1998-1999 Pesticide Market Estimates: Usage

3.4  U.S. Pesticide Amount Used: Conventional

Table 3.3 shows that conventional pesticide amount used in 1998 and 1999 totaled 912 million pounds. This category was second highest among all pesticide groups in the U.S. after chlorine/hypochlorites. Table 3.4 shows the breakout of this usage by pesticide type and market sector. Pesticide types in this group include herbicides, plant growth regulators, insecticides, miticides, fungicides, nematicides, fumigants, and others.¹ Although total usage estimates were the same in 1998 and 1999, usage by sector and type varied between the two years. The amount used in the agricultural sector accounted for the majority of the total amount used in both years, with the two non-agricultural sectors (industry/commercial/government and home & garden) cumulatively accounting for less than 25% of the total usage in each year (see Table 3.4). The amount used in the agriculture sector accounted for the majority of the total amount used by pesticide type in both years as well - more than 60% of the total amount used of each type, except for fungicides in 1999 (57%). Figure 3.3 graphs the distribution of usage by type and sector. The estimated usage relies on the estimated amount used and changes in amount used of conventional pesticides by sector and type derived from public and proprietary EPA databases.

A notable (35%) increase in insecticide amount used in agriculture occurred in 1999. This increase is due in large part to an increase in the amount of malathion used on cotton as part of the USDA-sponsored Boll Weevil Eradication Program. Additional information on this program, including the history and the states participating, can be found at the Web site: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weevil/ .

3.5  Share of U.S. Pounds of Conventional Pesticide Active Ingredient Used in the Agricultural and Non-Agricultural Market Sectors

Table 3.5 shows the agricultural and non-agricultural market share of total conventional pesticides consumed in 1998 and 1999. The agricultural sector accounts for more than 75% of the total amount of conventional pesticides used in both years. See Table 5.3 in the Historical Data section of this report for data covering the years 1964 through 1999.

3.6  Most Commonly Used U.S. Conventional Pesticide Active Ingredients Used in the Agricultural Market Sector

Table 3.6 shows the 25 most commonly used conventional pesticide active ingredients in the agricultural sector in 1999 and selected earlier years. Atrazine was the most used active ingredient in 1999 (between 74 and 80 million pounds). Fourteen of the top 25 active ingredients used are herbicides; three are fungicides; three are insecticides; four are fumigants; and one is a plant growth regulator. The rankings rely on the estimated volume of conventional pesticides used in the agricultural sector, taken from public and proprietary EPA databases.