U.S. Benefits Case Studies
Crop Protection Research Institute

This spring the Crop Protection Research Insitute produced 33 new Case Studies on the Benefits of Pesticides in the United States. From apples to avocados and energy use to water conservation, these cases detail the vast improvements to our food supply and agricultural viability made possible with herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

View the Case Studies individually or as one document below.

Case Studies 1-33
U.S. Benefits Case Studies

Case Study 1
Fungicides Have Tripled the Productivity of Pecan Trees

Case Study 2
Herbicide Use Benefits Water Conservation Efforts

Case Study 3
Herbicide Use Leads to a Yearly Increase of 60 Million Pounds of Maine Blueberries

Case Study 4
Herbicides are Key to Sustainable Great Plains Dryland Farming

Case Study 5
Insecticides Protect Soybeans from New Invasive Aphid

Case Study 6
Fungicides Make Commercial Wild Rice Production Possible in Minnesota

Case Study 7
Florida's Sweet Corn Flourishes with Help from Insecticides

Case Study 8
Without Fungicides, Northeastern Cranberries Would Succumb to Rots

Case Study 9
Fungicides Required for Blight Prevention in Pistachios

Case Study 10
No Hops to Flavor Beer without Insecticides or Fungicides

Case Study 11
Without Fungicides, 50% Less Orange Juice from Florida

Case Study 12
Insecticides Keep Processed Spinach Free of Insects

Case Study 13
Fungicides Needed to Protect Spinach After Failure of Plant Resistance to Mildew

Case Study 14
Fungicides Prevent Defoliation of Cherry Trees in Eastern States

Case Study 15
Insecticides are Necessary for Maggot-free Cherries

Case Study 16
Fumigation Makes California the #1 Producer of Strawberries in the World

Case Study 17
Fungicides Protect High-Yielding Sugarbeets from Disease

Case Study 18
Herbicides Saved Louisiana Sugarcane Production Following Shortages of Laborers for Weeding

Case Study 19
The Romans Prayed, U.S. Farmers Spray Fungicides to Save Wheat from Rust

Case Study 20
Herbicides Help Keep U.S. Chile Producers Competitive with Foreign Suppliers

Case Study 21
Fungicides Protect Potatoes from a Disease that Caused the Death of Millions

Case Study 22
Dramatic Improvements Have Been Made with Fungicides in Preventing Peach Losses to Rot

Case Study 23
Herbicides Reduce Peach Tree Death in the Southeast

Case Study 24
Insecticides Protect Alfalfa in Regions Where Parasites are Ineffective

Case Study 25
Insecticides Required to Meet Consumer Demands for Sunflower Seeds

Case Study 26
Herbicides Replaiced Backbreaking Hand Weeding in California Vegetable Fields

Case Study 27
Herbicides Keep Processed Green Peas Free of Poisonous Contaminants

Case Study 28
Zero Tolerance for Worms in Processed Green Beans Makes Insecticide Sprays Necessary

Case Study 29
Artichokes Would be Filled with Worms without Insecticide Use

Case Study 30
Insecticides Keep Worms and Their Excrement Out of Cucumbers and Pickles

Case Study 31
Walnut Growers Have Sprayed Insecticides for 80 Years to Prevent Major Losses

Case Study 32
Herbicide Use Has Resulted in a Significant Reduction in Energy Use

Case Study 33
Insecticides Increase the Value of Avocados by 40%