Nursery and Floriculture Chemical Use Statistical Methodology

Statistical Methodology
Name of Survey: Nursery and Floriculture Chemical Use Survey (NFCUS), 2009.
Name of Summary: Agricultural Chemical Usage 2009 Nursery and Floriculture Summary
(Access at USDA-NASS Quick Stats: http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/. See Sector: Environmental,
Group: Horticulture)
Data Collection Period: March to August 2010
Sample Size, Sampling Frames and Methods:
The final 2009 NFCUS sample was drawn from a subpopulation of the USDA-NASS list
sampling frame, using an enhanced Probability Proportional to Size design.
The initial population consisted of all commercial nursery and floriculture operations on the
USDA-NASS list sampling frame which produce and sell, or have the potential to produce and
sell, $10,000 or more of the targeted nursery or floriculture crops in a single production year.
Targeted nursery products included: transplants for commercial vegetable and strawberry
production, propagation or lining-out stock, broadleaf evergreens, coniferous evergreens,
deciduous shade trees, deciduous flowering trees, deciduous shrubs, fruit and nut plants, cut
Christmas trees, palms, ornamental grasses and other woody ornamentals and vines. Targeted
floriculture products included: cut flowers, flowering plants (potted), bedding plants (flats,
potted, or hanging baskets), foliage plants (potted or hanging baskets), propagation material, cut
cultivated greens, and herbaceous perennials. Due to the overlap of targeted commodities, the
NFCUS population was a subset of the 2009 Census of Horticultural Specialties population.
Optimization of coverage for each of the 19 different production categories, within the sample
allocation, was necessary. To meet this requirement, a Multivariate Probability Proportional to
Size design, with dollar sales of the targeted commodities as the measure of size, was used to
draw the final 2009 NFCUS sample from the initial population. The final 2009 NFCUS sample
consisted of 3,662 operations.
Sample Unit and Reporting Unit: The sample unit was the individual operation.
Modes of Data Collection: California chemical use data were provided by the California
Department of Pesticide Regulation (CalDPR). California data for pest management, where
pesticides were applied, application method, and type of applicator, were collected by personal
interview. All other states used personal interviews for all data collection.
Selected Terms and Definitions:
Active Ingredient: The specific pesticide ingredient which kills or controls the target pest(s) or
other target material(s), or otherwise results in the pesticide effect(s). All pesticide-use estimates

in report are at the active ingredient level; one or more active ingredients are present in known
amounts in the pesticide products reported in survey.
Estimates of active ingredient use were reported in a single unit of equivalence, per ingredient.
For salt, ester, or amine active ingredients, estimates were reported in the parent acid equivalents.
For example, the acid derivatives glyphosate isopropylamine salt and 2,4-D, 2-ethylhexyl ester
were reported in the glyphosate and 2,4-D equivalents, respectively. For copper compounds,
estimates were reported in the metallic copper equivalent.
Active Ingredient Code: A unique code assigned to each active ingredient upon registration with
the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs, to facilitate pesticide
regulation.
Beneficial Insects: Insects (small invertebrate animals, mostly of arthropod classes Insecta and
Arachnida), which are collected and introduced onto crop acres because of their value in
biological control as predators on harmful insects and parasites.
Avoidance: A strategy in which the detrimental effects of pests on crops are mitigated or
eliminated solely through various cultural practices. Avoidance is one of four classes of pestmanagement practices for which data are included.
Biological Pesticides: Chemicals which are derived from plants, fungi, bacteria, or other nonman-made synthesis and which can be used for pest control. Certain microorganisms including
bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa that are effective in controlling target pests.
Chemigation: Application of agricultural chemicals, including pesticide products, by injection
into irrigation water.
Fungi: Various organisms of the kingdom Fungi, which obtain nutrients by decomposing plant or
other organic life. This pest group includes mushrooms, molds, mildews, smuts, rusts, and
yeasts. Fungal infestations have the potential to reduce crop production and/or lower the grade
quality of the host crop.
Ground Cover: A fabric used to control moisture loss, warm the soil, control weeds, and/or
prevent soil erosion in greenhouses and fields.
Insect Traps: Devices that are used to monitor or directly reduce insect populations. They
contain a food, visual lure, chemical attractant, or pheromone to attract pests.
Mechanism of Action (MOA): The method or biological pathway by which the pesticide or
active ingredient kills or controls the target pest(s) or other target material(s).
Monitoring: A strategy involving the observance or detection of pests through systematic
sampling, counting, or other forms of scouting. Monitoring may include prediction of pest
population levels through the observance of environmental factors such as weather or soil and

crop quality. Monitoring is one of four classes of pest-management practices for which data are
included.
Natural Shade Area: An area of trees or other plants used to prevent sunburn or sun scalding to
susceptible floricultural commodities like coleus or impatiens.
Operation: Defined for purposes of this survey as one who produced and sold $10,000 worth of
product in 2009.
Pesticides: Defined by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as “(1)
any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or
mitigating any pest, (2) any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant
regulator, defoliant, or desiccant, and (3) any nitrogen stabilizer…(Title 7, U.S. Code, 136).”
Under FIFRA, pesticides are registered and regulated through the Environmental Protection
Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs. Four classes of pesticides are included in report: (1)
herbicides targeting weeds, (2) insecticides targeting insects (3) fungicides targeting fungi, and
(4) other chemicals targeting all other pests or other materials (including extraneous crop
foliage).
Pheromone: A chemical substance produced by an insect which serves as a stimulus to other
individuals of the same species for one or more behavioral responses.
Prevention: A strategy in which a pest population is kept from infesting a crop or field, by taking
various preceding actions. Prevention is one of four classes of pest-management practices for
which data are included.
Rate per Application: Ratio indicating pounds (lbs) of a pesticide active ingredient applied, per
single application, per planted acre. (In Quick Stats: Applications, Measured in
Lb/Acre/Application)
Shade Structures: (i.e. Shade Cloth Slats) Structures used to provide some shade from direct
sunlight, but do not provide control over temperature and humidity as other types of coverings.
Suppression: A strategy which involves the control or reduction of existing pest populations in
order to mitigate crop damage. May include physical or biological controls, or management of
resistance build-up through pesticide rotation. Suppression is one of four classes of pestmanagement practices for which data are included.
Trap Indicator Plants: Plants that are used strategically to trap or catch and determine the
presences of pests before they can harm a commercial crop.
Data Review and Estimation Procedures: The 2009 nursery and floriculture chemical usage
estimates were based on data collected, reviewed, and verified through the cooperative efforts of
the USDA-NASS Environmental and Demographics Section and Program-State Field Offices.
Historically, non-production chemical use data were published for NFCUS but it was not
published in 2009. For 2000, 2003, and 2006, California non-production chemical use data

accounted for an average of 62 percent of the total pounds of active ingredients applied. In 2009,
for the first time, the NFCUS data for California came from the CalDPR. Non-production areas
were either categorized as part of a field or greenhouse (such as field edges or a walkway in a
greenhouse) and the applications were assigned to the commodity grown in the field or
greenhouse; or they were given a unique code such as right-of-way or uncultivated field and not
included in the California chemical use data. Given the significant reduction in non-production
data due to the change in data collection in California, non-production chemical use data will no
longer be published.
NASS maintains chemical use databases which contain product recommended use ranges and
active ingredient concentrations per product. These databases are used to review pesticide
product usage data and to convert pesticide product usage data to the equivalent active ingredient
levels for publication. Review and finalization of all data proceeded with assessment of
reasonableness and consistency at the record and U.S. levels.
The use of agricultural chemicals in the nursery and floriculture industry is very different when
compared with other sectors of agriculture (field crop, fruit, livestock, vegetable, etc.). Chemical
applications to nursery and floriculture commodities are predominately made on a "spot" (small
area) basis. Chemical applications are frequently made by chemigation, foggers, aerosols,
misters, smokers, root dipping, or drenching of soil. Application rates can be based on
teaspoon(s) per pot, per 1,000 cubic feet of greenhouse space, per length of row, or per cubic
yard of soil. All application rates were converted to rate per acre for all application methods.
The same production area can be used to produce different types of plant material or multiple
"turns" of the same plant material within the calendar year. Trees may be planted in rows with
significant row widths but the space between trees receives no chemical application. Due to
these, and other unique circumstances, estimates on "percent of area applied", "number of
applications", and "rate per crop year" are not available. The production categories were
aggregated to estimate active ingredient use data at the "All Nursery", "All Floriculture", and
"All Nursery and Floriculture" totals.
The percent values for application area, application method, and applicator were calculated as a
percentage of operations engaged in the production of the stated category such as "Fruit and Nut
Plants", "Cut Flowers", or "All Nursery." The indications for percent of operations using an
active ingredient were calculated by a similar method.
Some products are labeled for control of pests across pesticide classes; for example, as an
insecticide and as a fungicide. In these instances, the active ingredient is listed under the
pesticide class for which it is predominately used.
Reliability: Estimates were subject to sampling variability; sampling variability was measured
by the coefficient of variation (cv), expressed as a percent of the estimate. Coefficients of
variation differed considerably by variable, chemical, and crop. The narrower the numerical
range of responses per variable and the larger the number of positive responses per variable, the
smaller the sampling variability. For these reasons, cv’s were generally lower for active
ingredient Rate of Application estimates and for estimates associated with the most often

reported active ingredients. For example, estimates of a commonly used active ingredient such
as glyphosate isopropylamine salt will exhibit less variability than a rarely used chemical such as
ziram.
Estimates were additionally subject to non-sampling errors. Non-sampling errors result when the
target population is mis-defined through list duplication or incompleteness, or sample unit data
are mis-recorded through mistakes in reporting, recording, or processing the data. Strict quality
controls implemented at each step of the survey and data review process minimized the
occurrence and magnitude of non-sampling errors.
Revision Policy: Estimates are final at first publication, and are not subject to revision.