Adverse effects of the Bordeaux mixture copper-based fungicide on the non-target vineyard pest Lobesia botrana.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Bench or animal research (laboratory insect toxicological study)
PubMed 38801156 · doi:10.1002/ps.8195
What was done
Researchers evaluated the developmental, physiological, and behavioral effects of dietary exposure to Bordeaux mixture, a copper-based fungicide, in the vineyard pest *Lobesia botrana*. Evaluated endpoints included larval survival, development time to adult moth emergence, female fecundity and fertility, male sperm quality, and reproductive behaviors (mating success, pre-mating latency, and mating duration).
What was found
No quantitative values or effect sizes were reported in the abstract. Bordeaux mixture ingestion decreased larval survival, delayed larval development to moth emergence, decreased female fecundity and fertility, and reduced male sperm quality. No detectable effects were observed on reproductive behaviors (mating success, pre-mating latency, and mating duration).
Why it matters
This study demonstrates that copper-based fungicides have collateral, non-target physiological impacts on insect pests in vineyards, which may alter pest population dynamics and influence integrated pest management strategies.
Limits
The abstract does not provide sample sizes, copper concentrations tested, or numerical data with variance metrics. As a laboratory feeding study, findings cannot be directly extrapolated to field conditions without accounting for ecological factors such as environmental weathering and impacts on natural predator populations.
Cited by
- supports Zinc helps reduce yeast and fungus, and copper is an antifungal agent also used in agriculture.