DATE : 2016-03-09
In 2016, Jiangsu reduced the pesticide use by 1,100 tonnes (= 1.4%) YoY(= year on year) to 77,000 tonnes in total, striving to realise the goal of "zero growth in pesticide use" by 2020. Notably, significant changes included:
1. Decreased insecticide use
The year 2016 saw slighter occurrence of rice pests, especially rice plant hopper and leaf roller, compared with 2015. In accordance with this, local departments promoted application of environmentally friendly technology for pest & disease control and prevention, significantly reducing provincial insecticide use and meanwhile putting pests under effective control. Particularly, the province placed its emphasis on increasing application of high efficacy, low toxicity & low residue chemical pesticides and biopesticides, such as pymetrozine, nitenpyram and bisamides.
2. Increased fungicide use
Jiangsu witnessed heavy/ extreme occurrence of wheat head blight and rice sheath blight, as well as moderate/ heavy occurrence of rice blast in the year. Given this, the province increased its use of fungicides to curb diseases. That aside, the government promotion of "3 resistant" pesticide mixtures (pest & disease resistant, dry-hot wind resistant and premature senescence resistant) increased their overall applied area and usage amount per ha.
3. Slightly reduced herbicide use
Occurrence area of rice weeds, especially weedy rice, Chinese sprangletop and barnyardgrass in direct seeding fields, went up slightly in the year. However, affected by frequent rain in some planting areas, farmers failed to apply targeted herbicides timely, thus reducing use of some innovative herbicides like penoxsulam, cyhalofop-butyl and metamifop.
4. Expanded application of high efficacy, low toxicity & low residue pesticides
In 2016, the provincial coverage rate of high efficacy, low toxicity & low residue pesticides on major crops (especially grains) reached 77.2%, up 3.0 percentage points over 74.2% in 2015. According to investigation into 906 users (including large farms, family farms and agricultural service stations),
- Pesticides on rice: 5.56% were of micro toxicity, 84.77% of low toxicity, 9.55% of medium toxicity and 0.12% of high toxicity
- Pesticides on wheat: 5.33% were of micro toxicity, 89.32% of low toxicity, 4.46% of medium toxicity and 0.89% of high toxicity
5. Optimised pesticide consumption structure
Of the total provincial pesticide use in 2016, insecticides/ acaricides accounted for 35.58%, fungicides for 37.02%, herbicides for 26.65%, plant growth regulators for 0.47% and rodenticides for 0.28%.
Specific figures differed among crops. For instance,
- Rice
Insecticides accounted for 41.66%, fungicides for 40.67%, herbicides for 17.66% and plant growth regulators for 0.01%
Leading products by usage amount (in decreasing order): tricyclazole, abamectin, butachlor, isoprothiolane, pretilachlor, pymetrozine, diazinon, emamectin benzoate, jingangmycin A and thifluzamide
- Wheat
- Insecticides accounted for 16.76%, fungicides for 54.11%, herbicides for 29.12% and plant growth regulators for 0.01%
- Leading products by usage amount (in decreasing order): carbendazim, isoproturon, triadimefon, fluroxypyr-mepthyl, thiram, fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, phoxim methyl, clodinafop-propargyl, pymetrozine, tebuconazole and phenamacril.
Source cnchemicals