Pesticide Resistance, Population Dynamics, and Invasive Species Management
By Gregory J. McKee, Colin A. Carter, James A. Chalfant, Rachael E. Goodhue, and Frank G. Zalom.
ERS project representative: Margriet Caswell.
Contractor and Cooperator Report No. (CCR-43) 236 pp,
July 2008
This report describes a dynamic bioeconomic simulation model that represents the biological,
economic, and regulatory features of a specific invasion management problem:
the late 1990s invasion of California strawberries by the greenhouse whitefly,
Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and the pesticide use restrictions imposed by California regulators
to manage pesticide resistance. The model has three components: the population
dynamics of the greenhouse whitefly, a population-yield damage function, and grower
profit maximization. Use regulations are introduced as constraints on the grower’s decision.
The cost of the regulations during a single season resulted in the restriction to 2 or
fewer applications of pyriproxyfen which always reduced profits. Applying imidaclopid
at planting always increased profits. The regulation, which restricts use of imidacloprid
at planting only, does not offset the cost of the restriction to 2 or fewer applications of
pyriproxyfen per season. Instead, a third application of pyriproxyfen and imidacloprid
are complements, so the cost of the 2-application limit per grower is larger when imidacloprid
is applied at planting. The requirement regarding the timing of the first application
of pyriproxyfen reduced profits. Comparing the regulations’ benefit in slowed
resistance to the reduction in profits over a 6-year period shows that there are some conditions
under which use regulations provide a net benefit. Regulation, however, does
not substitute for coordination among growers when seeking to control the greenhouse
whitefly. Greater profits are possible through coordination, even under regulation.
Disclaimer: This study was conducted under Research Agreement No. 43-3AEM-3-80081 with the Economic Research Service. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or USDA.
Keywords: agricultural economics, Invasive species, strawberries, greenhouse whitefly, pyriproxyfen, spatial externalities, pesticide use restrictions, data gathering, optimal management, simulation, ERS, USDA
In this report ... Chapters are
in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Updated date: July 2, 2008
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