(Beyond Pesticides, January 29, 2026) A study of ecotoxicity risk from neonicotinoid insecticides, published in Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, finds that chemicals in this class of pesticides, particularly dinotefuron, increase the body temperature of Apis mellifera (European honey bee) and subsequently accelerate the translocation (movement) of contaminants into hives by the honey bees. The research indicates that neonicotinoids affect acetylcholine receptors in the nervous system, leading to an “elevation in octopamine titer [neurotransmitter/hormone] and subsequent increase in the body temperature of honeybees,” the authors report. They continue: “Furthermore, we observed a considerable upregulation [of] the expression of a flight gene flightin in honeybees. This gene accelerates the homing behavior of honeybees and facilitates the rapid and frequent transport of neonicotinoid pesticide-contaminated nectar to the hive.” In describing their results, the researchers state: “For the first time, we propose that neonicotinoid pesticides accelerate the homing ability of honeybees by affecting their body temperature, which leads to more neonicotinoid pesticides entering the hive and explains the prevalence of neonicotinoids and at higher concentrations in terms of their effects on the honeybee body temperature that enhances homing.” This accelerated movement of neonicotinoid pesticides into honey bee hives heightens the toxicity risks to honey […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 27, 2026) A three-part study published in Molecular Neurodegeneration draws a connection between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the organophosphate chlorpyrifos. “Since chlorpyrifos (CPF) exposure has been implicated as a risk factor for PD, we investigated its association to incident PD and if this association is biologically plausible using human, rodent, and zebrafish (ZF) studies,” the researchers state. Together, the three experiments “strongly implicate exposure to CPF as a risk factor for developing PD,” as the authors find that exposure, even at very low concentrations, causes selective toxicity to dopaminergic neurons that are critical for functions of movement, cognition, emotion, and more. The results reveal that in humans, long-term residential exposure is associated with more than a 2.5-fold increased risk of developing PD, while exposure in mice causes “motor impairment, dopaminergic neuron loss, microglial activation, and an increase in pathological α-synuclein (α-syn) [proteins primarily found in the brain].” The researchers continue, “Using ZF, we found that CPF-induced dopaminergic neuron loss was at least partially due to autophagy dysfunction and synuclein accumulation, as knocking down LC3 [a protein chain] recapitulated the dopaminergic neuron loss.” These three studies highlight the association of CPF with increased risks for developing PD, as […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 23, 2026) A fish called a lake skygazer (Culter dabryi) shows accelerated aging when exposed to chronic low doses of the insecticide chlorpyrifos, according to a powerful study by researchers from several Chinese institutions, as well as Carleton University in Canada and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The study, in Science, finds that chronic low-dose exposures resulting in the accumulation of sublethal effects over time cause deterioration of molecular, cellular, and organ functions that reduce lifespan and fertility. In the study, the fish showed reduced survival in a “dose- and physiological age-dependent manner,” while acute high doses did not have these effects, the authors write. Because the mechanisms researchers focused on are conserved throughout vertebrates, “even low doses of pesticide may pose long-term risks to longevity” in thousands of species, including humans. The regulation of pesticides is based on laboratory animals’ exposure to acute high doses of a chemical–generally measured as the dose that kills half the test animals within 96 hours of exposure. Thus, the assumption that guides the calibration of “safe” or allowable levels of exposure is that lower doses, even if chronic, pose no threat. The current study unambiguously refutes that assumption, […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 22, 2026) Published in Environmental Research, a review of experimental studies by George Mason University researchers regarding reproductive toxicity of neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) in rodents finds that all studies “demonstrated negative impacts on male reproductive endpoints in association with neonic exposure, including reduced sperm count, reduced sperm motility, and altered sperm morphology.” These studies highlight how neonics, designed to target insect nervous systems, can affect mammalian systems, representing risks to human health. Criteria for inclusion in the review was restricted to endocrine and/or reproductive outcomes in male rats and mice, leading the authors to analyze 21 studies published between 2005 and 2025. “This narrative review employed a systematic approach and determined that neonics exhibit reproductive toxicity in male rats and mice, particularly impairing testicular function and sperm quality at high exposure levels,” the researchers report. They continue, “Despite species-specific differences, the conserved nature [core mechanism] of reproductive processes across mammals supports the relevance of these findings to human health.” Study Background Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that share a common mode of action that affects the central nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death. There is a wide body of science on the effects […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 21, 2026) The data in the annual U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pesticide residue report, released earlier this month, continues to show a pattern of pesticide residues in the majority of food tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Health advocates say low-level pesticide residues in the food supply within legal limits raise serious hazard concerns, while USDA, in its Pesticide Data Program–Annual Summary, Calendar Year 2024, points to controversial residue standards as a measure of safety. The USDA report finds that over 57 percent of tested commodities contain at least one pesticide and that less than one percent of detected residues violate the legal limit set as a tolerance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Residues allowed under tolerances establish allowable pesticide use patterns in agriculture that, beyond dietary risks, result in exposure to farmworkers, farmers, waterways, wildlife, and the broad ecosystem in which they are used. (See Eating with a Conscience for a list of pesticides allowed in food production by commodity.) With respect to the preponderance of evidence on adverse health and ecological effects of cumulative exposure to toxic agrichemicals, including pesticides, Beyond Pesticides has called for the transition to organic agriculture. […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 15, 2026)  “Birds and bats consumed over 87 rice pest species in West African lowland rice fields,” according to a recent study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. The authors continue, “Our findings highlight the importance of maintaining and managing a diverse community of bats and birds for network resilience.” In this context, the research distinguishes the “predator-prey” as established through the ecological balance of diverse organisms in nature from a “predator-pest” orientation that views some organisms as unwanted and targets for control and more subject to human manipulation.  The authors describe the predator-pest network as a means to quantify the “ecosystem services” impact, with the researchers noting that they “investigated the role of predator and prey species in the predator–prey network and compared those roles with that of the predator–pest network, to further explore their potential as pest suppressors.” Communities across the United States and globally are looking for opportunities to transition to alternative pest management strategies given decades-long increasing reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which contribute significantly to looming existential crises of biodiversity collapse, public health decline, and planetary instability of ecosystems, climate, and geopolitics. As evidenced in a recent report by Farm Action […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 14, 2026) Adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children 4–6 years old occur with reported maternal occupational exposure during pregnancy, as published in a study in PLOS One, according to research from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania and the Centre for International Health at the University of Bergen in Norway. “Our results show that self-reported maternal exposure to pesticides through direct spraying during pregnancy was associated with lower scores in social-emotional and executive function domains among children,” the authors state. Additionally, the authors note that they found an association between social-emotion scores in children and weeding practices of their mothers during pregnancy, as well as reduced overall neurodevelopmental scores following direct maternal pesticide exposure. The study, conducted through self-reported pesticide exposure from the mothers of 432 mother–child pairs in three horticulture-intensive regions in Tanzania and development and learning assessments of their children, reflects the “concerns about maternal occupational exposure during pregnancy and its potential impact on child neurodevelopment,” the researchers describe. Current risk assessments fail to properly capture the disproportionate risks to farmers and farmworkers with various routes of exposure, “particularly in horticultural settings where women of reproductive age represent a substantial proportion of the […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 13, 2026) An important study in Nature Microbiology challenges the entrenched assumption in the chemical industry and among regulators that synthetic chemicals can be targeted for specific uses and have limited effects beyond those uses. The categorization of chemicals into pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals masks their commonalities and combined potential for deep harm to biological systems. In particular, the effects of the onslaught of xenobiotics (not naturally produced) on human gut microbiota are of increasing concern. The study, by an international team including researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Cambridge University, and Heinrich Heine University in Germany, tested a set of xenobiotics, including pharmaceutical, pesticide, and industrial compounds, against 22 human gut bacteria. Using both in silico (computers) and in vitro (laboratory experiments), they found 168 chemicals that exerted inhibitory effects on the gut bacteria. Most of these interactions had not been previously reported. Of the xenobiotic categories, fungicides and industrial chemicals were the most influential. The researchers note that the “pervasive use” of synthetic chemicals “and environmental persistence have led to pollution levels exceeding the planetary boundary for stable and resilient Earth systems” [emphasis added] and that “safety assessments for these chemicals […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 12, 2026) With a pattern of chemical industry deception of independent scientific review, and the recent retraction of an influential Monsanto ghostwritten article (April 2000) on the weed killer glyphosate (Roundup™), Beyond Pesticides and its network are calling for oversight hearings in Congress. At issue is the reliance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on industry data and agency collusion with chemical manufacturers on its decisions. Beyond Pesticides is questioning the underlying reliability of the data, in addition to limitations of the regulatory review process in meeting its statutory duty to protect health and the environment. In addition to the deception, key underlying deficiencies are EPA’s failure to evaluate endocrine disrupting pesticides and synergistic effects of chemical mixtures. Given these deficiencies and the cost effectiveness of organic land management and crop production Beyond Pesticides is asking Congress to hold oversight hearings to determine how EPA can eliminate the use of toxic pesticides that are no longer needed to grow food or manage landscapes cost-effectively.  Critically, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and EPA’s pesticide program allow toxic chemicals to be dispersed, resulting in widespread negative impacts, without regard for the availability of cost-effective and profitable alternatives that are eco-sensitive and health protective. Consideration of the essentiality of synthetic substance […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 24, 2025 – January 1, 2026) From the entire Beyond Pesticides team, we wish you happy holidays and a healthy new year in 2026! We hope this holiday season is filled with lots of organic gifts, organic food, and even organic Christmas trees for those who celebrate! Despite the current realities, our program and the people and organizations we collaborate with embrace optimism about the future—solutions are within reach and community-based actions put us on a path to meaningful health and environmental protection. Simultaneously, we recognize the need to respond to the serious magnitude of the crises that too many people are facing. We look forward to working with you in the new year to meet the severe environmental and public health challenges with organic solutions that eliminate continued use of petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers! Click above to see our A Year in Review for 2025, and check out our newly-released 2024-2025 Annual Report and 2-page summary! Our Mission While the threats of health, biodiversity, and climate crises grow exponentially, the solutions we have advocated for decades are now within reach. We know how to produce food and manage land without petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers, as organic […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 22, 2025) After a U.S. Court of Appeals Court decision in October that upheld the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “bioengineered” food label language, Beyond Pesticides with people across the country renewed their call for truth in labeling—so that consumers clearly understand when products contain genetically engineered ingredients. The label requirement became law under the National Bioengineered  Food Disclosure Standard in 2016. When USDA proposed the bioengineered label, Beyond Pesticides told the agency in 2017, “Since many consumers may not know or understand the term bioengineering, there should be allowable interchangeable terms for the disclosure standard. These include the terms: genetically engineered, genetically modified organism, and GMO.” Beyond Pesticides issued an action to: “Tell USDA to require full disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients, using terms understandable to consumers.“ At the same time, the court ruled that USDA had failed to properly implement the law in allowing manufactures to provide label ingredient with a reference to the availability of electronic information. After a 2024 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California overturning rules issued under the first Trump administration that, according to the Center for Food Safety (CFS), “practically eliminate oversight of novel GE technology and instead let industry self-regulate,” the […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 18, 2025) A study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds peak concentrations of organophosphate pesticide (OP) metabolites in the urine of pregnant mothers 6-12 hours after consuming contaminated fruits and vegetables. “High detection rates were observed for dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP, 96%), dimethylphosphate (DMP, 94%), diethylphosphate (DEP, 89%), and diethylthiophosphate (DETP, 77%) among 431 urine samples taken from 25 pregnant women, over two 24-hr periods, early in pregnancy,” the researchers report. The levels of metabolites within the urine correlate to the consumption of foods treated with organophosphate pesticides, highlighting the importance of adopting an organic diet—particularly for pregnant individuals and their children. “In 2009–2010, 80 pregnant women were recruited from Ottawa, Canada for the Plastics and Personal-care Product use in Pregnancy (P4) Study,” the authors say. “A subset (n = 25) collected multiple spot urines (up to 10 each; total n = 431) over two 24-h periods in early pregnancy—one weekday and weekend day—while logging their food consumption beginning 24 h prior to the first urine void and continuing through the following 24-h urine collection period.” This is the first study looking at the variability of organophosphate metabolites within 24 hours in maternal urine, giving […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 16, 2025) Through a literature review and data analysis of almost 2,000 soil samples, the authors of a recent study find negative effects on the presence of plant-beneficial bacteria (PBB) in soil with pesticide exposure, particularly bacteria with plant growth-promoting traits that are essential for crop productivity. The study, published in Nature Communications, by researchers at China’s Shaoxing University and Zhejiang University of Technology, adds to scientific literature documenting the effects of pesticides on soil health. “Pesticides not only reduce PBB diversity as individual factors, but they also exert synergistic negative effects with other anthropogenic factors… further accelerating the decline in PBB diversity,” the researchers state. They continue, “Increased pesticide risk also leads to a loss of functional gene diversity in PBB about carbon and nitrogen cycling within essential nutrient cycles, and a reduction in specific amino acid and vitamin synthesis.” In elucidating these impacts, this study reinforces previous research that connects pesticide use with deteriorating soil health, further stressing the urgent need for adopting a systems-wide transition to organic agricultural and land management practices. Soil Microbiome Health As the authors discuss, plant–soil–microbe interactions play a critical role in the growth, development, and overall health of plants, […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 12, 2025) A study concluding that the weed killer glyphosate did not cause cancer was retracted last week after it was revealed in lawsuit documents that the authors did not disclose their relationship with Monsanto/Bayer. The editor-and-chief, Martin van den Berg, PhD of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, which published the article 25 years ago, wrote in the journal, “Concerns were raised regarding the authorship of this paper, validity of the research findings in the context of misrepresentation of the contributions by the authors and the study sponsor and potential conflicts of interest of the authors.”  The study, titled “Safety Evaluation and Risk Assessment of the Herbicide Roundup and Its Active Ingredient, Glyphosate, for Humans” and coauthored by three researchers in New York, The Netherlands, and Canada, was referred to as a “Landmark glyphosate safety study” in a recent article by U.S. Right to Know.   While this retraction not only sheds light on Monsanto’s influence through ghostwriting, it adds to the wide body of evidence regarding the regulatory deficiencies currently in place. The revelation is a reminder of related incidents in which Monsanto (Bayer) and other companies have wielded excessive influence at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), undermining the integrity of the science needed to inform the regulatory decisions that safeguard health and the environment. (See Daily News Corruption Problems Persist at EPA.)  EPA Deficiencies  In addition to the initial registration process, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires that EPA conduct a registration review of all pesticide […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 5, 2025) A study published this month in Environmental Pollution analyzes the role of neonicotinoid insecticide exposure on bird populations, finding a significant negative effect of imidacloprid use on insectivorous bird abundance. In comparing the effects of the insecticide imidacloprid on bird abundance in France before and after the 2018 ban, the researchers show a weak recovery of bird populations after 2018. The persistent nature of imidacloprid, however, as well as the continued use of other petrochemical pesticides that have adverse effects on bird species, continues to impact populations of all types of birds and other wildlife, leading to cascading impacts on biodiversity.    “Our study shows that imidacloprid is a major covariate of the abundance of birds, in addition to other pesticides that are also negatively related to bird populations, and that these effects are not uniform across species,” the authors report. They continue in saying that the relationship between neonicotinoids and bird abundance varied across bird diets, as “the abundance of insectivorous birds was consistently lower under increasing pesticide use, in particular imidacloprid.” Background As shared in the study and on Beyond Pesticides’ Birds page, bird species can be exposed to pesticides directly through ingestion […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 4, 2025) In a news release last week on November 26, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “issued a comprehensive fact-check addressing dangerous misinformation circulating about EPA’s recent pesticide approvals” that, according to health and environmental advocates, continues to deceive the public about the true risks for health and the environment from petrochemical pesticides including, but not limited to, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Also published on November 26, coverage titled The EPA Is Embracing PFAS Pesticides. These Are The Health Risks in Time further highlights EPA’s deficiencies and the threats of PFAS, which Beyond Pesticides has extensively covered. (See here and here.)  The controversy erupted as a result of EPA’s latest proposal to allow a new fluorinated pesticide to the list of four other similar compounds now widely available for use in homes and gardens, buildings, and agriculture. The newest pesticide proposed for EPA registration, epyrifenacil (agricultural weed killer), joins cyclobutrifluram (soil fungicide/nematicide), isocycloseram (household and agricultural insecticide), diflufenican (lawn and agricultural weed killer), and trifludimoxazin (agricultural weed killer), making a total of five PFAS pesticide proposals this year that have been associated with national and worldwide contamination of food, land, and water. Two of these, cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram, have been approved. “Instead of constraining the use of fluorinated pesticides—persistent and highly toxic […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 3, 2025) Childhood cancers are on the rise globally; in the U.S. cancer is the second most common cause of death in children between one and 14 years old, and the fourth most common in adolescents. A recent study of Nebraska pesticide use and pediatric cancer incidence by researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences found positive associations between pesticides and overall cancer, brain and central nervous system cancers, and leukemia among children (defined as under age 20). The study’s lead author, Jabeen Taiba, PhD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will discuss the study results on December 4, 2025, at the second session of Beyond Pesticides’ 42nd National Pesticide Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health – Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature. The first session recordings and materials are available here. The authors’ emphasis on evaluating mixtures, and their innovative technical methods for doing so, highlight the direction environmental health research and regulation must take. Studying pesticides singly is an inadequate approach, according to the authors, because pesticides are not applied individually anymore, but very often in mixtures of herbicides, insecticides, and […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 2, 2025) Recently published in Reproductive Toxicology, researchers in Denmark and Iceland investigate the impacts of pesticides on sex hormones, finding that “prenatal exposure to [the insecticide] chlorpyrifos and [weed killer] 2,4-D may affect the reproductive hormones in girls, but not boys, during minipuberty, which may have long-term implications.” Based on their analysis of urinary maternal concentrations of the pesticides and their metabolites and hormone levels in infants, the authors report, “This study examined the association between maternal pesticide exposure and pituitary, gonadal, and adrenal hormones in offspring during infancy.” The sex-specific findings highlight a public health concern with potentially long-lasting transgenerational effects. “We recruited pregnant women from 2010 to 2012 in the Odense Child Cohort, including 489 mother-child pairs,” the authors state. They continue: “Maternal urinary concentrations of the generic pyrethroid metabolite 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), the chlorpyrifos metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPY), and the herbicide 2,4-D were measured at gestational week 28. Serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), Androstenedione (Adione), and Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were assessed in infancy.” The results of the analyses show that in girls, higher maternal urinary TCPY and 2,4-D concentrations are significantly […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 25, 2025) Chemical pollution is having a profound impact on men’s overall health and reproductive function. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals—which prominently include pesticides—are a major factor. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) a European organization funded by the European Union (EU) and several private foundations, has issued a strong call for attention to – and action on – the precipitous decline in male reproductive health owing to chemical exposures, including pesticides. In a new report, Chemical pollution and men’s health: A hidden crisis in Europe, the group states, “The scientific evidence is clear. The costs of chemical pollution – human and economic – are mounting. The solutions exist. What we need now is the political will to act.” The report was written by Rosaella Cannarella, M.D., PhD, an endocrinologist at the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition, University of Catania (Italy). HEAL’s report details alarming indications of catastrophe in male reproductive health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, crashing sperm counts, and numerous developmental problems including cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, and hypospadias. The report highlights pesticides, microplastics, phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS and heavy metals as the likely environmental sources of the crisis. There is evidence that all of these endocrine disrupting chemicals […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 24, 2025) In his article on ecological traps, Professor Danilo Russo, PhD, explains the harm caused to wildlife from well-intentioned efforts to establish habitat on chemical-intensive farms or areas otherwise subject to chemical exposure. Dr. Russo et al., in “To improve or not to improve? The dilemma of “bat-friendly” farmland potentially becoming an ecological trap” (2024), write, “[W]hen restoring habitats for bats in conventional farmland, potential unintended outcomes must be considered, particularly if restoration actions are not accompanied by mitigation of key threats. These threats include the persistent and widespread use of pesticides. . .” (See also a study in Environmental Entomology, which shows that habitat and open space near agricultural fields become a killing field of pesticides, threatening biodiversity due to contamination from toxic drift.) As this false sense of protection persists, Beyond Pesticides is calling on governors to adopt policies that support organic land management and ecological balance. Organic practices are, by definition, a systems change that is aligned with nature and the biodiversity protection that is needed. Ecological traps are incremental steps that fail to address underlying systemic problems that allow hazards to persist. While they represent an affirmative action in an attempt to adopt restorative measures, the […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 20, 2025) Recent scientific literature finds heightened toxicity associated with pesticide metabolites, the transformation/breakdown products of the parent compounds, that threaten the health of the soil, wildlife, and humans. This research stresses the importance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluating metabolites, which is currently insufficiently included in regulatory processes. In a literature review in Global Change Biology, the researchers point out multiple areas in which regulations fail to address key criteria, including metabolites, saying: “Pesticide risk assessments currently rely on surrogate species and focus primarily on acute lethality metrics, failing to capture the broader impacts on non-target organisms and thus biodiversity. Under the directives of regulatory agencies worldwide, this traditional approach overlooks the complex interactions between multiple stressors, including climate change, land-use shifts, and pesticide transformation products. Pesticide risk assessments must therefore undergo a paradigm shift to account for these complex interactions, which disproportionately affect insect pollinators, other non-target species, and biodiversity at large.” A metabolite is a breakdown product that forms when a pesticide is used in the environment and mixes with air, water, soil, or living organisms. All metabolites fall under the category of transformation products, which is the broader term for any […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 19, 2025) In the book, Biological Control Systems and Climate Change, published this month, Danilo Russo, PhD—a speaker during the first session of our 42nd National Forum, The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health: Advancing Holistic Solutions Aligned with Nature—and other researchers add to the existing literature on the climate change threat to ecosystem services. Dr. Russo’s chapter, entitled “Impact of Climate Change on Bats Involved in Biological Control,” explains one of the lost benefits of ecological balance attributable to the climate crisis. As explained in the book: “In conservation biological control, habitats surrounding and within crops are managed to favour an increase in natural enemy populations while suppressing pest populations. These agroecological systems can be complex, and are affected by climate change.” The ability of climate change to influence the effectiveness of biological control systems is explored, showing the “effects on the large diversity of macro- and microorganisms involved in biocontrol, and the possible increase or decrease in pest outbreaks following changes in characteristics (morphology, physiology, behaviour….), distribution or phenology.” Dr. Russo is a full professor of ecology at the University of Naples Federico II, an international leader in bat research, and coauthor of A Natural History […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2025) A study published in Horticultural Plant Journal provides additional evidence on the viability of organically managed farmland based on tomatoes cultivated through traditional plant breeding and regional variances. The authors of the research find that, “Despite the positive trend of the organic sector’s development in Europe, the number of tomato varieties bred for organic farming is still limited since efforts have been mainly focused on high input conditions.” They continue: “As a result, the existing cultivars may not suit to organic production [ ] as cultivars chosen for conventional [chemical-intensive] systems often respond well to chemical fertilizers to improve crop output, but they might not maximize nutrient uptake in organic systems where minor external inputs are provided.” In this context, the marketplace is not maximizing the potential productivity of organic systems due to the limited availability of seeds and plant material best suited to conditions in sync with local ecosystems. The designed methodology, as well as the findings, show that there are opportunities for public investment to support systems that cultivate agricultural products without reliance on petrochemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds treated with pesticide products and other genetically modified characteristics. For millennia, humans have worked […]