Ecological selectivity of pesticides and application methods

Summary

According to David Pimentel, 20 years ago, less than 0.1% of the pesticides applied reached their target pests (Pimentel, 1995). This was partly due to ‘poor’ application methods and partly because of the minuscule amount of pesticide either picked up or consumed by the pest. At the time, Pimentel
was describing the application of pesticides mainly by sprays, including aerial spraying, and both pesticide chemistry and application technology have improved since then. However, a considerable proportion of pesticides are still applied as sprays, either to crop foliage or to the soil, and this continues to be a relatively untargeted method of application.