Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T03:01:07.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Biological pest control: Needs and opportunities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Waldemar Klassen
Waldemar Klassen
Affiliation:
Associate Deputy Administrator for Plant and Natural Resource Sciences, National Program Staff, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
Get access

Abstract

The extent to which pests should be managed by biological versus chemical methods has been a burning public policy issue since about 1950. A thorough policy analysis is needed to facilitate movement beyond the status quo. Such analysis should: a) review the extent of adoption of ecologically selective methods of pest control that have emerged from the last three decades of research, b) examine changes in policies, legislation and institutional arrangements that would foster more rapid and widespread adoption of environmentally benign pest controls, c) assess the role of biological controls in facilitating survival of farms during periods of economic adversity and in increasing the competitiveness of American agriculture, d) evaluate opportunities to use ecologically selective pest controls to improve water quality, to reduce environmental impacts of pests and of farming practices, and to preserve the usefulness of pest-resistant crop cultivars and pesticides, and e) identify options and mechanisms to further increase the flow of private and public resources into biocontrol research, development and implementation. A committee of highly accomplished and respected citizens needs to be formed to conduct a thorough analysis of the above and other issues related to the long-term economic viability of farming and to the development and widespread adoption of agricultural practices that will conserve and improve the resource base, and that are devoid of negative impacts on the environment and public health.

Keywords

Rachel CarsonSilent Spring1962pesticide residuescranberriesmilkbiocontrolpublic policyground water protectionplant toxinsmutagensoncogens
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 3 , Issue 2-3 , Spring-Summer 1988 , pp. 117 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Agricultural Research Service. 1987. ARS National Biological Control Program: Minutes of Research Priority Setting Meeting. National Program Staff, Beltsville, Maryland. 154 pp.Google Scholar
2.Agricultural Research Service. 1988a. ARS strategic groundwater plan: 1. Pesticides. ARS, Beltsville, Maryland. 8 pp.Google Scholar
3.Agricultural Research Service. 1988b. ARS strategic groundwater plan: 2. Nitrate. ARS, Beltsville, Maryland. 9 pp.Google Scholar
4.Ames, B. 1989. Environmental pollution and cancer causation: six common errors. In DeVita, V. T. Jr., Hellman, S., and Rosenberg, S. A. (eds.). Important Advances in Oncology. J. B. Lippincott, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (in press), pp. 2–24.Google Scholar
5.Andres, L. A. 1981. Biological Control of Naturalized and Native Plants: Conflicting Interests, pp. 341–349. In Papavizas, G. C. (ed.). Biological Control in Crop Production. Allanheld, Osmun & Co. Publishers, Inc., Totowa, New Jersey. 461 pp.Google Scholar
6.Ayers, J. H. 1985. Status and Outlook, U.S. Pesticide Industry. Am. Chem. Soc. (Abstract). Chicago, Illinois, 09 9–12.Google Scholar
7.Batra, S. W. T. 1981. Biological Control of Weeds: Principles and Prospects, pp. 45–59. In Papavizas, G. C. (ed.). Biological Control in Crop Production. Allanheld, Osmun & Co. Publishers, Inc., Totowa, New Jersey. 461 pp.Google Scholar
8.Brown, G. E. Jr., 1987. Getting to the New Age in Agriculture. Talk given to 6th Annual Meeting of the Industrial Biotechnology Association, 10 23, 1987. 5 pp.Google Scholar
9.Carson, R. L. 1962. Silent Spring. Fawcett World Library, New York, New York. 304 pp.Google Scholar
10.Coates, J. F. 1979. What is a Public Policy Issue? Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 4(1):27–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Cook, R. J., Andres, L., de Zoeten, G. A., Doane, C., Gwadz, R. W., Hardy, R., Hemming, B., Kuc, J., Mankau, R., Miller, D., Ryan, C. A. Jr., and Smith, S.. 1987. Report of the Research Briefing Panel on Biological Control in Managed Ecosystems. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. 12 pp.Google Scholar
12.Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. 1985. Agriculture and Groundwater Quality. CAST Report No. 103, Ames, Iowa. 62 pp.Google Scholar
13.Council on Environmental Quality. 1972. Integrated Pest Management. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 41 pp.Google Scholar
14.Day, B. E. 1978. The Status and Future of Chemical Weed Control, pp. 181–212. In Smith, E. H. and Pimental, D. (eds.). Pest Control Strategies. Academic Press, New York, New York. 334 pp.Google Scholar
15.Economic Research Service. 1983. Outlook and situation. IOS-2. USDA, Washington, DC. 13 pp.Google Scholar
16.Gianessi, L. P. 1987. Patterns of Pesticide Use in the United States: Results from the RFF National Pesticide Use Inventory. Resources for the Future, Washington, DC. 10 pp.Google Scholar
17.Hoy, M. A., and Herzog, D. C. (eds.). 1985. Biological control in agricultural IPM systems. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida. 589 pp.Google Scholar
18.Kearney, P. C., Isensee, A. R., and Plimmer, J. R.. 1988. Contribution of Agricultural Pesticides to Worldwide Chemical Distribution. In Schmidtke, N. W. (ed.). Toxic Contamination in Large Lakes. Vol. III. Sources, Fate and Controls of Toxic Contaminant. Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan, pp. 49–60.Google Scholar
19.Klassen, W., Shay, J. R., Day, B., and Brown, A. W. A.. 1975. Plant Protection from Pests, pp. 275–308. In Brown, A. W. A., Byerly, T. C., Gibbs, M., and Pietro, A. San (eds.). Crop Productivity - Research Imperatives. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and C. F. Kettering Foundation. 399 pp.Google Scholar
20.Knipling, E. F. 1979. The Basic Principles of Insect Population Suppression and Management. Agriculture Handbook Number 512. USDA, Washington, DC. 659 pp.Google Scholar
21.Lindblom, C. E. 1968. The Policy-Making Process. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 122 pp.Google Scholar
22.Lyng, R. E. 1988. Alternative Farming Systems. Secretary's Memorandum 9600–1. 01 19, 1988. 2 pp.Google Scholar
23.McWhorter, C. G., Shaw, W. C., and Schweizer, E. E.. 1984. Present Status and Future Needs in Weed Control. USDA, ARS, Paper prepared for and submitted to Office of Technology Assessment. 20 pp.Google Scholar
24.Menn, J. J., and Henrick, C. A.. 1985. Newerchemicals for insect control, pp. 247–265. In Hilton, J. L. (ed.). Agricultural Chemicals of the Future, Beltsville Symposia in Agricultural Research, Vol. 8. Rowman and Allanheld, Totowa, New Jersey. 464 pp.Google Scholar
25.National Research Council, Committee on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer. 1982. Diet Nutrition and Cancer. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. 319 pp.Google Scholar
26.National Research Council, Board on Agriculture. 1987. Regulating Pesticides in Food: The Delaney Paradox. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. 272 pp.Google Scholar
27.Nielsen, G., and Lee, L. K.. 1987. The magnitude and costs of groundwater contamination from agricultural chemicals: A national perspective. USDA, Economic Research Service, AER 576, Washington, DC. 38 pp.Google Scholar
28.Quimby, P. C. Jr., and Boyette, C. D.. 1987. Production and application of biocontrol agents, pp. 265–280. In McWhorter, C. C. and Gebhardt, M. R. (eds.). Methods of Applying Herbicides. Weed Science Society of America, Monograph No. 4, Champaign, Illinois. 358 pp.Google Scholar
29.Quimby, P. C. Jr., and Walker, H. L.. 1982. Pathogens and Mechanisms for Integrated Weed Management. Weed Sci. (Suppl.) 30:30–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30.Rawlins, S. L. 1984. Practices for Conserving Natural Resources and Minimizing the Impact of Agricultural Chemicals: Current State of the Art. pp. 92–103. In Irving, G. W. Jr., (ed.). Changing Agricultural Production Systems and the Fate of Agricultural Chemicals. Agricultural Research Institute, Rockville, Maryland. 160 pp.Google Scholar
31.Reichelderfer, K. H. 1981. Economic feasibility of biological control of crop pests, pp. 403–417. In Papavizas, G. C. (ed.). Biological control in crop production. Allanheld, Osmun & Co. Publishers, Inc., Granada. 461 pp.Google Scholar
32.Reichelderfer, K. H. 1985. Factors affecting the economic feasibility of the biological control of weeds. In E. S. Delfosse (ed.). Proc. VI International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, Vancouver, Canada, 08 19–25, 1984. pp. 135–144.Google Scholar
33.Ridgway, R. L. 1981. Biological pest control. In Yearbook of Science and the Future. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, pp. 92–105.Google Scholar
34.Rose, David J. 1981. Continuity and Change: Thinking in New Ways About Large and Persistent Problems. Technology Review, 02/03, pp. 53–67.Google Scholar
35.Starler, N. H., and Ridgway, R. L.. 1977. Economic and social considerations for the utilization of augmentation of natural enemies. In Ridgway, R. L. and Vinson, S. B. (eds.). Biological control by augmentation of natural enemies. Plenum Press, New York, New York. pp. 431–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36.Stern, V. M., Smith, R. F., den Bosch, R. van, and Hagen, K. S.. 1959. The Integrated Control Concept. Hilgardia 29:81:101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37.Templeton, G. E., Smith, R. J., and TeBeest, D. O.. 1986. Progress and Potential of Weed Control with Mycoherbicides. Rev. Weed Sci. 2:1–14.Google Scholar
38.U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1989. USDA research plan for water quality. ARS and CSRS in cooperation with State Agricultural Experiment Stations. ARS, Beltsville, Maryland. 15 pp.Google Scholar
39.Whitten, J. L. 1966. That We May Live. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., Princeton, New Jersey. 251 pp.Google Scholar