[MPWG] more reason to certify organic and enforce the ban on DDT

[cafesombra at aol.com]

Pesticides Disrupt Nitrogen Fixation
Talk about a vicious cycle. Some organochlorine pesticides suppress
nitrogen-fixing bacteria from replenishing natural nitrogen fertilizer
in soil, resulting in lower crop yields, stunted growth, and an
ever-greater need for additives to boost production. This previously
unrecognized effect stems from pesticides interfering with flavonoid
signaling from leguminous plants such as alfalfa, peas, and soybeans to
soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. "People assume that endocrine
disruption by pesticides occurs only in humans and animals with
estrogen receptors, but we find there are nontraditional targets
affected by pesticides," says Jennifer Fox, a postdoctoral researcher
at the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of
Oregon.
see full article at? http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/115-12/forum.html#pest 
 
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