Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Dear Science Expert,

I am in desperate need of an interview for my project
Please if you want to help me, go to my older post and answer the questions there

I have a new set of interview questions for you experts to look over for me. You would be helping me a lot

Why would people use chemical pesticide even though it might have a negative affect?
Does natural pesticide harm the plant or environment in any way?
How much pesticide do farmers usually apply to a single plant

Hi VortexCat,

To assist the Experts checking the forum, it is best to keep all of your inquiries in a single thread.

I am not an expert on plants or pesticides, but I will offer some general answers to your questions.

VortexCat wrote: Why would people use chemical pesticide even though it might have a negative affect?

Farmers need to sell their harvest to make a living. The more plants they can grow, the more they can sell. Pesticides help prevent pests from destroying the crops, which means the farmers can grow more plants.

VortexCat wrote:Does natural pesticide harm the plant or environment in any way?

I'm not sure what you mean by "natural" pesticide. If you mean non-chemical pesticides, I believe that these can still harm the environment and possibly the plants. If you are referring to the plant's natural defenses against pests, then there are costs to the plant (mostly in terms of energy for growth) to making these defenses, but I do not think they affect the environment.

VortexCat wrote:How much pesticide do farmers usually apply to a single plant

Sorry, I don't know the answer to this one. Did you try looking it up online?

Good luck,
Heather