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Pesticide Use Information for New York State | |
NAPIAP Survey - Field Corn - 1994 | |
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Table 38 shows the number of growers who experienced bird or other vertebrate problems with their corn crop in New York in 1994. The majority of growers did not experience bird or other vertebrate problems, but of the two, other vertebrates were more of a problem (46.1%) than birds (32.9%). Of the 91 growers who experienced bird and/or other vertebrate problems in 1994, 85 (93.4%) did not use chemicals to control the problem (Table 39). The other six used Avitrol for birds, and Havoc or Starlicide for other vertebrates.
Non-chemical control was used for control of birds and/or other vertebrates more often than chemical control (Table 40). Fifty-two (57.1%) of the growers who had bird and/or other vertebrate problems did not use any non- chemical control. The most common non-chemical method used was shooting, used by 38.5% of growers experiencing problems.
According to the New York State Pesticide Applicators Training Manual (PAT manual), calibration of equipment is the first step in controlling pesticide applications. Calibration should occur often to ensure the proper amount of chemical is being applied. Table 41 shows the frequency of calibration of pesticide application equipment by New York field corn growers. One hundred and forty-four growers answered this question by indicating "once a season" as their most common response.
Storage of pesticides should occur, if possible, in a separate building designated only for pesticides. If this is not possible, then a wing or corner on the first floor of a building should be used (PAT manual, 1990). The area where pesticides are stored should be locked or secured in some way. Pesticides should be stored in their original containers with the labels intact. Herbicides should be stored separately from other pesticides and non- pesticide materials, as some can vaporize and get into other material nearby, thus causing contamination. Three quarters of New York State growers in this survey indicated that they stored pesticides "only in original containers" (Table 42). Fifty-eight percent stored them in a "pesticide only" location with two-thirds of them locked. Only 10% stored them with non-pesticide materials.
Disposal is a two-fold problem: unwanted or unused pesticides, and empty pesticide containers. According to the PAT manual, disposal of unwanted/unused pesticides can be done in several ways: (a) factory-sealed pesticides may be returned to the manufacturer, (b) excess pesticide mixture can be sprayed on another labeled site where the same pest problem is, or (c) they can be picked up at "Pesticide Clean Up Days." Sixty percent of New York growers answered the question "carryover unused pesticides to the next season", 22.9% "return them to the manufacturer", and 22.9% "do not have any" (Table 43).
Empty pesticide containers are never completely "empty." They still contain small amounts of pesticide even after rinsing (PAT manual, 1990). Containers should be separated into "burnable," "non-burnable" and those that contain mercury, lead, cadmium, or inorganic pesticides. The PAT manual gives these rules:
New York growers disposed of empty pesticide containers in all of the above ways (Table 44). The most common method (54.5%) was by burning. Three of the six growers who used 2,4-D weed killers used this method. One-third disposed of empty containers in a landfill after triple-rinsing.
In order to purchase restricted-use pesticides, the purchaser must be a certified pesticide applicator. Many of the herbicides used by field corn growers are restricted-use pesticides, including all of the triazine herbicides. Eighty-two percent of the growers surveyed indicated they were certified pesticide applicators (Table 45).
Table 46 shows what the cost per acre for chemical pest control was in 1994. The average cost was approximately $12.65/acre. The fact that 13 growers indicated they spent nothing on chemical pest control indicates that growers are confused as to what "chemical pest control" means. Only one grower used absolutely no pesticides at all, so that grower should have been the only one to answer "$0". Many growers indicated that they "do not use pesticides, only herbicides." This is a common misconception. Many people think that pesticides refer only to insecticides.
Table 47 shows who recommends, or what assists New York growers in deciding which pesticide(s) to use on their field corn. The three most common responses were "farm supply dealer" (49.0%), "past success with product" (47.6%), and "Cooperative Extension agent/specialist" (44.1%).
As previously mentioned, groundwater contamination is a big concern, especially with the triazine herbicides being used so predominantly by field corn growers. According to Hirschi, et. al., 1993, determining your soil's potential for leaching, your pesticide's potential for leaching, and the soil- pesticide interaction rating are three ways farmers can protect their groundwater. One way to do these three things is to use the National Pesticide/Soils Database and User Decision Support System for Risk Assessment of Ground and Surface Water Contamination (NPURG). NPURG is a computerized information delivery system which can be used to analyze the potential for pesticides to move below the root zone and beyond the edge of a field. NPURG generates farm-specific printouts of the relative rankings of leaching and surface runoff potentials for each pesticide/soil combination. Table 48 indicates that only one-quarter of the growers surveyed are aware of NPURG or other soil/pesticide interaction programs, and only eight percent are working with the Soil Conservation Service on such a program.
It is recommended, for maximum corn production and sustained soil productivity, corn should be rotated out of a field after three years (Cornell Field Crops and Soils Handbook). Table 49 indicates that the average number of years any one field on New York farms remains in field corn is 3.2 +/- 1.4.
There are many non-chemical pest control methods available to field corn growers. Cultural methods suggested for control of weeds as recommended in the Cornell Field Crops and Soils Handbook, and the "Long Range Plan for New York State Integrated Pest Management Program" are as follows:
Only 64 growers (38.3%) surveyed indicated that they used some non- chemical method to control weeds in 1994 (Table 50). Crop rotation was stated as the non-chemical method used most often to control weeds. It was used on 5,704.3 acres (31.4 % of total acreage surveyed). Eight of the growers estimated an average yield gain of 14.7% by rotating crops. According to the "Long Range Plan," crop rotation may shift the weed spectrum in a given field, but it cannot be relied upon for economical weed control in that field. The methods recommended above were used by New York field corn growers as follows:
The recommended cultural methods for the control of insects are as follows:
Only 27 (16.2%) growers indicated they used some form of non-chemical control for insects (Table 51). The most common method was crop rotation (12% of growers, 10.0% of total acreage surveyed) which is the method that is most recommended, and can virtually eliminate the incidence of corn rootworm in field corn. Eight growers estimated an average yield gain of 9.1% through the use of crop rotation as an insect control technique. The other two recommended methods, timely planting and timely harvest were used by 1.2% and 3.6% of growers on 0.4% and 0.03% of surveyed acreage, respectively.
The recommended cultural methods for control of diseases of field corn are as follows:
Only 19 (11.4%) growers indicated they used some non-chemical method to control diseases in 1994 (Table 52). As with insect control, the method used on the greatest number of acres (13.7%) by the growers surveyed, was also the one most highly recommended: resistant varieties. The rest of the recommended methods were used as follows:
