APES Lesson 7 - Demogrphy AP Environmental Science Mr. Grant Lesson 58 Conserving Pollinators and Controlling Pests & Organic Agriculture

Mastery Check What kinds of techniques have people employed to increase agricultural production? How did Norman Borlaug help inaugurate the Green Revolution? Food production has been increased by cultivating more acres, fertilizing and irrigating crops to alleviate nutrient limitations, breeding more productive crops, and increasing inputs of pesticides and fossil-fuel-derived power. Borlaug introduced high-yield, sturdy, disease-resistant wheat varieties to developing nations.

APES Lesson 54 - Land Degradation and Soil Conservation (Part 1) Objectives: Define the term seed banks. Discuss the importance of pollination. Explore strategies for pest management. Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic agriculture. TED - The varieties of wheat, corn and rice we grow today may not thrive in a future threatened by climate change. Cary Fowler takes us inside a vast global seed bank, buried within a frozen mountain in Norway, that stores a diverse group of food-crop for whatever tomorrow may bring.

Define the term seed banks. APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food Define the term seed banks. Seed Bank: Place where seeds are stored for short-term use in farming or for long-term preservation.

Discuss the importance of pollination. APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food Discuss the importance of pollination. Insects and other organisms are essential for the reproduction of many crop plants. Conservation of pollinating insects is vitally important to our food security.

We depend on insects to pollinate crops Not all insects are pests; some are absolutely vital 800 crop species rely on insect pollinators Pollination = male plant sex cells fertilize female sex cells By wind or animals Pollinators include: Hummingbirds Bats Insects (e.g., bees, wasps) Native bees provide $3 billion in yearly pollination services in the United States

We depend on insects to pollinate crops APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food We depend on insects to pollinate crops Not all insects are pests; some are absolutely vital 800 crop species rely on insect pollinators Pollination = male plant sex cells fertilize female sex cells By wind or animals Pollinators include: Hummingbirds Bats Insects (bees, wasps, etc.) Flowers are evolutionary adaptations to attract pollinators

Conservation of pollinators is vital The honey bee pollinates over 100 crops that make up one-third of the U.S. diet and contributes $15 billion in services per year Populations of pollinators (e.g., bees) have plummeted Colony collapse disorder = entire beehives have vanished Unknown causes—Insecticides? Parasites? Stress? Reducing or eliminating pesticide use and planting flowering plants will help preserve bees

Conservation of pollinators is vital APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food Conservation of pollinators is vital Populations of pollinators (e.g., bees) have plummeted Colony collapse disorder = entire beehives have vanished Unknown causes—Insecticides? Parasites? Stress? Reducing or eliminating pesticide use and planting flowering plants will help preserve bees Bees pollinate over 100 crops and contribute $15 billion in services/year

Explore strategies for pest management. APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity Explore strategies for pest management. We kill “pests” and “weeds: with synthetic chemicals that can pollute the environment and pose health hazards. Pests can evolve resistance to chemical pesticides, forcing us to design more toxic poisons. The practice of biological control employs natural enemies of pests against them. Integrated pest management combines various techniques and minimizes the use of synthetic chemicals.

“Pests” and “weeds” hinder agriculture Pest = any organism that damages valuable crops Weed = any plant that competes with crops Industrial farming limits natural mechanisms to control pest and weed populations Pesticides = poisons that target pest organisms Insecticides kill insects, herbicides kill plants, fungicides kill fungi 400 million kg (900 million lb) of pesticides are applied in the United States each year Fourfold increase in use worldwide since 1960 $32 billion/year is spent on pesticides

We have thousands of pesticides APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity We have thousands of pesticides Pest = any organism that damages valuable crops Weed = any plant that competes with crops Pesticides = poisons that target pest organisms Insecticides = kill insects Herbicides = kill plants Fungicides = kill fungi 400 million kg (900 million lb) of pesticides are applied in the U.S. each year 75% of this is applied to agricultural land $32 billion/year is spent on pesticides worldwide

Pests evolve resistance to pesticides Some individuals are genetically immune to a pesticide They pass these genes to their offspring Nonresistant pests are killed off Pesticides stop being effective “Pesticide treadmill” = chemists change chemicals or increase toxicity to compete with resistant pests Over 586 insect species are resistant to 330 pesticides Pesticides also kill nontarget organisms, including predators and parasites of pests Pest populations become harder to control

Pesticide resistance Over 556 insect species are resistant to 300 pesticides Weeds and plant diseases have evolved resistance to pesticides

Pests evolve resistance to pesticides APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity Pests evolve resistance to pesticides ** Three problems with using pesticides…** ** 1) Some individuals are genetically immune to a pesticide** **2) They pass these genes to their offspring** Pesticides stop being effective Pesticide treadmill = chemists increase chemical toxicity to compete with resistant pests **3) Pesticides also kill nontarget organisms** Including predators and parasites of pests Pest populations become harder to control

Biological control pits one organism against another Biological control (biocontrol) = strategy that uses a pest’s predators or parasites to control the pest Parasitoid wasps are a commonly used group of biocontrol agents Reduces pest populations without chemicals Cactus moths control prickly pear Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) = soil bacterium that kills many caterpillars and some fly and beetle larvae

Biological control (biocontrol) APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity Biological control (biocontrol) Biological control = uses a pest’s predators to control the pest Reduces pest populations without chemicals Reduces chemical use Cactus moths control prickly pear Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) = soil bacteria that kills many pests

Biocontrol agents themselves can become pests It is risky to introduce an organism from a foreign ecosystem into a new ecological context The effects of an introduced species are unpredictable The agent may have nontarget effects on the environment and surrounding economies Cactus moths are eating rare Florida cacti Removing a biocontrol agent is harder than halting pesticide use Biocontrol use must be carefully planned and regulated

Biocontrol agents may become pests APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity Biocontrol agents may become pests It is risky to introduce an organism from a foreign ecosystem into a new ecological context The effects of an introduced species are unpredictable The agent may have “nontarget” effects on the environment and surrounding economies Cactus moths are eating rare Florida cacti Removing a biocontrol agent is harder than halting pesticide use Biocontrol use must be carefully planned and regulated

Integrated pest management combines biocontrol and chemical methods Integrated pest management (IPM) = use of a mix of techniques to suppress pests: Pest population monitoring Biocontrol and mechanical pest removal Chemicals, if necessary Crop rotation and alternative tillage methods Use of transgenic crops IPM in Indonesia increased rice yields 13%, cut pesticide use in half, and saved $179 million/yr in phased-out subsidies

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Techniques to suppress pests: Biocontrol Chemicals, if necessary Population monitoring Habitat alteration Crop rotation and transgenic crops Alternative tillage methods Mechanical pest removal

IPM in Indonesia increased rice yields 13% and saved $179 million/yr in phased-out subsidies

Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic agriculture. APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture, because it reduces chemical and fossil fuel inputs, exerts fewer environmental impacts than industrial agriculture. Scientific studies show that organic agriculture is productive and is a realistic alternative to industrial agriculture.. Organic agriculture comprises a small part of the market but is growing rapidly.

Organic approaches reduce inputs and pollution Organic agriculture = food-growing practices that use no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides but rely on biological approaches such as composting and biocontrol Organic Food Production Act (1990) establishes national standards for organic products The USDA issued criteria in 2000 by which food could be labeled organic Some states (California, Washington, Texas) and over 80 nations have stricter guidelines

Organic approaches reduce inputs and pollution Farmers have lower input costs, enhanced income (organic crops fetch a higher price), reduced chemical pollution and soil degradation They adopt organic practices primarily to practice stewardship toward the land Obstacles include risks and costs of switching to new methods Transitioning to certified organic may take years Consumers are concerned about pesticides’ health risks They also want to improve environmental quality Obstacles include the higher price of organics

Organic agriculture is booming Organic farmers can’t keep up with demand U.S. consumers pay $29.2 billion in 2011 Worldwide sales tripled from 2000 to 2010 Production is increasing. In 2011: Nearly 2 million ha (4.8 million acres) in the U.S. 37 million ha (91 million acres) worldwide But still less than 1% of total agricultural land Two-thirds of organic agricultural land is in developing nations 30% of Mexico’s coffee production is organic

Organic agriculture is booming The European Union supports farmers financially during conversion to organic farming Conversion can mean a temporary loss of income This support is a subsidy to cover external costs The U.S. offers no such subsidies so organic production lags The 2008 Farm Bill gives $112 million over 5 years for organic agriculture In the long run, organic farming is at least as profitable as conventional farming

APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity TED Video Shimon Steinberg's biotech lab researches ways to harness the natural benefits of insects on a massive scale. "My dream is to narrow the gap even more by finding more robust and reliable good bugs we can mass produce or conserve in the field, as well as create more public demand for natural pest control and increase awareness among growers." Shimon Steinberg: Natural pest control ... using bugs! (15:24)