Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 28, 1993 TAG: 9303260070
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-21 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Mr. Castelli's letter [New River Current, March 14] attacked the article, "What is Risk?" of Feb. 25 written by one of Virginia Cooperative Extension's best agents, Joe Hunnings.
Mr. Hunnings is far from a pesticide industry mouthpiece. For many years, he has been a proponent of a balanced approach to insect, disease and weed management in home gardens.
Presented in Hunning's article is an unbiased treatment of the risks associated with using pesticides. The article is based on data and is the best information available.
Sure there are many organic approaches to solving pest problems. However, very few of these approaches are known to be effective. Joe Hunnings is simply stating facts based on data, not the perception that we can do away with pest problems by simply going organic.
However, some organic approaches are useful and interested readers should consult Hunnings' follow-up Current article, "Use Mother Nature to Help with Pest Control," published March 5.
For years, pesticides have been a staple for home gardeners because they were cheap, easy to apply and apparently safe to use. As a result of research done at Virginia Tech and other land-grant universities, many pesticides were found to affect human health and the well-being of other organisms. In addition, many pests have become resistant to some pesticides and those pests are no longer affected by them.
What Mr. Castelli did not mention is that work done exclusively through Virginia Tech's Intergrated Pest Management Program all but eliminated the need for pesticides to control corn earworm in soybeans in 1992.
Another Tech IPM program annually reduces the application of over 100 tons of pesticides in peanuts through a peanut leafspot advisory program.
Still another Tech research effort will annually eliminate over 40 tons of a very toxic pesticide, disyston, in crops like wheat, oats and barley.
Research at Tech also led to the introduction of biological agents to control pasture weeds, eliminating the need for herbicides.
In addition, Tech scientists developed a system that precisely determines where a naturally occurring insecticide should be applied to control gypsy moth populations.
In a recent external review, this approach was called "the most sophisticated gypsy moth management system in the United States."
Another Tech scientist also is making inroads to develop pest-resistant varieties for many food crops using biotechnology.
All of these efforts are part of an integrated pest management approach that seeks to manage pests using only the most environmentally friendly methods and to use pesticides only when necessary. This concept also was discussed in Hunning's article "Use Mother Nature to Help with Pest Control."
Mr. Castelli also did not mention that only a very small portion of Tech's funding comes from the chemical industry. The vast majority of funding for pest-related research comes from competitive grants.
Sources for these grants include the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Health Institute, the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and many other agencies that have no interest in pesticides.
In addition, there is no question that the chemical industry supports research to test pesticides, but industry also supports research to find ways to reduce the amount of pesticides applied.
I agree that pesticides are an undesirable means to control pests. However, until alternative controls are discovered, we must, without question, be judicious in using them, always evaluate the potential for nonchemical controls, and consider each pesticide on the basis of its potential effects on us and our environment.
Not all pesticides are equal. Many are highly toxic and most of these toxic chemicals will be pulled from the market within the next few years.
The Integrated Pest Management Program at Tech has some outstanding scientists, extension specialists and extension agents. This group of public servants is doing outstanding work in the area of pesticide reduction, elimination, and of developing integrated pest management approaches.
We invite Mr. Castelli and other concerned citizens to visit Virginia Tech to discuss important issues such as integrated pest management, pesticides, water quality and the environment. The concerns of Virginians are at the heart of our research and educational efforts.\ Dr. F. William Ravlin\ Associate professor\ of entomology,\ Virginia Tech\ Blacksburg
by CNB