Europe
March 7, 2014
One aspect of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) regards the selection of pesticides which are not disruptive to beneficial organisms, a task made easier by a number of online sources of information. In this article we explore the International Organisation for Biological Control's Pest Select Database, which makes more than 40 years of data on the effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods available online, plus six other sources of information on pesticide side effects.
IPM covers a broad range of tactics and strategies to minimise pesticide risks, use or dependency, with the European Framework Directive 2009/128/EC on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides requiring that prevention and non-chemical alternatives be given priority. Nevertheless it recognises that IPM includes pesticide use and, if pesticides are used, requires the application of the Directive's Principle 5:
- “The pesticides applied shall be as specific as possible for the target and shall have the least side effects on human health, non-target organisms and the environment. ”
Selecting pesticides according to these criteria requires information on their side effects and a number of online sources provide such data. Here we present seven such systems, with a focus on their effects on non-target beneficial organisms.
The Pest Select Database was developed by the International Organisation for Biological Control (IOBC) working group 'Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms' under the lead of Jean-Pierre Jansen (pictured), convenor of the group.
“The working group was founded in 1974 and has been striving to identify selective pesticides for beneficial arthropods and to promote their use, in order to enhance biological control in plant protection and reduce the impact of pesticides on non-target organisms,” he explains. “The group met in February 2014 and will be conducting a substantial update of the database which already covers information on the effects of 200 products on 10-25 arthropod species.
“The data comes from IOBC Joint Pesticide Testing Programmes, from the IOBC bulletin and proceedings of working group meetings as well as from the public verse of the Draft Assessment Reports (DAR) produced during the European Union registration process of active substances. All data in the system is screened according to criteria that satisfy IOBC standards and scientific validity.”
The database is open only to IOBC members. To gain access, interested individuals need to check if their organisation has institutional membership or to apply for membership.
Another option, available only on subscription, is the IPM Impact database, which is updated monthly. Subscriptions cost from €350 per year and the website says: “IPM Impact is proud to present the most comprehensive database on side-effects of plant protection compounds and growth regulators on beneficial organisms and pollinators in the world. It contains more than 13,000 data on different beneficial arthropods, zoophagous nematodes, microbials or pollinators from more than 400 active ingredients.”
Pesticideinfo.org is an open access pesticide database providing data on a broad set of pesticide properties and side effects including ecotoxicological information on aquatic organisms and honey bees. The database brings together information from a variety of governmental sources on more than 5,000 active ingredients. The Pesticide Action Network - North America manages this online system, which boasts an average of 55,000 unique visitors monthly. The database was updated in January 2014.
The Pesticide Properties DataBase is a comprehensive relational database that includes all endpoints coming from the EU DAR and Conclusion documents (physico-chemical properties, toxicology, environmental fates, ecotoxicology). Among all these endpoints, basic ecotoxicological data on selected beneficial terrestrial arthropods are available. This open-access database has been developed by the UK's University of Hertfordshire who now manages and hosts it. This database has two cross referenced sisters database on biopesticides and veterinary substances which are also open-access.
E-phy is a comprehensive catalogue from the French Ministry of Agriculture which provides a broad range of information on pesticides with minimal screening of input data. It includes uninterpreted information on the effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms and the source references. The database is open access but available only in French.
Two biological agent commercial companies provide online databases which specifically provide information on the effects of pesticides on the beneficial arthropods they deliver, such as bumble bees and natural enemies. Both the Koppert side effects database and the Biobest side effects manual are open access and available in several languages.
For further information (click link to visit website):
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