Seminar: Quantifying pesticide impacts on populations: Two decades of technological change in crop protection and what it means for butterfly research

Braeden Van Denzye, NOAA/UW, October 11, 2021 3:10-4:10
In person – VUB225- or via ZOOM (Vancouver)
https://wsu.zoom.us/j/94098314465?pwd=ZnVtaElaeXpOOEpOTkI3QXppbnZpUT09
Evidence is growing that insect populations, including several butterfly populations across the United States, are in decline. In addition to changing land use and climate change, agricultural pesticide use is a commonly hypothesized driver of such declines. Since the mid-1990’s, crop protection, including pesticide use, has undergone several major technological shifts, each of which could potentially contribute to reduced butterfly diversity and abundance. This talk will cover major technological shifts in crop protection for major Midwestern field crops, including how farmers choose between crop protection options and how different technologies might affect different butterfly species. Results linking detailed pesticide and seed choices from farmers across the Midwest with butterfly survey data will be shared, followed by discussion of measurement and data issues surrounding pesticides and other crop protection technologies.