Summary
This survey reports on the pesticide usage practices on soft fruit crops grown in Northern Ireland in 1990. Soft fruit crops included strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, gooseberries, blueberries and hybridberries. Data were collected from 66 growers representing the total area of soft fruit grown in Northern Ireland. Strawberries and raspberries accounted for 89% of the total area of soft fruit, 69% of which was grown in Counties Armagh and Down. A total of 499 kilograms of pesticides were applied to 373 spray hectares. Pesticides were applied to 95% of the total area of soft fruit crops with a mean of three applications. Fungicides, applied to 46% of the total pesticide-treated area, represented 56% of the total pesticide usage by weight.

The phenylsulfamide fungicide dichlofluanid was the most extensively used fungicide accounting for approximately two-thirds of the fungicide-treated area used in the control of Botrytis and mildews. Herbicides were applied to 43% of the total pesticide-treated area, accounting for 40% of the total weight of pesticides used. Two active ingredients, simazine (35%) and paraquat (20%), accounted for over half of the herbicide-treated area applied mainly for general weed control. Insecticides accounted for 9% of the pesticide-treated area and only 4% of the total weight of pesticides applied. Chlorpyrifos (35%), demeton-S-methyl (15%) and malathion (16%) were the three most extensively used insecticides. The molluscicides metaldehyde and methiocarb were applied to only 2% of the pesticide-treated area accounting for less than 1% of the total weight of pesticides applied. A total of 52 products comprising 49 active ingredients were recorded in this survey.

A full list of published reports is available together with abstracts from other relevant published work.

For further information on this work please contact:

Pesticide Usage Survey Group
Agri-food and Biosciences Institute
Newforge Lane
Belfast BT9 5PX

Email: pesticide.science@afbini.gov.uk
Tel: +44 (0)28 90 255689
Fax: +44 (0)28 90 255035