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Principles of insecticide action on mushroom cropping: incorporation into compost
Author(s) -
WYATT I. J.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1977.tb01923.x
Subject(s) - diazinon , biology , compost , toxicology , cropping , mushroom , crop , agronomy , yield (engineering) , detoxication , pesticide , botany , agriculture , ecology , biochemistry , enzyme , materials science , metallurgy
SUMMARY A series of cropping experiments has demonstrated that mushroom yields show an approximate logistic response to a range of insecticide concentrations incorporated in the compost. This principle applies only to the cumulative yield at any flush, and the response of an individual flush is, therefore, related to the difference between two logistic curves. Increases in crop can thus occur in later flushes, partially compensating for earlier losses. With diazinon treatments, but not thionazin, some of this compensation was due to increases in the size of mushrooms. It is concluded that commercial applications of 50 ppm diazinon could cause up to 2–5 % reduction in crop and that 10 ppm thionazin may cause a 6% loss which must be weighed against the advantages of treatment. Suggestions are made for the design and interpretation of future trials.