Pesticides

New pesticides will modify insect genes: what could go wrong?

If the Environmental Protection Agency approves commercialization of a new GM pesticide, the result will be an open-air genetic experiment—that could “silence” essential survival genes for insects on contact or through ingesting sprayed crops. In addition, risks to farmworkers and rural communities would be triggered. “Once gene-silencing agents are released into the environment, there’s no […]

Pesticide residues discovered in organically managed soils

A recent study in Environmental Science & Technology has found pesticides in all of the screened organic fields, 40 in total. An analytical method containing 46 pesticides (16 herbicides, 8 herbicide transformation products, 17 fungicides, seven insecticides) was used on 100 total fields, 60 of them under conventional management and 40 under organic. The number […]

Are glyphosate-based herbicides poisoning us and the environment?

by Patrick Holden  A new study, published on 27th January in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, conducted by an international team of scientists led by Dr. Michael Antoniou of Kings College London, found that exposure to glyphosate and its commercial Roundup formulation can disrupt the function of gut microbiome (bacteria and fungi) and internal body systems with […]

Wasps as an effective pest control for agriculture

Common wasp species could be valuable at sustainably managing crop pests, finds a new University College London (UCL)-led experimental study in Brazil. The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that social wasps are effective predators that can manage pests on two high-value crops, corn and sugarcane. As wasps are found all over the globe, […]

Soybean growers look beyond chemicals to fight weeds

As weeds have developed resistance to Roundup herbicide, farmers are looking at non-chemical methods such as cover crops and even hand-weeding to control weeds. Illinois farmers John Werries and his son Dean started planting cover crops seven years ago to prevent soil erosion on their farm. But in recent years, they’ve discovered that their cereal […]