RESULTS

Total Acres Treated with Pesticides

The reported pesticide treated acres in Tables 1A, 2 and 3 indicate acres that received one or more applications of a pesticide. The treated acres in Tables 4 through 21 include multiple applications to the same acreage as separate values in the total, and pesticides applied as a tank mixture were totaled separately unless a commercial premix was used. Thus, acres treated in Tables 4 through 21 can exceed 100% of the planted acres.  See list of tables.

Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides were applied one or more times to 18.8, 1.3, and 0.6 million acres, respectively, in 1996 (Table 1A), 17.6, 0.9, and 0.6 million acres, respectively, in 1992 (Table 1B), 17.4, 1.8, and 0.4 million acres, respectively, in 1989 (Table 1C), and 17.5, 2.5, and 0.5 million acres, respectively, in 1984 (Table 1D). In 1996, herbicides were applied to approximately 47.3% of all crop, pasture, hay, CRP, and summer fallow land, insecticides to 3.2%, and fungicides to 1.6%. In 1992, herbicides were applied to approximately 43.1% of all crop, pasture, hay, CRP, and summer fallow land, insecticides to 2.1%, and fungicides to 1.4%.

Acres planted to treated seed totaled 9.83 million, with 100% of sugarbeet, 84.3% of dry bean, 79.4% of corn, 76.5% of sunflower, 76.2% of canola, 61.9% of potato, 50.9% of barley, 45.3% of wheat, and 9.5% of soybean acreage planted with treated seed. All percentages, except for sugarbeet, represent a reduction in amount of acreage planted to treated seed since the 1992 survey⁴. Acres planted to on-farm treated seed totaled 6.41 million in 1996 (Table 1A), indicating that a majority of treated seed planted is treated on the farm. On-farm treatment is most common for seed of wheat, barley, and potato. Oat seed is seldom treated, but the majority of treatment that does occur is on-farm. Seed of corn, sunflower, canola, dry bean, and sugarbeet is generally purchased already treated (Table 1A).

Total acres treated at least once with herbicides was 18,765,000 in 1996, 17,573,200 in 1992, 17,368,600 in 1989, and 17,539,800 in 1984 (Tables 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D) indicating that acres treated at least once with herbicides increased by over one million acres in 1996 but has remained relatively stable over the past twelve years. However, when multiple herbicide applications were totaled as multiple acres, herbicide treated acres increased from 24,819,300 in 1984, to 27,674,700 in 1989, to 28,777,400 in 1992, to 33,691,700 in 1996 (Tables 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D). The percentage of acres treated at least once with herbicides in 1992 and 1996 was over 90% for wheat, barley, corn, sunflower, soybean, dry bean, and sugarbeet (Table 1A and 1B). Acres treated were less than 2% for alfalfa hay, other hay, pasture, and CRP. Percentage of acres treated for individual crops has remained relatively constant across years (Tables 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D). Two notable changes were an 8% decline in treated oat and a 13% decrease in treated potato acreage from 1992 to 1996.

Insecticides were used on 1.26 million acres, 0.4 million more acres in 1996 than in 1992. Even with the increase, insecticide treated acres represented only 3.2% of the total agricultural acreage in 1996, less than the 6.3% and 4.5% treated acres reported in surveys from 1984 and 1989, respectively. Insecticide treatments applied on 0.5 million acres of wheat for the control of the orange wheat blossom midge account for a major portion of the increase in treated acres from 1992. Crops with the greatest insecticide use rate were potato, sugarbeet, sunflower, corn, canola, wheat, and soybean, with insecticide applications on 74.4%, 39.8%, 34.4%, 6.2%, 8.2%, 4.3%, and 1.5% of the acres, respectively. These crops accounted for 98.8% of the total insecticide treated acreage in ND. Though a small percent, 4.3%, of the wheat crop was treated, wheat represented 43.6% of the total treated acres. Sunflower acres made up 32.7% of the total insecticide treated acres. Potato had the greatest percent of acres treated at 74.4%, but represents only 8% of the total treated acres.

Total acreage treated with fungicide, exclusive of seed treatment, remained relatively constant with 1.6% in 1996 compared to 1.4% in 1992, of total cropland treated at least once.

Acres Treated According to Agricultural Statistics Districts

North Dakota has nine agricultural statistics districts (Appendix B). Summaries of pesticide usage by district are given in Table 2. The largest percentages of acreage planted to treated seed and treated with herbicides, insecticides and fungicides were in the northeast and east central districts. These two districts also have some of the largest acreage planted to wheat, barley, sunflower, soybean, dry bean, potato and sugarbeet crops (Table 3).

Summaries of pesticide usage per crop by district are given in Table 3. Herbicide usage on wheat ranged from 80% of the acreage in the south central to 97% in the northeast district. Acres treated with herbicides were over 90% in six of the nine districts. Insecticide usage on wheat ranged from less than 0.1% in the southeast, to a high of 14.7% in the northeast. Districts impacted by orange wheat blossom midge accounted for 91% of the total treated wheat acres. Fungicide usage on wheat ranged from less than 0.1% in the northwest, west central, southwest and south central districts, to 10.7% of wheat acreage treated in the northeast district.

Herbicide usage on barley ranged from 65% of the acreage in the south central to 97% in the northwest district. Acres treated with herbicides were over 80% in seven of the nine districts. Insecticide usage on barley was less than 1% of the acres in all districts, except for the northeast where 1.8% of the acres were treated. Fungicide usage on barley ranged from less than 0.1% in the northwest, west central, southwest and south central districts, to 8.8% of acreage treated in the northeast district.

Herbicide usage on oat was less than on wheat and barley in all districts. Usage ranged from 23% of the acreage in the south central to 65% in the east central district. Herbicide usage on flax varied from less than 0.1% in the south central to 99% in the east central district. Insecticide usage on oat occurred in the southwest district where 4.5% of the acres were treated.

Herbicide usage on corn ranged from 27 to 90% of the acreage in the three east districts, from 49 to 70% in the three west districts. Insecticide usage on corn ranged from 1.6% in the east central to 17.2% in the north central districts. Most of the treated acres were located in the southeast district, representing 79% of the total treated acres.

More than 82% of the sunflower acres were treated with herbicides in all districts. Statewide, 34.4% of the sunflower acres were treated with insecticide. By district, an average of 37.8% of the acres were treated with a range of 25.5 to 54.5%. Eighty-two percent of the sunflower acres are planted in the northeast, central, east central, and southeast districts.

More than 94% of the soybean acres were treated with herbicides in all districts that had a significant soybean acreage. Insecticide usage on soybean normally is a small percentage. Only 1.5% of the acres were treated with insecticide, a similar level to previously surveyed years.

More than 93% of the dry bean acres were treated with herbicide in all districts that had a significant dry bean acreage. Insecticides were applied on only 0.3% of the acres statewide. Treated acreage was divided equally between the north central, northeast, and southeast districts. Fungicides were used on dry bean, with 8.0%, 8.2% and 9.2% of the acreage treated in the northeast, west central and southeast districts, respectively.

More than 75% of the canola acres were treated with herbicide in all nine districts. Usage varied from 42% in the east central district to 100% in the southwest and south central districts.

Herbicides were used on 36% of the potato acreage in the northeast district, on 21% in the east central, but on greater than 95% in the north central, central, southwest, and southeast. Seventy-eight percent of the potato acreage is located in the northeast district. In 1996, only 76.5% of the acres in the northeast were estimated to have been treated with insecticide, down from 95.6% estimated in the 1992 survey. Statewide, 74.4% of the acres were treated, compared to 96.9%, 94.4%, and 95.6% in 1984, 1989, and 1992, respectively. In the central district, a new potato production area, only 11.4% of the 6,000 acres were treated, compared to the average of 89% for all other districts.

Herbicide usage was over 94% in all districts where sugarbeet was produced. Insecticide usage on sugarbeet in the districts where sugarbeet are planted ranged from 48.0% in the Southeast district to 83.1% in the East Central district. Statewide, 39.8% of the sugarbeet acres were treated with insecticide, down from 71.3% reported in the 1992 survey. The southeast district had the lowest treatment rate at 5.4%. The west central district had the highest treatment rate at 82.4%, but represents only 4% of the statewide acreage. The east central and southeast districts had the greatest percentages of sugarbeet acres treated with fungicides, 47.7% and 55.3%, respectively.

Herbicide use on alfalfa and other hay was very small, from zero to 5% of the acreage among the districts. Insecticide treated acres were only 0.5% of the 2.9 million acres. Seventy-five percent of the treated acres were alfalfa in the north central and west central districts.

Herbicide usage on pasture ranged from 0.4% in the west central district to 7% in the north central district. Usage was less than 1% in four districts. No acres of pasture were reported to have been treated with insecticide.

Herbicides were applied to 11% of the summer fallow acreage in the southeast and to 38% in the southwest, with other districts in between. The northwest had the greatest acreage on summer fallow. Very little usage of insecticides or fungicides was reported on summer fallow in any district.

Herbicides were used on 0.1 to 5% of the CRP acreage, reported in districts. Highest herbicide usage was reported by the northeast district, possibly due to perennial weed infestations. Insecticides were used on 2.6 and 2.4% of the CRP acreage in the East and North Central districts. Insecticides were used on less than 1% of the CRP acreage in the remaining districts.

On-Farm Seed Treatment, by Crop

Table 1A provides information on acres planted with treated seed, regardless if treatment was with a single, several, or a possible mixture of products. Data in Table 4 indicate acreage of individual crops planted to seed that was treated on-farm with single, several, or combinations of products. For wheat, 41.8% of the acreage was planted to seed treated on-farm, with maneb + lindane as the individual seed treatment product used on the most acres, 13.2% of the acreage treated (Table 4). Carboxin treatment was used for 9.5% of the acreage and carboxin + thiram on 9.1% of the acreage (Table 4). The grain auger method was used to treat 78.9% of the on-farm treated wheat. Insecticide seed treatments were used on 41% of the seed treated acres. Lindane was the seed treatment insecticide used on 99% of the seed treated acres.

Barley seed was treated on-farm for 45.2% of the acres (Table 4). The most frequently used treatments were products containing carboxin, with 15.0% of the acreage planted to seed treated with carboxin alone, and 10.3% planted with carboxin + thiram treatment. Maneb + lindane was used on seed planted for 12.2% of the barley acreage (Table 4). The grain auger method was used for 81.5% of the on-farm seed treatment of barley. Lindane was the only insecticide used to treat barley seed. It was used on 36% of the seed treated barley acres.

On-farm seed treatment was used for 6.7% of the oat acreage, 2.0% of the flax acreage, and 2.9% of the soybean acreage (Table 4). Maneb + lindane was the most frequently used product for oats and flax, while carboxin + thiram was most frequently used for soybean on-farm treatment. For potato, 46% of the acres seeded were seeded with on-farm treated seed (Table 4). Products most commonly used on-farm for potato included mancozeb or maneb + streptomycin + bark.    Lindane was the insecticide seed treatment used on 48%, 75%, and 10.5% of the treated oat, flax, and soybean acres, respectively.

Over all the crops treated on-farm, 2.02 million acres were planted with seed that had been treated with maneb fungicide + lindane insecticide (Table 5), while 1.61 million acres had seed treated with carboxin fungicide alone, and another 1.46 million acres had seed treated with carboxin + thiram fungicide. Other acreage also were planted with seed treated on the farm with maneb or carboxin in combination with other products (Table 5). Carboxin alone or in combination was used on seed planted to 3.74 million acres (compared to 3.05 million in 1992), and maneb alone or in combination was used on seed planted to 2.30 million acres (compared to 2.38 million in 1992). Seed treatment products reported in 1996 that had not been reported in 1992 include benomyl and difenoconazole. Seed treatment also included use of insecticide products such as diazinon, chlorpyrifos, or lindane, either alone or in combination with fungicides.

This site was last updated on November 14, 2002