Vol. 51—1997 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

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In 1987 $682Imillion was spent on pesticide research and development. $173 million was spent
on EPA registratioa-related R&D. In 1993 $303 million was spent on EPA related R&D alone. The
total figure was nqt available (Table 8).
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In 1993 therelwere over 1.3 million certified pesticide applicators in the u.s.. Pesticides were
applied on over 1 million farms and around 69 million households (Table 9).
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To properly ~ork with and apply herbicides, researchers and applicators should have a
knowledge base that includes information on weed taxonomy, anatomy, and biology; herbicide
chemistry and mies of action; spray adjuvants and carriers; soil characteristics and environmental
factors that affect erbicide performance; application equipment technology; the development of
herbicide resistanq ; alleleopathy; and the biological control of weeds.
As of 1981 n~ university in the world had a full weed science department (2). A three year
study by an expert panel from the European Weed Research Society reported for Europe, "Itappears
that the number orhours spent teaching weed science or weed control to academic agriculturists, or
even specialists itj crop protection, is often little more than that considered necessary to train a
technician to apply herbicides correctly and is far less than that devoted to entomology or plant
pathology". There are more full-time official entomologists and plant pathologists in North America
than there are weedspecialists in the entire world (and a greater disparity exists if the academic
qualifications are)considered).
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The survey Xias conducted to determine the current status of weed science programs relative to
entomology and lant pathology programs. According to the information received, compared to
weed science, th re were 15% and 34% more graduate degrees earned by students in entomology
and plant pathology in 1993 and 1994 (Figure 1). About five times as many U.S. students received
degrees in weed science as foreign students. Twice as many U.S. students received degrees in
entomology as foreign students. In plant pathology, almost as many foreign students as U.S.
students receiv~ graduate degrees.
As of Fall scPmester, 1995, entomology had the most (20) U.S. graduate students enrolled. The
number of U.S. graduate students in weed science and plant pathology programs was about equal
(11 and 12). Tbere were very few foreign students in graduate programs in weed science (3).
Entomology andlplant pathology had equal numbers of foreign students in Masters degree programs
(3), but plant pathology had more students in PhD programs than entomology (10 and 7). The
relatively high niunbers of graduate students in PhD programs in plant pathology can be linked to the
data presented itl Table 10. While the U.S. accounts for 41 % of the herbicides and 32% of the
insecticides used in the world, it only uses 14% of the fungicides. Diseases are apparently more
serious problems in other parts of the world.
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There are f~w faculty teaching courses in weed science (3). There are four and five times as
many faculty teaching plant pathology and entomology courses. There are few undergraduate or
graduate courses taught in weed science (5 total). There are three to four times as many courses
taught in plant Prathology (18) and six to seven times as many courses taught in entomology (32).
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It is astounding that with a fraction of the teaching faculty and courses offered that there were
almost as many ~tudents graduated from weed science programs as either entomology or plant
pathology programs, However, the number of students currently enrolled in these programs indicate
that this relationship will change and that in the future more students will graduate from entomology
and plant pathology than from weed science programs.
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On the ave~age, the leading universities in the country have only three faculty teaching courses
in weed. Scienc~· and they teach only t~o undergraduate and three graduate courses each year. By
companson, th e are 15 faculty teaching 13 undergraduate and 19 graduate courses in the leading
entomology pr grams in the country.
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