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Biocontrol News and Information
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September 1999, Volume 20 No. 4
- General News
- Training News
- Internet Round-Up
- Announcements
- Conference Reports
Internet Round-up
By: Tony Little, Technical Support Group to the Global IPM Facility, CABI Bioscience.
This issue, we look at web resources for pesticide side-effects on non-target organisms, and there are two very useful databases available:
SELCTV at:
http://www.ent3.orst.edu/Phosure/database/selctv/selctv.htm
is a database of pesticide impacts on non-target arthropod natural enemies, and includes a bibliographic database from which the data was sourced. Its development began in 1986/87 in the Department of Entomology at Oregon State University, Corvallis (Oregon, USA.). The database represents a relatively comprehensive compilation of the worldwide published literature, from approximately 12,500 data records describing pesticide effects on non-target arthropods from 1921 to 1994, although almost all originate from the pre-1986 literature. Each record in the principal table represents one screening of a pesticide on one natural enemy taxon under conditions described in the source publication.
Koppert's database can be found at
http://www.koppert.nl/english/service/index.html
and you need to go through a simple registration process the first time you use it. This database contains information about the side effects of pesticides on natural enemies and bumblebees. The information should be regarded as a guideline for the use of pesticides in combination with natural enemies and bumblebees under field conditions. The information is based on results from the IOBC Working Group 'Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms' and various research institutes. More than one hundred scientific publications were included in the comparative literature study. Much of the data was also derived from Koppert's own research and the experiences.
In terms of the implications of pesticide side-effects for registration, the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) post their data requirements at
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/fifra6a2.htm
which while not exactly a riveting read is a useful resource.
Over the past few years OECD have been harmonizing the regulations for their member countries and the fruits of their efforts can be seen at
http://www.oecd.org/ehs/pest_tg.htm
The International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) has a Working Group on pesticides and beneficial organisms. Considering the crucial contribution it has made to the study of pesticide side effects, and the fact that they developed the test procedures now adopted by several governments across the globe, their website, at:
is surprisingly modest, but does give you contact details for further information.