Total crop production in the U.S. would be reduced by about 144 billion pounds without effective insecticides, according to a study recently released by the Crop Protection Research Institute. The three-year study, titled, “The Value of Insecticides in U.S. Crop Production,” was reviewed and endorsed by 22 crop commodity organizations. It set out to answer three questions concerning insecticide use.
“We wanted to know how many acres were treated with insecticides,” says Leonard Gianessi, director of Crop Protection Research Institute. “We estimate that 45 million acres, or 17 percent, of the acreage of the 50 major U.S. crops received annual insecticide treatment.”
The institute also studied the value farmers gain from the use of insecticides and how much crop production is attributable to the insecticide use.
Historical use
In the 1850s, when there weren’t any defenses against insects, 50 percent of U.S. crop production was consumed by insects in the fields, in storage and in the markets.
“Growers didn’t really have much that they could do,” Gianessi says. “Fields were often abandoned, and fruit and vegetables in the market were damaged by insects.”
In some regions, certain crops were so susceptible to insects they were deemed to be no longer viable in the area. Without viable controls against aphids, for example, farmers on the East Coast had to give up growing hops.
The Colorado potato beetle started attacking potato foliage in 1859. Before then, this staple of the U.S. diet had been relatively safe from pests. But the potato beetle changed that, spreading to both coasts.
“It was just a voracious feeder on potato foliage,” he says. “Potato production in this country went down by about one-third, and potato prices quadrupled.”
Something had to be done. In 1871, farmers began spraying potato foliage with arsenic. It controlled the Colorado potato beetle, but it also was burning the leaves of the plants.
Nevertheless, by 1875, all potatoes in the Midwest were being sprayed with arsenic.
By the early 1900s, “arsenicals” were in widespread use, protecting apples, cherries, blueberries and tomatoes, among others, in the United States.
Synthetic chemicals, introduced in the 1940s, controlled more insects with less damage to crops and soil. Since then, their use has been an integral part of crop protection strategies across the nation.
“There’s one major new insect pest that becomes established every three years,” Gianessi says. “They are becoming established with increasing frequency in recent years because of international travel and changes in climate.”
Return on investment
The U.S. farmer today gets a $19 return on every dollar spent on insecticides, according to the report.
“Insecticides are the first line of defense, Gianessi says. “They are available, they will provide a high level of control and it does allow time for research to look into alternatives if they are needed.”
The soybean aphid first was detected in the United States in 2000. Before then, soybean growers typically had been successful at managing insects through biological controls.
“But when this pest came in, it overwhelmed everything in the fields,” he says.
Soybean yields were lowered by 45 percent in some fields. The industry responded, and today, there a number of controls available for controlling the aphid. According to the study, 14 percent of soybean acres nationwide now are being treated.
The returns are there, whether insecticides are being used on fruits, vegetables or grains, Gianessi says.
“Wheat growers spend $23 million on insecticides, and they get $462 million in production value,” he says. “They get $20 back for every one spent on insecticides.”
Without insecticides, U.S. crop production would be much lower, the report states.
“In our report, most fruits and vegetables, we would lose well over 50 percent,” he says. “For apples, we estimate a total loss of 93 percent.”
The report estimates that 29 percent of potatoes would be lost, and 11 billion pounds of soybeans never would leave the field. In all, 10 percent of the U.S. crop would fail without protection from insecticides.
“These numbers are mind boggling,” Gianessi says.
The report has been delivered to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Projected crop loss without insecticides
- Minnesota: $501 million to $978 million.
- North Dakota: $259 million to $500 million.
- Montana, South Dakota: less than $259 million each.
U.S. wheat
- Insecticide cost: $23 million.
-Crop loss prevented: $462 million.
- Return ratio: $20.
All U.S. crops
- Insecticide cost: $1.17 billion.
- Production loss prevented: $22.9 billion.
- Return ratio: $19.