Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Reducing Pesticide Residues in Crops and Natural Resources
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Reducing Pesticide Residues in Crops and Natural Resources G. V. Ranga Rao, B. Ratna Kumari, K. L. Sahrawat and S. P. Wani Abstract Investigation on the pesticide residues during 2006–2009 in various crops and natural resources (soil and water) in the study village (Kothapally, Telangana State (TS)) indicated the presence of a wide range of insecticidal residues. Pooled data of the 80 food crop and cotton samples, two rice grain samples (3 %) showed beta endosulfan residues, and two (3 %) soil samples showed alpha and beta endosulfan residues. In vegetables of the 75 tomato samples, 26 (35 %) were found contaminated with residues of which 4 % had residues above MRLs. Among the 80 brinjal samples, 46 (56 %) had residues, of these 4 % samples had residues above MRLs. Only 13 soil samples from vegetable fields were found contaminated. The frequency of contamination in brinjal fields was high and none of the pulses and cotton samples revealed any pesticide contamination. IPM fields showed substan- tial reduction sprays which in-turn reflected in lower residues. Initial stud- ies on water analysis indicated the presence of residues in all water sources with higher in bore wells compared to open wells, however, by 2009 the water bodies reflected no residues above the detectable level. Keywords IPM · Natural Resources · Residues productivity on a sustained basis. With the advent Introduction and adoption of improved technologies such as high-yielding crop varieties and the use of fer- Ever increasing demand for food, feed, and fiber, tilizers and pesticides, considerable progress has due to increased population, requires increased been achieved in boosting agricultural produc- tion (Foley 2011). However, during this process of enhancing productivity, the use of agrochemi- G. V. Ranga Rao () · B. R. Kumari · K. L. Sahrawat · cals became an integral part of the present day S. P. Wani agriculture. Globally, approximately 2.5 million International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Telangana State, 502 324 India tons of pesticides are used annually in agricul- e-mail: [email protected] ture. Latest information on pesticide use across A. K. Chakravarthy (ed.), New Horizons in Insect Science: Towards Sustainable Pest Management, 397 DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2089-3_35, © Springer India 2015 398 G. V. Ranga Rao et al. the world clearly indicated an increase from engineering’, together with genetic improvement about US$7 billion to US$12 billion from 2000 of new crop varieties, will enhance the durability to 2012 with a similar trend across the globe of the pest-resistant cultivars (conventional and (Plumer 2013). GM). The IPM will also promote compatibility Worldwide, approximately 9000 species of with the use of semio-chemicals, bio-pesticides, insects and mites, 50,000 species of plant patho- precision pest monitoring tools, and rapid diag- gens, and 8000 species of weeds damage crops. nostics. These combined strategies are urgently Insect pests cause an estimated loss of 14 %, plant needed; and are best achieved via multi-disci- pathogens cause 13 % loss, and weeds cause plinary research, including complex spatio-tem- another 13 % loss (Pimentel 2009). Pesticides poral modeling at the farm and landscape scales. use is indispensable in agricultural production. Integrative and synergistic use of existing and About one-third of the agricultural products are new IPM technologies will help meet the future produced by using pesticides. Without pesticide food needs more sustainably in the developed application, the loss of fruits, vegetables, and ce- and developing countries. The aim of this chapter reals from pest injury would reach 78, 54, and is to provide further evidence to show that IPM 32 %, respectively 2008). In view of the world’s indeed can reduce pesticide use without sacrific- limited croplands and growing population; it is ing the yields of the major crops studied. necessary to take all measures to increase crop production in order to ensure food safety (Zhang et al. 2011). On the other hand, Knutson and other Status on Pesticide Related Issues researchers pointed out that if the consumption of pesticides is prohibited, the food production in There have been many studies on determining the USA would drop sharply and the food prices the ill effects of pesticide exposure (McCauley would soar. et al. 2006). The World Health Organization and Drivers of food security and crop protection the UN Environment Programme estimate that issues are discussed relative to food losses caused each year, 3 million farm workers in the develop- by pests. Insect pests globally consume food es- ing world experience severe pesticide poisoning timated to feed an additional one billion people. of whom about 18,000 were fatal (Miller 2004). Key drivers include rapid human population in- A study with 23 school children who were shifted crease, climate variability, loss of beneficial on- to organic food from normal diet, a dramatic re- farm biodiversity, reduction in per capita cropped duction in the levels of organo-phosphorus pes- land, and water shortages. The use of integrated ticides in their system was observed (Lu et al. pest management (IPM) in agriculture is urgently 2006). needed, and is also being widely adopted glob- Excessive and non-judicious use of insecti- ally. IPM offers a ‘toolbox’ of complementary cides has led to the degradation of environmental crop- and region-specific crop protection solu- quality, pest resistance, pest resurgence and the tions to address these rising pressures. IPM aims contamination of agricultural products and natu- for more sustainable solutions by using comple- ral resources. Most of the studies on pesticides mentary technologies. The applied research chal- conducted in Asia reflect the presence of pesti- lenge now is to reduce selection pressure on sin- cide residues in significant amounts in food and gle solution strategies, by creating additive/syn- agricultural commodities, and pesticide pollution ergistic interactions between IPM components. does exist in the country; and is a cause of con- IPM is compatible with organic, conventional, cern for public health (Kumari et al. 2002, 2003, and genetically modified (GM) cropping systems 2004, 2005, 2006). Pesticides applied to the soil and is flexible, allowing regional fine-tuning. It or that eventually end in the soil in agricultur- reduces the pest levels below economic thresh- al areas can contribute to the contamination of olds utilizing key ‘ecological services’, particu- surface and ground waters (Gilliom et al. 2006; larly bio-control. Landscape scale ‘ecological McMahon et al. 2006). Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Reducing Pesticide Residues in Crops and Natural Resources 399 Information from India showed that about eco-preservation and human health as well. The 51 % of the food material is contaminated with necessity of pesticide residue analysis in vari- residues in comparison to 21 % worldwide, of ous agro-based commodities has become more which 20 % were above MRL prescribed by FAO relevant in the present context. Implementation standards (Anon 1999). The contaminated food is of IPM strategies will help to reduce the depen- generally not discarded in the developing coun- dence on toxic pesticides associated with agricul- tries, but enters the food chain out of ignorance, ture to enhance productivity of healthy products innocence and equally importantly out of lack of and profitability. affordability by the consumers. Lack of aware- The chemical residues from the soil find their ness of the consequence of pesticide- contaminat- way to the aquatic systems or get accumulated in ed food could be one of the reasons for increased the plant products (grain, root, stem etc.). Farmer incidences of cancers in developing world. Be- field schools organized in India on cotton situa- sides the damage to human health, an indiscrimi- tion brought out the importance of IPM in reduc- nate use of chemical pesticides adversely affects ing pesticide-induced risks at the farm level with- the natural bio-diversity that results in the reduc- out sacrificing the yields (Mancini 2006). The tion of natural enemies (Ranga Rao et al. 2005). constraints in the adoption of protective clothing Exposure of humans to the hazardous chemi- in tropics were discussed by Kishi (2005). cals directly in the fields and indirectly through contaminated diet resulted in the occurrence of residues of organo-chlorines in human blood Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (3.3–6.3 mg per L) and milk (3.2–4.6 mg per L) samples from lactating women. High levels of Globally, there is an increasing pressure on the pesticide residues (15–605 times) were observed agriculture sector to produce more food to meet in blood samples of cotton farmers from four vil- increased demand of the growing populations all lages in Punjab (Anon, 2005). In the past few around the world. This has increased the need decades with the benefits of synthetic pesticides for intensive plant protection with increased use being clearly recognized, the usage has steadily of pesticides, leading to complex environmental increased from 2.2 g ha−1 active ingredient (a.i.) implications. Several national and international in 1950 (David 1995) to 381 g ha−1 by 2007 i.e., agencies and nongovernmental organizations are about 270- fold increase (Anon 2009). presently engaged in supporting research and the Various inappropriate practices in the use of use of eco-friendly approaches for crop protec- pesticides cause possible poisoning symptoms tion practices for the sustainable environment. generally among farmers who do not wear pro- The basic concept of IPM is the containment tective clothing (Ntow et al. 2006). Perceptions of pests below economically damaging levels, by farmers of pesticide efficacy were found to using a combination of control measures. Two play a major role in farmers’ behavior towards fundamental principles are: (1) that as individual the use of pesticides and the adoption of alterna- pest control methods are often not successful tive methods of pest control such as IPM (Hash- alone and (2) that pests only need to be managed emi and Damalas 2010).