An Economic and Pest Management Evaluation of the Insecticide Imidacloprid in California Agriculture
Published in California Department of Food and Agriculture, 2022
A formal review of the insecticide imidacloprid was initiated by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) as required by the Pesticide Contamination Prevention Act (PCPA) due to its detection in groundwater. The purpose of this formal review is to determine whether imidacloprid can continue to be used and, if so, under what conditions. In this report we evaluate the potential economic and pest management impacts of a ban on the agricultural use of imidacloprid in designated Ground Water Protection Areas (GWPAs) for four focal crop groups: citrus, cole crops (Brassica genus), grape, and lettuce. These crops accounted for approximately 75% of statewide acres treated with imidacloprid in GWPAs from 2018-2020 and approximately 85% of use as measured by pounds of active ingredient (AI) applied. They also accounted for 32% of the value of California’s field crop, fruit, nut, vegetable, and melon production in 2019 (CDFA 2020).
Recommended citation: Goodhue, R., Gress, B., Mace, K., Raburn, S., Spalding, A., Zheng, Y. (2022). "An Economic and Pest Management Evaluation of the Insecticide Imidacloprid in California Agriculture." California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Download Paper