“…9,10 Rice et al, 10 in a study on the ef®cacy of ®pronil for the control of L.oryzophilus, found signi®cant increases in plant height in ®pronil-treated ®eld plots, and suggested that ®pronil may have a stimulatory effect on plant growth. Stevens et al 12 found ®pronil to be a superior seed treatment to malathion for chironomid control, and reported better establishment, increased shoot lengths, and better root system dry weights in ®eld plots. The residual control provided by the ®pronil treatments, whilst superior to malathion, did not appear to explain these factors adequately, leading to the conclusion that ®pronil may stimulate plant growth, or alternatively have a systemic effect.…”