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An alternative way to evaluate the environmental effects of integrated pest management: Pesticide risk indicators

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2007

Thomas J. Greitens  and
Esther Day
Thomas J. Greitens*
Affiliation:
American Farmland Trust, Center for Agriculture in the Environment, 148 N. Third Street, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA.
Esther Day*
Affiliation:
135 Francisco Terrace, Oak Park, IL 60302, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: thomas.greitens@gmail.com or fripp_1@ameritech.net
*Corresponding author: thomas.greitens@gmail.com or fripp_1@ameritech.net
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Abstract

This study examines whether pesticide risk indicators can be used to evaluate the environmental effects of pesticide applications within integrated pest management (IPM) projects. Pesticide risk indicators, commonly used in European countries, are mathematical equations that consider data inputs such as application rates, toxicity levels of a pesticide's active ingredient, meteorological data, the soil characteristics of farm fields, and other information to generate potential risk scores for pesticide applications. These potential risk scores represent the best estimate of a pesticide's impact on the surrounding environment. This project analyzed eight pesticide risk indicators, developed throughout Europe and the United States, with two years of pesticide application data from four farms using IPM. This two-year study allowed for a determination of the validity and reliability of pesticide risk indicators. The findings reveal that only three pesticide risk indicators performed consistently and gave valid results. These indicators are: the synoptic evaluation model for plant protection agents (SYNOPS) indicator from Germany, the multi-attribute toxicity factor from the United States, and the environmental impact quotient from the United States. As a result, the authors recommend these three indicators for future research and for IPM evaluative efforts that emphasize the environmental effects of pesticides.

Keywords

integrated pest managementpesticide risk indicatorsenvironmental assessmentprogram evaluationpesticide risk
Type
Research Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , September 2007 , pp. 213 - 222
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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