Agronomía Costarricense ISSN: 0377-9424 [email protected] Universidad de Costa Rica Costa Rica Vargas, Ronald Biodiversity in humid tropical banana plantations where there has been long-term use of crop protection products Agronomía Costarricense, vol. 30, núm. 2, julio-diciembre, 2006, pp. 83-109 Universidad de Costa Rica San José, Costa Rica Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=43630207 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Agronomía Costarricense 30(2): 83-109. ISSN:0377-9424 / 2006 www.mag.go.cr/rev agr/inicio.htm www.cia.ucr.ac.cr Analysis and Comment BIODIVERSITY IN HUMID TROPICAL BANANA PLANTATIONS WHERE THERE HAS BEEN LONG-TERM USE OF CROP PROTECTION PRODUCTS Ronald Vargas1/ Palabras clave: Banano, productos para la protección de los cultivos, pájaros, actividad microbiana del suelo, insectos, áreas reforestadas, áreas de conservación. Keywords: Bananas, crop protection products, birds, soil microbial activity, insects, reforested areas and conservation areas. Recibido: 01/03/06 Aceptado: 08/10/06 RESUMEN ABSTRACT La biodiversidad en plantaciones de Bananas, like any agricultural crop, banano del trópico húmedo, donde han sido are affected by pests and diseases that require usados compuestos fitosanitarios por períodos chemical control to prevent crop losses, to prolongados. El cultivo del banano, es afectado maintain quality standards for the consumer por plagas y enfermedades que requieren para market, and to meet phytosanitary requirements su control de compuestos fitosanitarios. Entre of importing countries. Among the crop los compuestos fitosanitarios se cita: fungicidas, protection products applied are: specific and broad nematicidas, insecticidas y herbicidas. En Costa spectrum fungicides, nematicides, insecticides Rica, el público y la comunidad ambientalista and herbicides (contact and systemic). In Costa comúnmente asumen que el impacto de estos Rica, with more than 130 years of banana compuestos es severo. Por esto, las industrias cultivation, both the public and the environmental bananera y de compuestos fitosanitarios han community commonly assume that the impact sido fuertemente criticadas, asumiendo que se of these products is severe. Banana and crop generan impactos negativos en la fauna que protection product industries have been heavily habita dentro o cerca de las plantaciones comer- criticized, assuming that faunal communities are ciales. El presente trabajo resume los resultados negatively affected. However, research results publicados en relación con el impacto biológico do not support this criticism. The present paper causado por la utilización de diferentes compues- summarizes recent published literature stressing tos fitosanitarios usados dentro de las áreas culti- the relative biological impact of the different vadas, así como el efecto del establecimiento de types of crop protection products used within áreas de protección y reforestación alrededor de cultivated areas, and the effects of protected and las plantaciones bananeras. Se señala la necesi- reforested areas surrounding banana cultivated dad de implementar Buenas Prácticas Agrícolas, areas. It stresses the necessity to consider Good incluyendo el Manejo Integrado de Plagas como Agricultural Practices (GAP) involving Integrated mecanismo de uso sostenible de los compuestos Pest Management (IPM) for sustainable use of fitosanitarios, en aras de reducir al máximo los crop protection products without harmful side- posibles efectos colaterales, junto con las prác- effects, along with conservation or reforestation ticas de conservación y reforestación de vías de practices to protect waterways and farm limits. agua y linderos de finca. También se establece It also establishes an impact categorization una categorización de los compuestos usados, for crop protection products based on the 1/ FMS Bioindustrial S.A. Heredia, Costa Rica. Correo electrónico: agriban @ice.co.cr 84 AGRONOMÍA COSTARRICENSE con base en los indicadores biológicos analizados, biological indicators analyzed, from less harmful de menor a mayor riesgo de impacto: herbicidas< to potentially more impacting compounds, as fungicidas< insecticidas < nematicidas. follows: herbicides< fungicides< insecticides < nematicides. INTRODUCTION Chlorpyrifos impregnated bags are normally used from bunch emergence to harvesting (i.e. The principal environmental issues that approximately 12 weeks). Bunch bagging takes have been highlighted in association with banana place 3 times a week, since plantations are production are: use of crop protection products; managed as a perennial crop in which different biodiversity; deforestation; and waste generation development plant stages are intermingled to (Corbana and Latin American Crop Protection optimized constant supply of fruit. Recently, Association 1999). new alternatives for bunch protection (i.e. bags Banana cultivation in Costa Rica, and in impregnated with pyrethroids and plant extracts the rest of the humid tropical regions, is based on showing novel insecticide properties and physical the monoculture of Cavendish varieties of Musa barriers to insect attack) have been evaluated AAA. Average plantation size ranges between (Corbana 2002). 150-250 ha, and planting material comes from In spite of the management efforts to suckers obtained from the same plantation or from have an even distribution of plants at field level, tissue culture of vegetative growing tips, which sunlight reaches the understory stimulating weed stands as the most commonly applied technology germination and growth. Weeds are competitors for planting new areas, or replanting large areas for the nutrients applied through conventional that have shown signs of poor spatial distribution inorganic fertilizers. Above a density threshold, of plants and severe pest and disease infestations. weeds affect other agricultural practices and Humid tropical lowlands are characterized favor black Sigatoka disease incidence (Marín by high rainfall and high temperature regimes. and Romero 1992). However, weeds could also Both conditions, plus monoculture, are conducive be viewed in bananas as an important element for to severe attacks by disease and pests. Among protection against soil erosion, habitat, and food them, the most important commercially sources for the natural enemies of banana pests. occurring disease is the black Sigatoka leaf- Weed management in bananas is normally spot disease (Mycosphaerella fijienses Morelet); done based on weed incidence and ground which requires weekly applications of fungicide coverage by alternating mechanical and chemical mixtures consisting of triazoles, morpholins, weeding. Chemical management is achieved with thiabendazoles, dithiocarbamates and the use of contact systemic and non-systemic strobilirubins (Romero 1995). Another important herbicides. Systemic herbicides have shown, in pest occurring is the burrowing nematode some cases and areas, some degree of broad leaf (Radopholus similis Cobb) for which 2-4 cycles weed selection. Along with traditional methods, of carbamate or organophosphate nematicides/ non-systemic contact herbicides can help insecticides are applied (Araya et al. 1995). Fruit indirectly erosion control and improve microbial bunches are also subject to attack by a myriad activity because remaining root systems bind of insects, which requires chemical protection soil and support a microbially rich and active to warrant fruit quality (Cubillo et al. 2001). rhizosphere, as well as not harming new daughter Agronomía Costarricense 30(2): 83-109. ISSN:0377-9424 / 2006 VARGAS: Biodiversity in humid tropical banana plantations 85 shoots of banana. These situations imply the use Evaluation sites of integrated weed control practices in which hand control and contact herbicides are used. Reported data came from studies conducted Traditionally, contact herbicides have played in typical commercial banana farms in the humid a key role in controlling weeds due to their tropical Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. In wide action spectrum and relative lower price some of the studies conducted 2 relatively low (Fernández 2004). input farms and 4 other tropical monocultures The impacts of intensive use of crop were used for comparative purposes: Macadamia protection products on biodiversity have been (Macadamia integrifolia); Heart of Palm difficult to demonstrate. Critics of the industry are “palmito” (Bactris gasipaes); Citrus (Citrus spp); very concern on the effects of these agrochemicals and Gmelina (Gmelina arborea) (Table 1). on the biota within banana plantations and in In conventionally managed banana the surrounding habitats (Matlock and De La Cruz principal crop protection products were fungicides 2003). As a result banana farms have been (25-35 applications year-1) to control mainly black regarded as “green deserts” (Corbana and Latin Sigatoka; herbicides (2-4 applications year-1); American Crop Protection Association 1999). nematicides (3-4 applications year-1); insecticides However, little formal study has been devoted to (impregnated bunch bags, 3 times week-1), and the effects of crop protection products (Matlock fertilizers (6-13 applications year-1). The full and De la Cruz 2002). details of pesticide applications are presented Recent research work done by several