Imidacloprid seed treatments affect individual ant behavior and community structure but not egg predation, pest abundance or soybean yield

Penn, Hannah J.; Dale, Andrew M

doi:10.1002/ps.4499

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…These treatments are most widely applied prophylactically, without any information on the actual presence of the targeted pests. Hence, previous studies have indicated that neonicotinoids often have no significant impact on crop yield (Cox and Cherney, 2011;Reisig et al, 2012;Penn and Dale, 2017;Alford and Krupke, 2018). A recent study that has extensively evaluated yield variations in response to neonicotinoid seed treatment with regards to the abundance and incidence of pest populations has reported that there is no significant difference in crop yield when pest pressure is low, which was the case in most of the sites under study (Labrie et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments Have Significant Non-target Effects on Phyllosphere and Soil Bacterial Communities

2021

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The phyllosphere and soil are dynamic habitats for microbial communities. Non-pathogenic microbiota, including leaf and soil beneficial bacteria, plays a crucial role in plant growth and health, as well as in soil fertility and organic matter production. In sustainable agriculture, it is important to understand the composition of these bacterial communities, their changes in response to disturbances, and their resilience to agricultural practices. Widespread pesticide application may have had non-target impacts on these beneficial microorganisms. Neonicotinoids are a family of systemic insecticides being vastly used to control soil and foliar pests in recent decades. A few studies have demonstrated the long-term and non-target effects of neonicotinoids on agroecosystem microbiota, but the generality of these findings remains unclear. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the effects of neonicotinoid seed treatment on soil and phyllosphere bacterial community diversity, composition and temporal dynamics in a 3-year soybean/corn rotation in Quebec, Canada. We found that habitat, host species and time are stronger drivers of variation in bacterial composition than neonicotinoid application. They, respectively, explained 37.3, 3.2, and 2.9% of the community variation. However, neonicotinoids did have an impact on bacterial community structure, especially on the taxonomic composition of soil communities (2.6%) and over time (2.4%). They also caused a decrease in soil alpha diversity in the middle of the growing season. While the neonicotinoid treatment favored some bacterial genera known as neonicotinoid biodegraders, there was a decline in the relative abundance of some potentially beneficial soil bacteria in response to the pesticide application. Some of these bacteria, such as the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle, are vital for plant growth and improve soil fertility. Overall, our results indicate that neonicotinoids have non-target effects on phyllosphere and soil bacterial communities in a soybean-corn agroecosystem. Exploring the interactions among bacteria and other organisms, as well as the bacterial functional responses to the pesticide treatment, may enhance our understanding of these non-target effects and help us adapt agricultural practices to control these impacts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments Have Significant Non-target Effects on Phyllosphere and Soil Bacterial Communities

2021

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“…The debate surrounding the prophylactic use of neonicotinoids has mainly focused on the potential yield increase in corn and soybeans. Recent studies have sought to analyze whether yield differences can be observed in soybean with or without neonicotinoid seed treatments targeting soybean aphids, Aphis glycines Matsumura [46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56]. A few studies demonstrated yield increases with the use of neonicotinoid treated seeds, mainly when more than one type of pest was present in the field [51,52], while other studies presented no differences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In corn, some studies have examined yield differences between treated and untreated seeds [30,53,57,58,59,60,61]; however, the results are inconsistent, with a recent meta-analysis covering 15 years of high dose of neonicotinoids applied to control western and northern corn rootworm in Indiana demonstrating no yield differences [30], while another study spanning 14 years and 91 trials in the southern part of the USA showed a 700 kg/ha higher yield in treated corn [59]. In the northeastern part of Canada, which has different climatic conditions and agronomic practices, no studies have been done to evaluate soil-borne insect pest pressure or the impact of using insecticide seed treatments in corn and soybean.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on soil-dwelling pest populations and agronomic parameters in corn and soybean in Quebec (Canada)

et al. 2020

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Agricultural soil pests, including wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae), are managed primarily with pesticides applied directly to seeds before sowing. Seeds coated with neonicotinoids have been used widely in Quebec (Canada) for several years. To assess the agronomic and economic value of neonicotinoid seed treatments in soybeans and corn in Quebec, trials were conducted from 2012 to 2016 in 84 fields across seven regions in Quebec. We evaluated the effect of neonicotinoid seed treatments on soil pest densities, crop damage and yield. The results showed that 92.6% of corn fields and 69.0% of soybean fields had less than 1 wireworm per bait trap. However, no significant differences in plant stand or yield were observed between treated and untreated corn or soybeans during the study. This study shows that neonicotinoid seed treatments in field crops in Quebec are useful in less than 5% of cases, given the very low level of pest-associated pressure and damage, and that they should not be used prophylactically. Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies need to be developed for soil insect pests to offer effective alternative solutions to producers.

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Imidacloprid alters ant sociobehavioral traits at environmentally relevant concentrations

Sappington¹

2018

Ecotoxicology

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Much research has focused on the effects of neonicotinoids on honey bees, however, relatively few studies have investigated their effects on ants, a taxonomically-related eusocial insect of high ecological importance. This study quantified how dietary exposures to environmentally-relevant levels of a neonicotinoid insecticide (imidacloprid) affected foraging and nest building of the western harvester ant over 14 days. Using a replicated design, statistically-significant reductions in ant foraging success (50% or greater) occurred at concentrations as low as 50 ppb compared to controls. Both the number of ants entering the maze and the percentage of foraging ants able to locate food were impacted by imidacloprid exposure. Ants exposed to 50 ppb also took three times longer than controls to find food in a test maze. This concentration is among the lowest levels of imidacloprid reported to affect ants and is well within the range of concentrations found in pollen and nectar of imidacloprid-treated plants. Ant foraging success was also impaired at comparable levels as those reported for the honey bee. Although more refinement and research are needed, results from this study suggest that the western harvester ant may be useful for screening the effects of neurotoxic chemicals on their navigation and foraging, two behaviors which are critical to maintaining colony health of ants and the ecological services they provide.

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Imidacloprid seed treatments affect individual ant behavior and community structure but not egg predation, pest abundance or soybean yield

Cited by 9 publications

References 51 publications

Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments Have Significant Non-target Effects on Phyllosphere and Soil Bacterial Communities

Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments Have Significant Non-target Effects on Phyllosphere and Soil Bacterial Communities

Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on soil-dwelling pest populations and agronomic parameters in corn and soybean in Quebec (Canada)

Imidacloprid alters ant sociobehavioral traits at environmentally relevant concentrations

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