and non-target impacts neonicotinoids had on arthropod communities in her research plots as well as whether neonicotinoids perform their advertised function: protecting crops from pests and improving yield. She also proposed two decades of neonicotinoid usage may have already caused changes in the soil, thus preventing a clear baseline of what “pristine” soil would look like. Dubey suggested that the lack of discernable effect on soil quality could be attributed to rapid break down of neonicotinoids in the soil, or perhaps more concerning, rapid neonicotinoid leaching into the water table where neonicotinoids could pose unknown risks to aquatic animals and the health of the Chesapeake Bay. She also did not see a statistical difference in soil respiration, prokaryotic diversity, or microbial community composition between plots.ĭr. While she found evidence of neonicotinoid accumulation in the soil across her study period, she found no statistical differences in soil quality between plots, and no treatment impacts. Dubey’s first objective investigated the impact neonicotinoids have on soil health by measuring neonicotinoid persistence in the environment, impact on soil microbial activity, prokaryotic diversity, and soil quality parameters (such as soil pH and available nitrogen). Her treatments included fungicide-treated seeds, seeds treated with fungicide and Thiamethoxam-Cruiser 5FS (a neonicotinoid), and seeds treated with fungicide and Imidacloprid-Gaucho 600F (another neonicotinoid), as well as a control group of untreated seeds.ĭr. Dubey conducted a three-year field study from 2015 to 2017 on a rotation of full-season soybean, winter wheat, double-cropped soybean, and corn at two UMD research farms in Beltsville and Queenstown, Maryland. She also examined the impacts of seed-applied fungicides since previous studies had not teased apart the impacts of fungicides and neonicotinoids, despite them often being applied together. Dubey focused her PhD research on neonicotinoid seed treatments in Maryland field crops and their effect on crop yield, arthropod communities, and the soil environment.
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