The Action of Different Pesticides on the Development of Bird Embryos

Abstract

The economic importance of the deterioration of cultivated plants due to injury by insects has long stimulated the search for effective preventive measures. The wide prevalence of such insects and their faculty of adaptation are very remarkable; furthermore, they multiply very quickly. Attempts to destroy crop predators using toxic substances began a considerable time ago. Widespread agricultural use of toxic agents started in 1865 and then became of increasing importance. In 1895 farmers in the western region of the United States treated crops with an arsenial spray as a protectant against extensive Doryphore invasion. “A partir de cette date, le champ d’application des substances toxiques dans la protection des cultures est allé en s’élargissant. Depuis une quinzaine d’années, avec le développement de la synthèse organique, le nombre de produits utilisés s’est brusquement accru et, à l’heure actuelle, quelques centaines de substances entrent dans la composition de spécialités pesticides fabriquées industriellement”(1).