Assessment of pesticide use in the US potato industry

Pesticide use in US fall crop potato production was surveyed for the years 1990 to 1994. The purpose of the study was to provide information about the relative importance of each pesticide and potential altematives. The objec tives were to: (1) inventory pesticides used on potatoes, (2) rank the targ et pests and (3) estimate the economic value of the major pesticides. Exten sion specialists working on potatoes in twelve states provided the main sou rce of survey data. The most commonly used pesticides in four categories we re: fungicide chlorothalonil, insecticide-methamidophos, herbicide-metribuz in, and "other"-diquat. The most frequent target pests were: early blight ( Alternaria solani), late blight (Phytophthora infestans), aphids (primarily Myzus persicae), Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), lambs quarter (Chenopodium album), and pigweed (Amaranthus spp.). The pesticides that provided the most annual value to potato growers were methamidophos ($ 281 million), diquat ($86 million), metribuzin ($81 million), CIPC ($56 mil lion) and esfenvalerate ($52 million).