Science News Roundup: French sugar beet pesticide alternative could be five years away
Source
Posted on
Photo By Devdiscourse
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
Research into alternatives to neonicotinoid pesticides, found to be toxic to bees, is unlikely to deliver a solution capable of fully protecting sugar beet crops for five years, a leading French scientist said. After the beet yellows virus carried by aphids reduced the French harvest by 30% in 2020, and farmers and sugar makers lobbied the government, France suspended a European Union ban on neonicotinoids until 2023 and launched a research programme to find alternatives to the chemical in the meantime.
(With inputs from agencies.)
