Common farm fungicide may be contributing to 'insect apocalypse'

[erronis]

https://phys.org/news/2025-06-common-farm-fungicide-contributing-insect.html
by Fran Molloy, Macquarie University

A widely-used agricultural chemical sprayed on fruits and vegetables to prevent fungal disease is also killing beneficial insects that play a critical role in pollination and wider ecosystems.

New Macquarie University-led research published in Royal Society Open Science, shows chlorothalonil, one of the world's most widely used agricultural fungicides, deeply impacts the reproduction and survival of insects, even at the lowest levels routinely found on food from cranberries to wine grapes.

"Even the very lowest concentration has a huge impact on the reproduction of the flies that we tested," says lead author, Ph.D. candidate Darshika Dissawa, from Macquarie's School of Natural Sciences.

"This can have a big knock-on population impact over time because it affects both male and female fertility."

The insect species Drosophila melanogaster, commonly called fruit fly or vinegar fly, was used as a laboratory model representing countless non-target insects found in agricultural environments.

"D. melanogaster is also at the bottom of the food chain, becoming food for a whole lot of other species," says Dissawa.

. . .

More information:
Darshika M. Dissawa et al, Chlorothalonil exposure impacts larval development and adult reproductive performance in Drosophila melanogaster, Royal Society Open Science (2025). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.250136

[rubbersole]

1. Humans seem to be on an irreversible highway to hell.

The gop wants to demonize any mention of global warming (Florida). Their followers think climate science is fake and pro wrestling is real.