Future of Insecticide Seed Treatment

Abstract

Seed treatment as a method of local application of pesticides in precise agriculture reduces the amount of pesticides used per unit area and is considered to be the safest, cheapest and most ecologically acceptable method of protecting seeds and young plants from pests in the early stages of their development. With the introduction of insecticides from the neonicotinoid group in the mid-1990s, the frequency of seed treatment increased. Due to suspected negative effects on pollinators, most of these insecticides are banned in the European Union. The ban has therefore led to a reduction in the number of active substances approved for seed treatment and to an increased re-use of active substances from the group of pyrethroids as well as other organophosphorus insecticides, which pose potentially very serious risks, perhaps even greater than those of the banned neonicotinoids. The objective of this review is to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of seed treatment and the potential role of insecticide seed treatment in reducing the negative impact of pesticides on the environment. The main disadvantage of this method is that it has been widely accepted and has become a prophylactic protective measure applied to almost all fields. This is contrary to the principles of integrated pest management and leads to an increased input of insecticides into the environment, by treating a larger number of hectares with a lower amount of active ingredient, and a negative impact on beneficial entomofauna. In addition, studies show that due to the prophylactic approach, the economic and technical justification of this method is often questionable. Extremely important for a quality implementation are the correct processing and implementation of the treatment procedure as well as the selection of appropriate insecticides, which have proven to be problematic in the case of neonicotinoids. The ban on neonicotinoids and the withdrawal of seed treatments in oilseed rape and sugar beet has led to increased problems with a range of pests affecting these crops at an early stage of growth. The results of the present studies indicate good efficacy of active ingredients belonging to the group of anthranilic diamides, cyantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole in the treatment of maize, soybean, sugar beet and rice seeds on pests of the above-ground part of the plant, but not on wireworms. Good efficacy in controlling wireworms in maize is shown by an insecticide in the naturalites group, spinosad, but it is currently used to treat seeds of vegetable crops, mainly onions, to control onion flies and flies on other vegetable crops. Seed treatment as a method only fits in with the principles of integrated pest management when treated seeds are sown on land where there is a positive prognosis for pest infestation.

Interaction of Insecticides and Fungicides in Bees

“…acetylcholine receptors like the neonicotinoids [flupyradifurone: (136,155)] [sulfoxaflor: (153)] or modulate the ryanodine receptor [cyantraniliprole: (156)].…”

“…We can therefore expect that residues will increase for the remaining neonicotinoids such as acetamiprid ( 17 ) and novel insecticides such as flupyradifurone ( 84 ), sulfoxaflor ( 85 , 153 ), and cyantraniliprole ( 154 ). Some of them also bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors like the neonicotinoids [flupyradifurone: ( 136 , 155 )] [sulfoxaflor: ( 153 )] or modulate the ryanodine receptor [cyantraniliprole: ( 156 )].…”

Pollination crisis Down‐Under: Has Australasia dodged the bullet?

“…• Government restrictions or bans on the use of certain pesticides, such as neonicotinoids The use of neonicotinoids, which are commonly used to reduce crop herbivory and have negative impacts on various non-target animals including bees, has been recently banned or restricted in Europe and Canada (Demortain, 2021;Ogden, 2021;Vojvodic & Bazok, 2021). However, no such restrictions occur elsewhere, including in Australasia (Siviter, Johnson, et al, 2021).…”

Insecticidal activities of long pepper (Piper retrofractum Vahl) fruit extracts against seed beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius, Callosobruchus chinensis Linnaeus, and Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) and their effects on seed germination

“…TNAU Agritech Portal (2016) recommended insecticides such as imidacloprid, chlorpyriphos, endosulfan, and carbosulfan to control insect pests for seed treatment of different crops. Vojvodić and Bažok (2021) indicated good efficacy of active ingredients belonging to the group of anthranilic diamides, cyantraniliprole, and chlorantraniliprole, in the treatment of maize, soybean, sugar beet, and rice seeds on pests. In Thailand, the Department of Agriculture recommended pirimiphos-methyl, chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, permethrin, and fipronil insecticides for seed treatment of corn, mung bean, and soybean seeds ( EZAT, 2010 ).…”

“…However, the problems due to insecticide application include insecticide resistance in stored grains, as well as toxic residues that are dangerous to humans, livestock, and the environment ( Campos et al., 2019 ; Kolupaeva et al., 2019 ). For this reason, the European Union has permanently banned the most used active ingredients for seed treatment, particularly imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and clothianidin ( Vojvodić and Bažok, 2021 ). Another factor against the use of insecticides for seed treatment is the effects on physiological quality of seeds.…”