The state of the industry

摘要

Dr Terry Mabbett assesses the role of agrochemicals, past, present and future. A giochemicals transformed agriculture. As farms grew in size, varieties were improved and investments made in fertilizer, pests began to take a larger share of an increasing crop yield and threatening the consumer's demand for quality. The first agrochemicals arrived with their ability to control rusts in cereals, blights in potatoes, to kill pests across the arthropod classification system, and to wipe out anything greenon contact. These were universally welcomed. Year's later some scientists began to question their value. The downside of chemical control was the destruction of natural predators at the top of the food chain, of aquatic life through run-off and careless disposal of container s, and of arthropod natural enemies of pests.