PESTICIDE USAGE ON CROPS, PASTURE, SUMMER FALLOW, AND CRP IN NORTH DAKOTA, 1996

Acres treated values in Tables 6 through 21 often exceed the acres treated in Table 1A because multiple applications to the same acreage were totaled as separate values and pesticides applied as a tank mixture were totaled separately unless a commercial mix was used. Acres treated in Table 1A were acres that received one or more applications of pesticide. Percent acres treated are presented as an aid to compare among years and crops. Tables 6 through 20 contain data on individual pesticides used, number of applications, and application methods in major crops, pasture land, summer fallow and CRP for 1996. Pesticides are listed by common name only. Common and trade names of individual pesticides are presented in Appendix C.

WHEAT 2,4-D was applied to 50% of the wheat acreage in 1996 (Table 6), compared to 52% in 1992, 55% in 1989, and 64% in 1984. MCPA was applied to 16% of the acres in 1996, compared to 19% in 1992, and to 28% in 1989. Dicamba was applied to 29% of the acres in 1996, compared to 26% of the acres in 1992, and 22% in 1989. Trifluralin was applied to 8% of the wheat acreage in 1996 compared to 12% in 1992, 18% in 1989 and 16% in 1984. Wheat acreage treated with sulfonylurea type herbicides (metsulfuron, thifensulfuron, triasulfuron, and tribenuron) was 32% in 1996, and was greater than the approximately 21% in 1992 and 1989. Postemergence grass control herbicides were applied to 29% of the wheat acreage, greater than the 14% reported in 1992. The farm operator applied 88% of the herbicides to wheat and 93% was applied by ground equipment, which was the same as in 1992.

Insecticides were applied on 4% of the wheat acreage in 1996. In the past, insecticide usage on wheat acres has been strongly influenced by regional outbreaks of grasshoppers. In 1996, the orange wheat blossom midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana, had a significant influence on insecticide usage. An estimated 0.5 million acres were treated with chlorpyrifos to manage this pest. Other products used and the percent of treated acres were: lambda cyhalothrin (0.3%), carbofuran (0.2%), carbaryl (0.1%), and ethyl parathion (0.1%). The most frequent target pests for these products included grasshoppers and cereal aphids. Aerial application accounted for an average of 78% of all treatments.

BARLEY 2,4-D was applied to 45% of the barley acreage in 1996 (Table 7), which is an decrease from 50% in 1992. MCPA was applied to 23% of the barley acreage in 1996 which was the same as in 1992 but less as compared to 33% in 1989. Sulfonylurea herbicides were applied to 30% of the barley acreage and trifluralin to 8%. The farm operator with ground equipment applied over 90% of herbicides on barley.

Insecticides were applied to an estimated 0.8% of the acres. Four insecticides were reportedly used on barley. Chlorpyrifos was reported on 0.5% on those acres. This use was likely due to concerns over problems associated with the orange wheat blossom midge, an insect that actually has little impact on barley. Other insecticides used included carbofuran and encapsulated methyl parathion targeted at barley thrips, grasshoppers, or cereal aphids.

OATS MCPA and 2,4-D each was applied to over 18% of oat acreage (Table 8). Dicamba was applied to 5% of the oat acreage. Total herbicide use on oat acreage declined from 61% in 1989 to 40% in 1992 but increased to 48% in 1996. The majority of herbicides on oat were applied once by the farmer with ground equipment.

Ethyl parathion was the only insecticide reported on oat. Only 0.7% of the total acres were treated. These acres were all in the southwest district. The target pest was grasshoppers.

FLAX Sethoxydim was applied to 38% of the flax acreage, MCPA was applied to 23% of the flax acreage and trifluralin to 12% (Table 9). About 95% of the applications were made by the farm operator with ground equipment. The survey reported no insecticide usage on flax. However, in 1996, a grasshopper outbreak in the southwest did prompt the treatment of flax with carbaryl and lambda cyhalothrin. The lambda cyhalothrin was approved under a Section 18 crisis exemption. Treated acres would have been less than 2% statewide between both products. Treatments were probably not accounted for by the survey due to the limited nature of the insect treatments to the southwest, where only 6% of the flax acres were grown.

CORN Nicosulfuron was applied to 39% of the corn acreage in 1996 which was an increase over the 25% usage in 1992 (Table 10). Dicamba was applied on 31% of the corn acres, bromoxynil was applied to 19% of corn acreage, acetochlor and EPTC each were applied to over 17% of corn acreage. Atrazine use declined from 10% of corn acreage in 1989 to 3% in 1992, then increased to 11% in 1996. Most corn herbicides were applied once by the farm operator with ground equipment.

Ten insecticides were used in corn during 1996. Only 6% of the corn acres were treated, similar to the 8% reported in the 1992 survey, but significantly lower than the 18% reported in 1984. Of the 56,000 acres treated, only twelve thousand (21% of the treated acres) were treated with the soil insecticides tefluthrin and terbufos (18% and 3% of the treated acres, respectively). Lambda cyhalothrin was the most common post emerge insecticide used, being applied to 57% of the treated acres (3.5% of the total acres statewide). The post emerge products were used primarily against the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis.

Terbufos was used on 7% of the corn acreage in 1989, but only on 2% of the corn acreage in 1992.  Tefluthrin replaced much of the terbufos use on corn because the herbicide, nicosulfuron, can be applied safely to corn treated with tefluthrin. Nicosulfuron severely injured corn previously treated with terbufos. Foliar application of benlate was reported on 1600 acres of corn (Table 10).

SUNFLOWER Trifluralin was applied to 35% of the sunflower acres in 1996 while ethalfluralin was applied to 43%, compared to 46% and 41%, respectively in 1992, 65.0% and 24.7% in 1989, and 79% and 1% in 1984 (Table 11). Over 80% of the herbicides were applied by the farm operator and over 95% by ground equipment.

Eleven different insecticides were applied to 40% of the sunflower acres. Multiple applications occurred on 10% of the treated acres. Esfenvalerate and lambda cyhalothrin were the most common insecticides at 24% and 11% of the treated acres, respectively. Carbofuran (1.2%), methyl parathion (1.1%), and tralomethrin (0.9%) were the next most frequently used insecticides. Many of the acres were treated for the sunflower beetle, Zygogramma exclamationis, for the prevention of defoliation prior to bud development. The red seed weevil, Smicronyx fulvus, historically the most important economic insect pest of sunflowers, had not been a major pest problem for four seasons. The reduced importance of this insect pest was one reason for the reductions in use of ethyl parathion and methyl parathion on only 1.6% of the total acres, down from 16% in 1992.

SOYBEAN Imazethapyr was applied to 35% of the soybean acreage in 1996 compared to 9% in 1992. Trifluralin was applied to 31%, bentazon to 26%, acifluorfen + bentazon premix to 11%, thifensulfuron to 18%, and ethalfluralin was applied to 14% of the soybean acreage. All POST grass herbicides were applied to 22% of the soybean acreage (Table 12). Over 83% of the herbicides were applied by the farm operator and over 97% by ground equipment.

Carbofuran, esfenvalerate, and lambda cyhalothrin were used on 1.0%, 0.5%, and 0.2% of the soybean acres, respectively, in 1996.

DRY BEAN Bentazon, ethalfluralin, trifluralin, imazethapyr, and sethoxydim were applied to 60%, 50%, 18%, 16%, and 14% of the dry bean acreage, respectively, in 1996 (Table 13). In 1992, herbicide usage in dry bean was greatest with ethalfluralin, bentazon, and trifluralin, In 1989, herbicide usage was greatest with trifluralin, ethalfluralin, and bentazon.

Insecticide usage is normally very low on dry bean acres. Three insecticides, esfenvalerate, fenvalerate, and lambda cyhalothrin, were each separately applied on 0.1% of the acres.

Foliar fungicides were applied to 23% of the dry bean acres and were generally applied once by either aerial or ground application (Table 13). Propiconazole, thiophanate methyl, and benlate were the three most commonly used fungicides, on 8%, 6%, and 6% of the acreage, respectively.

Sodium chlorate desiccant was applied to 1.0% of the dry bean acreage in 1992 (Table 13), compared to 0.3% in 1989, and 1.2% in 1984. Paraquat was applied as a desiccant to 0.6% of the dry bean acreage, in 1996.

CANOLA Greater than 88% of canola acreage was treated with herbicides in 1996 (Table 14). Sethoxydim and trifluralin were applied to 45% and 35% of canola acreage, respectively. Four insecticides were applied to 8.6% of the canola acreage. Carbofuran, applied as a granule premixed with seed, was applied to 6.4% of the acres. Imidacloprid, a new seed treatment, was used on 0.6% of the acres. Lambda cyhalothrin, cleared for use as a Section 18 crisis exemption for control of Bertha armyworm, was estimated to have been used on 0.6% of the acres. This may be an underestimate of actual acres treated due to the regional nature of the outbreak, which occurred in the north central district. Benlate foliar fungicide use was reported for 1100 acres of canola.

POTATO In 1996, pendimethalin and sethoxydim were applied to 15% of the potato acreage, followed by rimsulfuron to 18%, and metribuzin to 14% of the potato acres (Table 15). Trifluralin, pendimethalin, and metolachlor were applied to 11%, 9%, and 7% of the potato acreage in 1992. EPTC was applied to 2% of the potato acreage in 1996 as compared to, 2% in 1992 and 8% in 1989.

Potato acres were treated with twelve insecticides. Acres treated were 200% due to multiple applications. Insecticides were applied once, twice or three times to 40%, 26%, and 35% of the potato acres, respectively. Carbofuran was applied to 108% of the acres and was the most frequently used insecticide. It was used to control the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, though, control failures were reported in 1996 on a limited number of acres due to suspected insecticide resistance. Methamidophos, esfenvalerate, endosulfan, azinphos-methyl, dimethoate, and phorate were applied to 19%, 19%, 17%, 13%, 11%, and 11% of the potato acres, respectively. Imidacloprid, a new compound applied as a soil or foliar treatment and able to control insecticide resistant potato beetles, was applied on 1.3% of the potato acres. Insecticides were applied by the farm operator with ground application 88% of the time.

Foliar fungicide use was common on potato, with multiple applications of several compounds (Table 15). Chlorothalonil was the most commonly used foliar fungicide, with multiple applications accounting for 520% of the total 578% acreage treated. Several products registered through the Section 18 process also were used on small percentages of the potato acres (Table 15). The majority of application to potato was made by the farm operator via ground application.

SUGARBEET Desmedipham + phenmedipham and desmedipham alone were applied to 107% and 100% of the sugarbeet acreage in 1996, respectively (Table 16), which is similar to use in 1992 and 1989. Sethoxydim and clopyralid were applied to 40% and 54% of the sugarbeet acreage, respectively in 1996.

Insecticides were applied on 42% of the sugarbeet acres in 1996, down from the 95.6% treatment level reported in 1992. Higher treatment levels in 1992 were due to large populations of the sugarbeet root maggot, Tetanops myopaeformis, and dry conditions which failed to activate soil applied, granular insecticides. In 1992, chlorpyrifos was applied as both granular and emulsifiable concentrate formulations as multiple applications on 9.9% of the treated acres. The granular insecticides, terbufos, chlorpyrifos, and aldicarb were applied on 34.2%, 6.9%, and 0.2% of the sugarbeet acres, respectively in 1996.

Foliar fungicides were applied to 129.8% of the sugarbeet acreage, with triphenyltin hydroxide accounting for 116.9% of acreage treated (Table 16). The most common number of applications was two, and more treatments were applied aerially than by ground equipment.

ALFALFA Less than 0.6% of the alfalfa acreage was treated with herbicides in 1996 and 1992; imazethapyr was applied to 0.2% of the acreage (Table 17).

Insecticides were applied to only 0.6% of the 1.7 million alfalfa acres. Five insecticides were used. Malathion was the most used insecticide with application on 0.3% of the acreage.

OTHER HAY Herbicides were applied to 1.4% of the hay land in 1996 and 2,4-D was the most applied product (Table 18). Insecticides were applied to only 0.2% of 1.2 million hayland acres. Carbaryl was the only insecticide reported.

PASTURE Two percent of all pastureland was treated with herbicide in 1996 (Table 19). The most used herbicide was 2,4-D followed by picloram. Insecticides were applied to 0.1% of the pastureland acreage in 1992. Carbaryl was the product applied to nearly all the treated acreage.

SUMMER FALLOW Products containing glyphosate were applied to 19% of the summer fallow acreage in 1996 (Table 20), compared to 18% treated in 1992, and 7% treated in 1989. 2,4-D was applied to 3% and dicamba to 1% of the summer fallow acreage in 1996.

CRP Herbicides were applied to 4% of the CRP acreage in 1996 (Table 21), while 4.5% was treated in 1992, and 12.8% was treated in 1989. 2,4-D was applied to 2% and dicamba to 0.4% of the CRP land. Insecticides were applied to 0.7% of the CRP acreage in 1992. Carbaryl was the most used insecticide of the seven insecticides reported used in CRP in 1996.

This site was last updated on November 14, 2002