Abstract
Intensive use of pesticides is common and increasing despite a growing and historically well documented awareness of the costs and hazards. The benefits from pesticides of increased yields from sufficient pest control may be outweighed by developed resistance in pests and killing of beneficial natural enemies. Other negative effects are human health problems and lower prices because of consumers' desire to buy organic products. Few studies have examined these trade-offs in the field. Here, we demonstrate that Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers may suffer economically by using insecticides as they get more damage by the main pest diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), at the same time as they spend economic resources on insecticides. Replicated similarly sized cabbage fields cultivated in a standardized manner were either treated with insecticides according common practice or not treated with insecticides over two seasons. Fields treated with insecticides suffered, compared with nontreated fields, equal or, at least in some periods of the seasons, higher diamondback moth pest attacks. These fields also had increased leaf damage on the harvested cabbage heads. Weight and size of the heads were not affected. The farmers received the same price on the local market irrespective of insecticide use. Rates of parasitized diamondback moth were consistently lower in the treated fields. Negative effects of using insecticides against diamondback moth were found for the density of parasitoids and generalist predatory wasps, and tended to affect spiders negatively. The observed increased leaf damages in insecticide-treated fields may be a combined consequence of insecticide resistance in the pest, and of lower predation and parasitization rates from naturally occurring predators that are suppressed by the insecticide applications. The results indicate biological control as a viable and economic alternative pest management strategy, something that may be particularly relevant for the production of cash crops in tropical countries where insecticide use is heavy and possibly increasing.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticide-treated cabbage fields had equal or sometimes higher diamondback moth attacks than untreated fields.
- Taxon
- cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitatae1 - Treatment
- insecticidese0
- Interactor
- diamondback moth
Plutella xylostellae0pest - Outcome
- diamondback moth pest attackse0
- Direction
- equal or, at least in some periods of the seasons, highere0
- Comparator
- nontreated fieldse0
- Setting
- Nicaraguane1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fields treated with insecticides suffered, compared with nontreated fields, equal or, at least in some periods of the seasons, higher diamondback moth pest attacks.”
e1“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
e2“diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticide-treated cabbage fields had increased leaf damage on harvested heads.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae0
- Organ / stage
- harvested cabbage headse0
- Treatment
- insecticidese1
- Interactor
- diamondback mothPlutella xylostellae2pest
- Outcome
- leaf damagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- nontreated fieldse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These fields also had increased leaf damage on the harvested cabbage heads.”
e1“Fields treated with insecticides suffered, compared with nontreated fields”
e2“diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticide treatment did not affect harvested cabbage head weight or size.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae2
- Treatment
- insecticidese1
- Outcome
- Weight and size of the headse0
- Direction
- not affectede0
- Comparator
- nontreated fieldse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Weight and size of the heads were not affected.”
e1“Fields treated with insecticides suffered, compared with nontreated fields”
e2“harvested cabbage heads”
Claim · model-written summary
Farmers received the same local market price regardless of insecticide use.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae1
- Outcome
- pricee0
- Direction
- samee0
- Setting
- local markete0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The farmers received the same price on the local market irrespective of insecticide use.”
e1“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitized diamondback moth rates were consistently lower in insecticide-treated fields.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae2
- Treatment
- insecticidese1
- Interactor
- diamondback mothPlutella xylostellae0pest
- Outcome
- Rates of parasitized diamondback mothe0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- nontreated fieldse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rates of parasitized diamondback moth were consistently lower in the treated fields.”
e1“Fields treated with insecticides suffered, compared with nontreated fields”
e2“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticides negatively affected parasitoid density in cabbage fields.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae1
- Treatment
- insecticidese0
- Interactor
- parasitoidse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- density of parasitoidse0
- Direction
- Negative effectse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Negative effects of using insecticides against diamondback moth were found for the density of parasitoids”
e1“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticides negatively affected generalist predatory wasps in cabbage fields.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae1
- Treatment
- insecticidese0
- Interactor
- generalist predatory waspse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- generalist predatory waspse0
- Direction
- Negative effectse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Negative effects of using insecticides against diamondback moth were found for the density of parasitoids and generalist predatory wasps”
e1“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
Insecticides tended to affect spiders negatively in cabbage fields.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae2
- Treatment
- insecticidese1
- Outcome
- spiderse0
- Direction
- negativelye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“tended to affect spiders negatively.”
e1“Negative effects of using insecticides against diamondback moth”
e2“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest increased cabbage leaf damage may result from pest resistance and reduced predation and parasitization after insecticide use.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae1
- Treatment
- insecticide applicationse0
- Outcome
- increased leaf damagese0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- insecticide resistance in the pest, and of lower predation and parasitization ratese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The observed increased leaf damages in insecticide-treated fields may be a combined consequence of insecticide resistance in the pest, and of lower predation and parasitization rates from naturally occurring predators that are suppressed by the insecticide applications.”
e1“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend biological control as a viable economic pest-management alternative for cabbage production.
- Taxon
- cabbageBrassica oleracea var. capitatae1
- Outcome
- biological control as a viable and economic alternative pest management strategye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The results indicate biological control as a viable and economic alternative pest management strategy”
e1“Nicaraguan cabbage (Brassica spp.) farmers”
The same questions in other papers
insecticide · growth · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- negative
insecticide · Plutella xylostella · Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
8 papers more in this group
See all 12 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.