Herbicide drift blamed for crop loss

Beth Gibans of Backyard Gardens in Joseph suspects 2,4D drift is to blame for the loss of her early tomato crop of 80 plants. (LEON WERDINGER photo)

Produce grower forced to scrap entire tomato crop

Gibans said 80 plants in three beds have burned and curled leaves and she has to pull the entire crop. She said this is not the first time she’s had crop damage due to what she believes is herbicide drift.

“There have been two other seasons that my crops were severely affected,” Gibans said.

Gibans said she’s noticed other “funky effects,” though not as dramatic, in her bean crop. The sprouts are stunted and her potato and dill crops appear to have similar symptoms. The loss of the tomato crop is the most damaging to her business.

“The property damage is irreplaceable. Besides the time spent planting and growing, I’ve lost $1,000 in product.”

The source of the herbicide has not been identified, but it could be from nearby commercial crop spraying and from homeowners spraying their lawns. Gibans said she is addressing her concerns with neighbors who may be spraying 2,4D, short for 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, in the proximity of her decimated tomato crop.

Williams said 2,4D is commonly used and highly toxic to crops, especially tomatoes and grapes.

“Minute concentrations of 2,4D in the atmosphere can slow down tomato photosynthesis within an hour and can reduce tomato yields substantially,” Williams said.

Williams said he had three calls in 24 hours this week from produce growers in Joseph with complaints of curling or burnt leaves and stunted plant growth. This prompted a call to the OSU Experiment Station in Hermiston.

“I consulted with the plant pathologist in Hermiston on this situation. Burnt leaves, leaves cupping and plants that are no longer growing are typical signs of herbicide damage,” he said.

Another indicator that these plants are suffering from herbicide poisoning as opposed to disease, Williams said, is that the crop damage is not species specific.

“The circumstantial evidence of effects to multiple species lends toward herbicide drift; disease doesn’t jump across different species,” Williams said.

Williams said this is the third year that he has seen significant damage from herbicide drift. Drift from herbicide spraying can travel for miles under the right conditions.

“If you applied a broadleaf spray such as 2,4D during weather conditions of combined low humidity and high temperatures, it would have been very difficult to avoid both drop and vapor drift,’’ he said. “Vapor drift can travel long distances and it is a particular problem in hot temperatures, on moist soils and in temperature inversions when vapors become trapped in the atmosphere and do not disperse.”

Now that summer has finally arrived and temperatures will likely be more than 80 degrees for the next several weeks, the concern to get information out is imperative, both Gibans and Williams said.

“Wallowa County is moving into the hot weather period and we have already experienced a day or two where we might find this problem,’’ Williams said. “So, before you spray, consider the temperature and humidity. If it is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit and below 40 percent humidity, or these conditions are going to occur in the next few days, either consider not spraying until it cools

down or at least increase the drop size of the spray and spray as close to your target plants as possible.”

Williams advises herbicide users to read labels before applying. Sometimes the accompanying information is pages long, but following the directions can prevent potential crop damage.

“Be a good steward and neighbor,’’ Williams said. “It is your responsibility to make sure that what you spray stays where you spray it and it doesn’t decide to take off and visit your neighbor’s tomato plant where it can cause considerable damage.”