FA4 Pesticide use
Herbicides are used to selectively kill weeds in fields. Insecticides destroy insects and other invertebrates in all developmental stages. Fungicides prevent the spreading of plant diseases by destroying either the pathogen itself or its host plants.
Pesticide risk index is...
Glyfosate is an effective and non-selective general herbicide which is sold in solid form. It is strongly absorbed into the soil, and is not leached to ground water. The soil microbes are able to decompose glyfosate also in lower temperatures. Thus it does not seem to significantly harm animals or to be carried very far away from fields.
A) Pesticide risk index
Year | Herbicides |
Insecticides |
Fungicides |
1985 | 15.1 |
8.9 |
7.3 |
1986 | |||
1987 | |||
1988 | |||
1989 | |||
1990 | 21.1 |
3.0 |
2.9 |
1991 | 19.1 |
2.0 |
2.6 |
1992 | 20.3 |
2.9 |
2.6 |
1993 | 18.4 |
2.9 |
2.5 |
1994 | 15.6 |
2.2 |
3.5 |
1995 | 14.4 |
1.6 |
4.1 |
1996 | 13.0 |
2.1 |
3.8 |
1997 | 11.9 |
1.9 |
5.7 |
1998 | 15.5 |
1.7 |
9.1 |
1999 | 14.6 |
1.7 |
10.6 |
2000 | 15.2 |
1.7 |
7.4 |
2001 | 17.6 |
1.4 |
9.1 |
2002 | 21.4 |
1.7 |
9.4 |
2003 | 22.0 |
1.8 |
10.4 |
2004 | 19.4 |
0.8 |
11.5 |
2005 | 21.3 |
0.9 |
15.1 |
2006 | 24.8 |
1.0 |
18.3 |
B) Pesticide sales (tonnes of active ingredients)
Year | |
Year |
|||
1980 | 2 535 |
1994 | 1 225 |
||
1981 | 2 102 |
1995 | 974 |
||
1982 | 1 937 |
1996 | 956 |
||
1983 | 2 048 |
1997 | 1 033 |
||
1984 | 2 062 |
1998 | 1 191 |
||
1985 | 1 910 |
1999 | 1 159 |
||
1986 | 1 858 |
2000 | 1 166 |
||
1987 | 1 895 |
2001 | 1 438 |
||
1988 | 1 836 |
2002 | 1 633 |
||
1989 | 2 126 |
2003 | 1 682 |
||
1990 | 1 887 |
2004 | 1 447 |
||
1991 | 1 636 |
2005 | 1 379 |
||
1992 | 1 376 |
2006 | 1 585 |
||
1993 | 1 191 |
C) Volume of biological pesticide sales
Year | Sales (tonnes) |
1996 | 1.1 |
1997 | 6.8 |
1998 | 5.6 |
1999 | 2.3 |
2000 | 6.7 |
2001 | 16.0 |
2002 | 20.0 |
2003 | 50.3 |
2004 | 61.8 |
2005 | 63.6 |
Links:
Plant protection by Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira)
Plant protection by MTT Agrifood Research Finland
References:
Yearbook of Farm Statistics 2006. Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland. Helsinki.