English

Imidacloprid was applied as Confidor® 200 SC at the recommended field dose of 100 g a.i./ha to a Portuguese rice plot. Subsequently, fate of the test compound in water and potential effects of water samples on a battery of test species were determined. As compared to the first-tier predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) calculated using MED-Rice (around 30 µg/L depending on the scenario used) and US-EPA (78 µg/L) simulations, the actual peak concentration measured in the paddy water (52 µg/L) was higher and lower, respectively. As was anticipated based on 50% effect concentrations (EC50 values) for Daphnia magna published in the open literature and that calculated in the present study (48 h-EC50 immobility=84 mg/L), no effects were observed of field water samples on daphnids. The sediment-dwelling ostracod Heterocypris incongruens, however, appeared relatively sensitive towards imidacloprid (6 d-EC50 growth inhibition=0.01–0.015 mg/L) and a slight effect was indeed noted in field samples taken the first week after application. Species sensitivity distributions based on published EC50 and NOEC values also revealed that other species are likely to be affected at the peak and time-weighted average imidacloprid concentrations, respectively. By applying the relative tolerance approach (i.e. by dividing the EC50 value of a certain species with that of Daphnia magna), ostracods appear to contain the most sensitive taxa to imidacloprid, followed by EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) taxa.

Many of the arguments deployed in opposition to these restrictions were misleading, and based upon flawed research, much of it funded by neonicotinoid manufacturers themselves. The two principal arguments against restricting neonicotinoids were that yields would suffer, and that farmers would resort to older, even more harmful chemicals. However, evidence from Italy, where neonicotinoids have been banned from use on maize since 2008, suggests the opposite. Moreover, the EU precautionary approach on neonicotinoids represents a potential turning point for acting more widely to replace highly hazardous chemical pesticides with effective and sustainable alternatives. To achieve this, collaborative effort is needed on the part of governments, industry, civil society organisations, retailers and others. The PAN UK welcomes the EU temporary suspension of three neonicotinoid pesticides as a step in the right direction in protecting bees. We believe that this presents a unique opportunity to introduce safer, ecologically informed methods of pest management. The experience in Italy has shown that is not an unrealistic aspiration. Moreover, the EU restrictions also present the possibility of a turning point more generally on the use of highly hazardous toxic pesticides, in favour of non-chemical and IPM pest control methods. What is needed now is the political will of governments around the world to take action to promote these alternatives.

Persistence of imidacloprid was studied under laboratory conditions in four types of soil viz.sandy loam, clay, red and black soils following treatment at 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 μg/g fortification levels. The imidacloprid residue in the soil samples were measured by validated analytical method. The dissipation of imidacloprid was found to be faster in black soil followed by sandy loam, clay and red soil with half life value of 50.10, 42.74 and 45.69 days, respectively.

The persistence and metabolism of imidacloprid in sugarcane leaves and juice were studied following application of imidacloprid @ 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1. Samples of sugarcane leaves were collected at various time intervals (7, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days after treatment), whereas those of juice were collected at the time of harvest. The residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites (6-chloronicotinic acid, nitrosimine, imidacloprid-NTG, olefin, urea and 5-hydroxy) were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatograph. In leaves, the total imidacloprid residues were mainly constituted by the parent compound followed by 6-chloronicotinic acid metabolite. Total residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites were found to be 4.97 and 12.99 mg kg−1 in sugarcane leaves collected 7 days after the application of imidacloprid @ 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1 respectively. At both the doses, these residues declined to below the detectable limit in the leaves after 90 days of application with the half-life values of 9.68 and 8.14 days of imidacloprid @ 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1 respectively. The total toxic residues of imidacloprid in sugarcane leaves were 0.90 and 6.29 mg kg−1 at 7 days after treatment of imidacloprid @ 20 and 80 g a.i. ha−1 respectively. The bioconcentration factor in sugarcane leaves was 0.35 and 1.03 in the lower and higher dose respectively at 7 days after treatment. The total residues followed the pseudo first order kinetics with R2 of 0.9243 and 0.944 for recommended dose and four times the recommended dose, respectively. The residues of imidacloprid and its metabolites were not detected in samples of sugarcane juice.

Like the European Union – which today (Dec. 1) boldly begins a two-year ban on selected pesticides thought to be harmful to honeybees and other pollinators – the United States should help protect pollinators by banning these pesticides. But the United States should do far more, and become a world leader in championing sustainable alternatives to harmful pesticides.

Once it became clear to citrus growers that the British hate to peel anything and can’t face pips in any number, efforts were concentrated on producing easy-to-eat fruit for a nation that must be strong-armed into eating its five a day. The fresh fruit eventually arrived in wooden trays, precious little gifts individually wrapped in tissue paper. They were expensive – there were no bogof deals then. But the mandarins, tangerines and satsumas in today’s fruit section of Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Asda are on permanent special offer. The most irritating thing about the convenience fruit mountains, however, is not only the manipulation of the skin, but the use of pesticides. When the government-backed Pesticides Residue Committee (PRC) last tested soft citrus in 2008, 24 out of 24 samples were found to contain residues of agricultural chemicals. Nineteen of the samples were from outside the EU, five from the EU and 10 out of the total 24 contained residues of three separate chemicals.

Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus, known as LPDV, has been present in domestic turkeys in Europe and Israel for decades, but in the last few years, biologists have started confirming cases in wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in the eastern United States. Some of the infected birds have lesions on their head and feet, although many of the sick fowl are not symptomatic, making their identification difficult. Dr. Justin Brown, assistant research scientist and diagnostician with the University of Georgia’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, said his team confirmed its first diagnosis of LPDV in 2009 by a process of elimination. He said the larger wildlife diagnostic laboratories received infected specimens and tested the turkeys for known diseases that cause lymphoid tumors. Brown’s team took the testing one step further, and the discovery was surprising. “[W]e had a virologist who worked up the case a little bit more and screened it for all of the oncogenic, or cancer-inducing, viruses that are in North America,” Brown said. “And when he came up negative on all those, he screened it for LPDV. … And it came up positive — all tissues.”

The Heron Observation Network, created in 2009 by the state, has helped organize a statewide group of volunteers that will become particularly important in the next year. The result of their work has offered evidence that great blue herons (Ardea herodias) are in decline here. Since 2009 there has been an effort to survey herons after a wealth of data on bald eagles began to point to a decline in the heron populations in Maine. As bald eagle data was gathered over time, heron counts were added. Piggy-backing on the bald eagle study, the heron data began to show a surprising drop in the numbers of this prolific bird. In 2009, data was gathered by volunteers looking at heron nesting sites for the first time. Along the coast, biologists found little more than 400, a further drop from the 600 counted in 1995 in the eagle study.