> In addition to the above criteria, it would be beneficial to include in the
> consideration the:
>
> 1. Soil residue amounts and activity for both types
> 2. Products and their toxicity from the break-down of both types
> 3. Residue in food for both types and the corresponding toxicity to humans.
>

There are a limited number of approved organic pesticides compared to a huge
number of not-organic-approved  pesticides, so the comparison would be
unfair to both.

For example, I discussed using an organic pesticide on my apples compared to
a common tree pesticide and was told, off the record, by a well respected
organic specialist that I would do less damage (both to myself and the
environment) with the garden pesticide. So in that case, the garden
pesticide wins. But then you can take a commercial pesticide that requires a
pesticide application license compared to a fairly benign organic pesticide
(like diatomaceous earth if you use a dust mask) and prove the opposite.
(Even diatomaceous earth can be harmful to humans.)

The study is accurate because there is a limited number of approved-organic
chemical pesticides. Those pesticides tend to be broad brush killers of
insects, as there are so few, while synthetic pesticides can be designed for
a specific pest.

In addition to efficacy, it is desirable for an insecticide to have a high
> selectivity for its target pests in order to minimize environmental impact,
> and to conserve biological control services provided by other organisms
> residing in the treated area.
>

It interesting to  read the article (thanks, Peter) since they bring up some
of the standard organic arguments and do a good job of pointing out the
errors. You will see many that have appeared on this list.

Standard disclaimer- I practice organic farming to the point of not spraying
anything, either organic or not, on my trees and plants with one exception
last year. I sprayed sevin to control brown-tailed moth caterpillars on a
plumb tree. They eventually stripped the tree of leaves but I saved the
tree, but did end up itching for several weeks after because of the moth
hairs. They are bad news.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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