Since the early ‘70s, Daconil, which is the commercial name for a chemical compound called chlorothalonil, has been a staple pesticide in the US and around the globe. It’s primarily used to protect plants like potatoes and tomatoes from fungi and pests and is statistically the 3rd most used fungicide in the US.
Over the years there has been a raging debate among gardeners, botanists, and farmers over whether Daconil is organic or not. This is a simple conversation but requires an understanding of several factors. Here’s a basic rundown of Daconil and the answer to the question of whether Daconil or not.
Key Takeaways
- Whether Daconil is organic or not depends on the definition of ‘organic’ in the discussion.
- Daconil has certain side effects you need to be careful of, especially when it is inhaled.
- There are alternatives to Daconil which are both natural and just as effective fungicide.
What is Daconil?
Daconil, also sold under the names Bravo and Echo, is a nonsystemic fungicide that is considered an organic compound. Classified as a general-use pesticide, Daconil is used in conjunction with other pesticides to keep crops such as potatoes, pome fruit, stone fruit, citrus fruit, bush and cane fruit, cranberries, strawberries, pawpaws, and bananas, free from fungal diseases.
Though it was once considered the go-to pesticide up till the ‘90s, chlorothalonil has lost its mainstream popularity due to the increased popularity and effectiveness of sulfur and copper as pesticides. But it’s still used by a large number of people and comes in various forms and combinations.
Is Daconil Organic?
Technically, Daconil is considered an organic compound since it contains carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. But this classification of Daconil had been a heated debate for a long time because different researchers and botanists have different takes on what constitutes an ‘organic compound’.
Just the presence of carbon-hydrogen alone doesn’t qualify it as organic because Daconil isn’t a naturally produced compound; at the end of the day it’s a man-made chemical compound. Since most of the population generally use the word ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ interchangeably hence the confusion.
Based on this information and from a scientific point of view, Daconil aka chlorothalonil is definitely NOT an organic compound, and most experts agree on this fact. It’s a man-made artificial chemical, so don’t be fooled by the ‘organic’ label many fungicide manufacturers use as marketing talk.
You’ll find a lot of people fooled into thinking Daconil is organic because of the label on the packet, but in the farming and gardening industry, organic is defined as,“of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides (Merriam-Webster).
As you can clearly see, the definition has nothing to do with the word ‘natural’. So for those of you who still think Daconil is a natural organic compound, it’s definitely not. But if you go by the dictionary definition, then yes, Daconil is organic.
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The Primary Forms of Daconil
Over the years Daconil has been commercially made available to the general public in many different forms. These include:
- Dust form
- Spray form
- Water-soluble grains
- Fog form
- Wet Powder
- Dip
- Preservative additives in some paints, resins, emulsions, and coatings
All of these different forms of Daconil can be applied by hand, by ground sprayer, spray bottles, and in large-scale agricultural operations, by aircraft. One important thing to note is that whatever form of Daconil is being used, it is a preventative product, not a curative one.
Applying Daconil after your plant has been infected by a fungus (mildew being the most common) will yield no results at all.
The Toxicological Effects of Daconil
As it’s a non-natural chemical component, Daconil has some major toxicological effects. These effects include:
- Acute Toxicity: Direct exposure to certain combinations of Daconil can cause acute toxic conditions like severe eye and skin irritation. In severe cases, it can also lead to loss of muscle coordination as well.
- Chronic Toxicity: Exposure to materials and chemicals low in Daconil content can lead to chronic toxic symptoms such as allergic skin responses.
- Organ Toxicity: Studies have shown that continuous exposure to any form of Daconil can cause internal organ damage, the prominent one being kidney damage.
The Ecological Effects of Daconil
Aside from toxicological effects, Daconil has certain ecological effects as well. While it hasn’t proved itself very toxic to land animals, high concentrations of chlorothalonil exposure in water have shown severe toxic effects on aquatic life forms.
You might think that once a toxic substance is introduced in the environment, it might quickly be transferable through the ecosystem. The good news is that Daconil is not transferable in the food chain which makes it safe to use! Unlike DMT which has since been banned for many years, Daconil is thus safe to use. However, aquatic life seems to have it the worst.
Overuse of Daconil in and around water sources could mean a drastic reduction in the local ecosystem. This is definitely not a good thing for the environment and the delicate balance of the ecosystem either! That is why we have to be careful when we are using and consequently disposing of Daconil products.
Alternatives to Daconil
After knowing all this, you might be thinking to yourself whether you should use Daconil at all, and if not, what other options are available. Fortunately, there are a lot of alternatives to Daconil that are much safer and more effective at keeping fungus at bay. Some of the most common ones include:
- Dodine
- Mancozeb
- Thiophanate-methyl
- Folpet
- Copper
- Sulpher
Unlike the first few alternatives, copper and sulfur are more commonly used, and come with their own set of problems. If you truly want a fungicide without any chemical side effects, then making your own DIY fungicide at home is the best option.
FAQs
Daconil’s chemical form chlorothalonil was first registered for use in 1966 and has been in use ever since then.
No, Daconil is not harmful to the soil. However, if the soil is washed into a water body, it could prove harmful to aquatic life.
Yes, prolonged exposure to Daconil is harmful to the human body. The toxicology shows that signs of Daconil poisoning are effects like an allergic reaction and eye irritation, especially if it is dust or spray forms where it is inhaled.
Yes, there are natural alternatives to Daconil. A mixture of dish soap and neem oil is can act as a great natural fungicide! You could also use or introduce baking soda in your garden to keep fungus growth to a minimal.
Final Thoughts
To summarize the whole discussion, the argument of whether Daconil is organic or not depends on the context of the discussion. The answer is both yes and no depending on how you define and understand the word ‘organic’. However, whatever the answer is, there is no denying that it’s a chemical fungicide with certain side effects that don’t come with natural anti-fungal compounds. It has a certain toxicological effect on the environment and could upset the balance in the ecosystem starting from the water life. That is why it is very important to make sure that using cleaner alternatives for fungicide and using Daconil properly is the way to make sure that at least a garden ecosystem is not ruined, even if Daconil is not completely organic.