The full form of D.D.T is Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane. D.D.T was discovered by a Swiss chemist by the name of Paul Muller. Pest control was a menace which was difficult to control; hence when D.D.T was discovered it was considered as a boon for several reasons:
Advantages of Using D.D.T
The greatest advantage of D.D.T is that it helped in increasing the crop yield to a great extent. Crops used to get infected with pests, which used to result in huge losses. With D.D.T this problem vanished and it became possible to have pest-free crops. Apart from increasing the crop yield, D.D.T is also used to control mosquito menace. Malaria was brought under control because of D.D.T.
Disadvantages
D.D.T, though useful, has some disadvantages. It is a synthetic. It is very effective at controlling pests, but other worm eating birds started falling prey to its deadly toxicity. It also had a very bad effect on fish, crab and other sea animals. All this was found by a noted scientist Rachael Carson. She warned the world on the liberal use of D.D.T in her book 'Silent Spring'. She predicted that this all would lead to imbalances in ecosystems.
D.D.T is banned by many countries as it has been discovered that it leads to number of side effects on humans. Crops sprayed with D.D.T are consumed by humans that have resulted in breast cancer, decreased fertility, diabetes and abnormal children. Research is being conducted on how to make D.D.T useful and non-harmful for all.
- D.D.T is insoluble in water. Hence it did not get washed out due to rains.
- It is toxic to a wide variety of pests.
- It is persistent. There is no need to apply it again once you had applied it to crops.
- It is affordable and easy to apply.
Advantages of Using D.D.T
The greatest advantage of D.D.T is that it helped in increasing the crop yield to a great extent. Crops used to get infected with pests, which used to result in huge losses. With D.D.T this problem vanished and it became possible to have pest-free crops. Apart from increasing the crop yield, D.D.T is also used to control mosquito menace. Malaria was brought under control because of D.D.T.
Disadvantages
D.D.T, though useful, has some disadvantages. It is a synthetic. It is very effective at controlling pests, but other worm eating birds started falling prey to its deadly toxicity. It also had a very bad effect on fish, crab and other sea animals. All this was found by a noted scientist Rachael Carson. She warned the world on the liberal use of D.D.T in her book 'Silent Spring'. She predicted that this all would lead to imbalances in ecosystems.
D.D.T is banned by many countries as it has been discovered that it leads to number of side effects on humans. Crops sprayed with D.D.T are consumed by humans that have resulted in breast cancer, decreased fertility, diabetes and abnormal children. Research is being conducted on how to make D.D.T useful and non-harmful for all.
