Lambda cyhalothrin is also compatible with most other insecticides and fungicides and could be applied together with other pesticides while still maintaining its efficacy (Gough and Wilkinson, 1984). The advantage of lambda cyhalothrin is that it has been found to be effective at low application rates against insect pests on many different crops. It may also moderately persist in the soil environment. The field half-life of this insecticide ranges Metformin clinical trial from 4 to 12 weeks (Wauchope et al., 1992). Agnihotri et al. (1997) stated that residues of lambda cyhalothrin become non-detectable on the 60th day after application and there is no leaching of residues beyond a depth of 15 cm when soil was continually
irrigated. However, for aquatic ecosystems, lambda cyhalothrin was still found to exceed the standard level, which may cause the adverse health effects on people using the water and on aquatic environments (Elfman et al., 2011). Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide which has been used as a seed treatment for controlling many insect pests including wireworms (Oregon Pesticide Applicator Training Manual, 2001). Lenssen et al. (2007) reported that canola fields without seed treatments showed more damage Selleck BMS907351 than those with imidacloprid seed treatment, which was
similar to our observations. Imidacloprid seed treatment has been used for pest control in many crops, including corn and potato. Lamb and Turnock (1982) Reverse transcriptase reported that systemic seed treatments were more effective than foliar sprays against sudden and unpredictable invasions of flea beetles, especially in spring. There are some limitations to insecticidal seed treatments, such as the limited dose capacity, limited duration of protection, and possible phytotoxicity to treated seeds. The duration of protection is usually determined by how much of the active ingredients actually adhere to the seed, and the extent of dilution and speed of breakdown of the chemical as the plant grows. Moreover, because seed treatments must have high concentrations on the tender tissues of germinating seeds and seedlings, they must have very
low phytotoxicity (Oregon Pesticide Applicator Training Manual, 2001). Even so, some insecticidal seed treatments may reduce the length of the sprout (for example corn), thereby influencing planting depth (Oregon Pesticide Applicator Training Manual, 2001). Furlan et al. (2006) found that imidacloprid seed treatment was ineffective in controlling the Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in maize. In the current study, seed treatment with imidacloprid did not significantly reduce leaf injuries by P. cruciferae ( Fig. 1); however, it gave better yields than the untreated controls, although not significantly higher than those from the foliar applications with lambda cyhalothrin ( Fig. 3).