Agriculture-Pesticide Pollution

Title

Entry and toxicity of organic pesticides and copper in vineyard streams: Erosion rills jeopardise the efficiency of riparian buffer strips

Reference

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Volume 146, Issue 1, 1 January 2012, Pages 81-92

Author(s)

Study type

Peer Review Journal   

Abstract

The present study was performed to characterise in-stream pesticide exposure within the Palatinate vineyard region in south-west Germany, evaluate the influence of buffer strip widths and identify mitigation measures for the relevant entry pathways. In-stream water and sediment samples that were taken at nine sampling sites of different buffer widths following intense rainfall, and edge-of-field runoff that were sampled in erosion rills were analysed regarding 28 active ingredients of pesticides including copper. In-stream samples contained a mix of 8 ± 4 pesticide compounds, resulting in total pesticide concentrations of 1.4–8.9 μg l−1 for water and 16–670 μg kg−1 dw for sediment. Following an exceptional rainfall event with a previous 34-day drought period, pesticide concentrations reached 7.0–83.4 μg l−1. Fungicides were the most important pesticides found and were significantly correlated with the pesticide application frequency and rate. The calculated toxicity values per sample (TUmax) indicated that both organic pesticides and copper concentrations likely cause ecotoxicological effects in the field. The buffer strip width was of little importance for pesticide in-stream concentrations because pesticide entry occurred mainly via the field path network and erosion rills. Pesticide in-stream concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with the concentrations detected in erosion rills (R2 = 0.56). As possible risk mitigation measures, we suggest the implementation of grassed field paths and vegetated ditches or wetlands.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural pollution >> Pesticide pollution
Water >> Water quality >> Water pollution and safety

Keywords

Fungicide; Copper; Buffer strips; Surface water; Monitoring; Exposure

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880911003458
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Bereswill-Renja@uni-landau.de

Title

Comparing the sensitivity of soil invertebrates to pesticides with that of Eisenia fetida

Reference

Chemosphere doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.07.032

Author(s)

Michiel A. Daam, Sara Leitão, Maria José Cerejeira, J. Paulo Sousa

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The sole routine testing of the standard earthworm Eisenia fetida for the terrestrial risk assessment of pesticides has been under much debate since other soil invertebrates may be more sensitive than this standard test species. However, the very low availability of laboratory toxicity data for taxa other than E. fetida has greatly hampered sensitivity comparisons. In the present study, the relative tolerance (Trel) approach was used to enable comparing toxicity thresholds obtained from the US-EPA ECOTOX database, for main terrestrial taxonomic groups and pesticidal types of action (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other) separately. Analyses confirmed previously reported lower and higher sensitivity of collembolans to fungicides and insecticides, respectively. However, various other discrepancies in susceptibility relative to E. fetida were encountered as indicated by species sensitivity distributions and/or calculated 95% confidence intervals of Trel values. Arachnids and isopods were found to be more sensitive to insecticides, and nematodes to fungicides, as compared to E. fetida. Implications of study findings for the terrestrial risk assessment of pesticides are discussed.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural pollution >> Pesticide pollution
Chemicals >> Pollutants/hazardous substances >> Pesticides
Chemicals >> Impacts >> Ecosystem impacts
Soil >> Soil biodiversity

Keywords

Environmental risk assessment; Soil invertebrates; Eisenia fetida; Relative tolerance; Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004565351100868X
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Contact the study author at:

madaam@utl.pt

Title

Removal of pesticide mixtures in a stormwater wetland collecting runoff from a vineyard catchment

Reference

Science of The Total Environment
Volume 409, Issue 11, 1 May 2011, Pages 2317-2324

Author(s)

Elodie Maillard, Sylvain Payraudeau, Etienne Faivre, Caroline Grégoire, Sophie Gangloff and Gwenaël Imfeld

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Wetlands can collect contaminated runoff from agricultural catchments and retain dissolved and particle-laden pesticides. However, knowledge about the capacity and functioning of wetland systems with respect to the removal of pesticides is very limited. Here we show that stormwater wetlands can efficiently remove pesticides in runoff from vineyard catchments during the period of pesticide application, although flow and hydrochemical conditions of the wetland largely vary over time. During the entire agricultural season, the inflowing load of nine fungicides, six herbicides, one insecticide and four degradation products was 8.039 g whereas the outflowing load was 2.181 g. Removal rates of dissolved loads by the wetland ranged from 39% (simazine) to 100% (cymoxanil, gluphosinate, kresoxim methyl and terbuthylazine). Dimethomorph, diuron, glyphosate, metalaxyl and tetraconazole were more efficiently removed in spring than in summer. More than 88% of the input mass of suspended solids was retained, underscoring the capability of the wetland to trap pesticide-laden particles via sedimentation. Only the insecticide flufenoxuron was frequently detected in the wetland sediments. Our results demonstrate that stormwater wetlands can efficiently remove pesticide mixtures in agricultural runoff during critical periods of pesticide application, although fluctuations in the runoff regime and hydrochemical characteristics can affect the removal rates of individual pesticides.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural pollution >> Pesticide pollution
Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services >> Ecosystem service identification
Water >> Water quality >> Water pollution and safety

Keywords

Stormwater, Wetland, Catchment, Runoff, Pesticide, Sediment

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969711001161
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imfeld@unistra.fr

Title

Biochar mediated alterations in herbicide breakdown and leaching in soil

Reference

Author(s)

D.L. Jones, G. Edwards-Jones and D.V. Murphy

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Biochar application to soil has been proposed as a mechanism for improving soil quality and the long term sequestration of carbon. The implications of biochar on pesticide behavior, particularly in the longer term, however, remains poorly understood. Here we evaluated the influence of biochar type, time after incorporation into soil, dose rate and particle size on the sorption, biodegradation and leaching of the herbicide simazine. We show that typical agronomic application rates of biochar (10-100 t ha-1) led to alterations in soil water herbicide concentrations, availability, transport and spatial heterogeneity. Overall, biochar suppressed simazine biodegradation and reduced simazine leaching. These responses were induced by a rapid and strong sorption of simazine to the biochar which limits its availability to microbial communities. Spatial imaging of 14C-labeled simazine revealed concentrated hotpsots of herbicide co-localized with biochar in the soil profile. The rate of simazine mineralization, amount of sorption and leaching was inversely correlated with biochar particle size. Biochar aged in the field for 2 years had the same effect as fresh biochar on the sorption and mineralization of simazine, suggesting that the effects of biochar on herbicide behavior may be long lasting. We conclude that biochar application to soil will reduce the dissipation of foliar applied pesticides decreasing the risk of environmental contamination and human exposure via transfer in the food chain, but may affect the efficacy of soil-applied herbicides.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Soil management
Agriculture>>Agricultural pollution>>Pesticide pollution
Soil>>Threats to soil>>Soil contamination

Keywords

Black carbon, Charcoal, Pollutant flow, Triazine, Xenobiotic

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071710004840
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Contact the study author at:

d.jones@bangor.ac.uk