Importance of Fungicides

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Importance of Fungicides for Feeding the World
Leonard P. Gianessi CropLife Foundation
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Fungicide Use Patterns

• Current
• Future

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World Fungicide Sales Crops

• 2000 6 billion
• 2012 12 billion

Phillips McDougall
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World Fungicide Sales Crops(billion /year)

• 4.1 Fruit and Vegetables
• 2.2 Cereals
• 1.2 Soybeans
• .8 Rice

Phillips McDougall
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Cereals Europe

• Yields of cereal crops in Europe are among the
  highest in the world and the levels and
  consistency of these yields is in no small part
  due to the use of fungicides.

Redbond,2006
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China Wheat (1 in World)

• Wheat losses due to rust (million tonnes)
• 1950 6.0
• 1964 3.2
• 1990 1.8
• 2002 1.3
• Now Treat 6 million hectares with fungicides

Wheat rust
Zhenshng, et al. 2010.
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Kenya Wheat Rust

• All the current commercial wheat cultivars are
  highly susceptible to the new race, and it is not
  possible to grow a profitable crop of wheat
  without the application of a fungicide.

Wanyera, et al, 2009
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Rice Sheath Blight

• Despite its economic importance, there are no
  completely resistant rice cultivars against this
  fungal rice disease and control methods for
  sheath blight are limited to heavy usage of
  fungicides.

Shrestha,et al, 2013
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Brazil Soybean Production
FAO
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Soybean Rust Pustules

• Brazil First appeared 2001
• By 2003 Spread to entire country
• Yield losses up to 75

Yorinori, 2005.
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Brazil Spraying Soybeans
Fungicides prevent yield losses of 44
Scherm, et al. 2009.
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Brazil Soybean Fungicide Market
Phillips McDougall
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World Fungicide Sales Crops(billion /year)

• .7 Potato
• .5 Pome Fruit
• 1.0 Vine

Phillips McDougall
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Potato Late BlightIreland

• From the end of May until harvest, farmers
  spray fungicides every 7 to 14 days. Without the
  sprays, the potato fields of Ireland would echo
  the destruction that began in 1845.

Washington Post, March 17,2013
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India Apples

• 4 billion pounds/year
• 9-10 sprays for scab

Thakur, 2008
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France Apples

• 4 billion pounds/year
• 15-20 sprays for scab

Brun, 2008
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AfricaMaize as traditional food

• Main food for 50 of the population.
• 65 of farms have shortages before next harvest.

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Maize Yields (Tons/hectare)
Africa 1.6
Global 4.5
FAO
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Gray Leaf Spot on Maize Leaf
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Maize Africa, Fungicides

• Sprayed

Unsprayed
Fungicides increase maize yields 27 to 54
Verma, 2001.
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Africa Potato Consumption
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Potato Production Sub-Saharan Africa
19901.00
FAO
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Kenyan Highlands
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Potatoes Africa, Fungicides
Unsprayed

• Sprayed

Fungicide spray increases yield by 224
Namanda,et al, 2004.
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Russia Potatoes, Family Plots

• 90 of production
• No use of fungicides
• 46 Loss in Yield

Filippov, 2007
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Climate Change Finland

• With a longer growing season plant pathogens
  will thrive. An increase of 1 degree C in
  southern Finland extends the period when late
  blight control is necessary by 10-20 days, which
  means 1-2 more fungicide applications.

Hakula, et al, 2011
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Japanese Rice

• Famines due to rice blast
• 1695, 1783, 1833?1837
• Last major rice blast outbreak 1953
• Fungicides have prevented outbreaks since then

Rice blast
Oku, 1994.
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Monument to fungicides for rice blast control in
Nankoku, Japan
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Conclusions

• Fungicides are Essential for Feeding
  the World
• A significant increase in fungicide use would
  greatly improve international food security

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