Summer crops and the impact of pesticides on surface and underground water in the southeast of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Author(s):  
José Luis Costa ◽  
Hernan Angelini ◽  
Eduardo De Geronimo ◽  
Virginia Aparicio

<p>Agricultural land is the first pesticide recipient after application. Even if the pesticides are applied in accordance with the regulations, only a smaller amount reaches their objectives (weed or pest), while the rest represents possible environmental pollutants (Hvězdová et al., 2018). In this case, the pesticides they become the non-point source of contamination.</p><p>The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of summer crop practices on the concentration of pesticides in surface water and groundwater. In soybean and corn crops, next to surface water courses, 2 freatimeters were installed. Groundwater depth was evaluated in six moments (19/12/2018, 4/1/2019, 14/1/2019, 8/2/2019, 15/2/2019 and 25/2/2019). Water samples were extracted and the concentration of 45 organic molecules (pesticides and degradation products) was determined with a UPLC MS / MS. Once the concentration of each molecule was quantified, it was added to establish the proportion corresponding to the total of a) glyphosate + AMPA; b) Atrazine + hydroxy-atrazine + desetyl-atrazine + desisopropyl-atrazine; c) 2,4D and d) other molecules.</p><p>The groundwater was always at a depth greater than 1.30 m in the freatimeters. On average, the proportion of the sum of molecules was: glyphosate metabolite > atrazine metabolite > 2.4D > other organic molecules. The sum of molecules ranged from 0.17 to 39.1 µg l<sup>-1</sup>. On the other hand, the sum of molecules ranged from 1.3 to 12.5 µg l<sup>-1</sup> during the evaluation period. On average, the proportion of the sum of molecules was: glyphosate + metabolite > Atrazine + metabolite > 2.4D  other organic molecules.</p><p>These preliminary results indicate that the grain production system generates an impact evidenced by the presence of synthetic organic molecules in the water. It is important to adjust crop management practices to avoid and / or minimize that impact and its environmental consequences.</p>

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matjaž Glavan ◽  
Sara Bele ◽  
Miha Curk ◽  
Marina Pintar

Intensive agriculture causes nutrient leaching and accelerates erosion processes, which threatens the good quality status of surface waters, as proposed by the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive. The purpose of this study was to define the impact of two alternative agricultural land-use change scenarios defined in a Municipal Spatial Plan on surface water quality by using the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model. As experimental area, we chose a small Kožbanjšček stream catchment (1464 ha) situated in the Goriška Brda region in Slovenia. The area, due to favorable conditions for vineyards, is facing increasing deforestation. The change of 66.3 ha of forests to vineyards would increase the sediment, nitrate, and phosphorus loads in the stream by 24.8%, 17.1%, and 10.7%, respectively. With the implementation of vegetative buffer strips as a mitigation measure of the current situation, we could reduce the sediment, nitrate, and phosphorus loads by 17.9%, 11.1%, and 3.1%, respectively, while a combination of the two land-use change scenarios would result in a slight increase of the above-mentioned loads, corresponding to 0.61%, 2.1%, and 6.6%, respectively, compared to the baseline situation. The results confirm that, as we can increase pollution levels with deforestation, we can also reduce water pollution by choosing proper types of land management measures.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Tesfaye Samuel Saguye

Land degradation is increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world. Success in arresting land degradation entails an improved understanding of its causes, process, indicators and impacts. Various scientific methodologies have been employed to assess land degradation globally. However, the use of local community knowledge in elucidating the causes, process, indicators and effects of land degradation has seen little application by scientists and policy makers. Land degradation may be a physical process, but its underlying causes are firmly rooted in the socio-economic, political and cultural environment in which land users operate. Analyzing the root causes and effects of land degradation from local community knowledge, perception and adapting strategies perspective will provide information that is essential for designing and promoting sustainable land management practices. The main objective of this study was to analyze the perceptions of farmers’ on the impact of land degradation hazard on agricultural land productivity decline associated with soil erosion and fertility loss. The study used a multistage sampling procedure to select sample respondent households. The sample size of the study was 120 household heads and 226 farm plots managed by these farmers. The primary data of the study were collected by using semi-structured Interview, focus group discussions and field observation. Both descriptive statistics and econometric techniques were used for data analysis. Descriptive results show that 57percent of the respondents were perceived the severity and its consequence on agricultural land productivity. The following indicators of soil erosion and fertility loss were generally perceived and observed by farmers’ in the study area: gullies formations, soil accumulation around clumps of vegetation, soil deposits on gentle slopes, exposed roots, muddy water, sedimentation in streams and rivers, change in vegetation species, increased runoff, and reduced rooting depth. The direct human activities which were perceived to be causing land degradation in the study area include: deforestation and clearing of vegetation, overgrazing, steep slope cultivation and continuous cropping. The farmers’ possibility of perceiving the impact of land degradation hazard on agricultural land productivity was primarily determined by institutional, psychological, demographic and by bio-physical factors. Farmers who perceive their land as deteriorating and producing less than desired, tend to adopt improved land management practices. On the other hand, farmers who perceive their land to be fertile tend to have low adoption of conservation practices. In order to overcome this land degradation and its consequent effects, the study recommended a need for the government to enforce effective policies to control and prevent land degradation and these policies should be community inclusive /participatory founded up on indigenous and age-honored knowledge and tradition of farmers' natural resource management as well as introduced scientific practices.


Geologija ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-288
Author(s):  
Nina MALI ◽  
Anja KOROŠA ◽  
Janko URBANC

Groundwater pollution with pesticides is a problem that occurs all over the world as well as in Slovenia. Considering the past high loads of groundwater with pesticides, the purpose of the presented research was to determine the presence of pesticides in the groundwater of Krško-Brežiško polje in the period 2018-2019 and to check the applicability of the passive sampling method. A total of 21 groundwater samples were taken at 11 locations and 2 samples each in the Sava and Krka rivers. We identified 15 pesticides and their degradation products. Atrazine and its degradation product desethylatrazine were most frequently determined in groundwater samples. They are followed by desethylterbutylazine, terbutylazine, metolachlor and simazine. Atrazine, desethylatrazine, chlortoluron, metolachlor and terbuthylazine were detected in surface water. A total of 24 samples were taken in groundwater and surface water using the qualitative passive sampling method. We singled out 8 pesticides that appear in two campaigns. The frequency and occurrence of individual pesticides by both methods are comparable. Passive sampling has proven to be an appropriate method of identifying the presence of pesticides. The highest loads in the Krško-Brežiško field arise from the agricultural land areas. Groundwater is more contaminated with pesticides in the central part of the field in the direction of groundwater flow from west to east. In the groundwater of the Krško-Brežice field, atrazine and desethylatrazine are still the most frequently detected pesticides with higher concentrations, despite a 20 years long ban on the use of atrazine-based plant protection products.


2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 275-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Morari ◽  
E. Lugato ◽  
M. Borin

An integrated water resource management programme has been under way since 1999 to reduce agricultural water pollution in the River Mincio fluvial park. The experimental part of the programme consisted of: a) a monitoring phase to evaluate the impact of conventional and environmentally sound techniques (Best Management Practices, BMPs) on water quality; this was done on four representative landscape units, where twelve fields were instrumented to monitor the soil, surface and subsurface water quality; b) a modelling phase to extend the results obtained at field scale to the whole territory of the Mincio watershed. For this purpose a GIS developed in the Arc/Info environment was integrated into the CropSyst model. The model had previously been calibrated to test its ability to describe the complexity of the agricultural systems. The first results showed a variable efficiency of the BMPs depending on the interaction between management and pedo-climatic conditions. In general though, the BMPs had positive effects in improving the surface and subsurface water quality. The CropSyst model was able to describe the agricultural systems monitored and its linking with the GIS represented a valuable tool for identifying the vulnerable areas within the watershed.


2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Joelsson ◽  
K. Kyllmar

In Kattegat and the coastal water of the Baltic Sea, high nitrogen input from agricultural land is considered to be the main reason for eutrophication. International agreements and governmental programs have set a target to reduce the anthropogenic nitrogen load by 50 percent. Improved nitrogen removal in treatment plants and efforts in agriculture have so far not decreased nitrogen transport to a sufficient extent. In this project the impact of agricultural practices on nitrogen leaching was investigated in two small agricultural catchments in Southwest Sweden. The root-zone leaching was estimated by an indexing technique. Simultaneously the transports in the stream outlets were monitored. During 1995 and 1999 the agricultural practices in the catchments were surveyed. Field data from the first survey indicated that fertilisation did not always match crop requirements, the area of undersown catch crop can be increased and autumn cultivation can be reduced. The second survey was preceded by an advisory campaign where each farmer was visited and presented with an environmental plan including fertilisation, cultivation, and crop rotation for the farm. The plan summarised the best management practices that could be realised under actual conditions. Results from the second survey showed that some changes in the agricultural practices were carried out after the advisory campaign. The nitrogen leaching from the root-zone was then estimated by the indexing technique, both for the time before and after the advisory program. The results showed that the estimated nitrogen leaching, as a mean value for 330 fields, decreased from 53 to 50 kgN ha−1, due to adjustments of the agricultural practices. Monitoring of stream transports showed values of the same magnitude after correction for retention and other sources. In this short time perspective, decreases in transport due to changes in agricultural practices could not be separated from influence of weather conditions. In comparison to results from the Swedish monitoring programme for agriculture, the measured transports were normal for the region, where annual variation in precipitation and runoff is large. Theoretically, nitrogen leaching could be reduced by one third without any major economic constraints for the farmers. In general, the farmers were positive to advice and willing to try new farming techniques even if some measurements were not fully implemented during the investigation period.


1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Poulton ◽  
Jennifer Colbourne ◽  
P. J. Dennis

In February 1989 an outbreak of waterborne cryptosporidiosis associated with contaminated surface water in the upper Thames catchment was identified. Less than 0.01% of the population suffered symptoms sufficient for them to seek medical advice. Nevertheless, the impact of the outbreak on the community and the water undertakers was considerable, and an expert committee was appointed by the Secretary of State for Health to advise on research and measures to control the disease and prevent future waterborne outbreaks. One of the committee's interim recommendations was for the gathering of information on the occurrence of cryptosporidium oocysts in the aquatic environment particularly sources used for abstraction and production of drinking water. The results of monitoring in the River Thames catchment will be discussed particularly in light of observations that peak contamination events occur in rivers which pass through agricultural land but do not receive discharges from sewage treatment works.


1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. VAN VUUREN ◽  
P. YSSELSTEIN

Renting of agricultural land is gaining in importance in Canada. The impact of rental on soil conservation and on long-term soil productivity was examined in central southwestern Ontario. Prevailing leasing contracts were short-term, with a minimum of contractual obligations on both parties. A difference in soil management practices was found between owner-operated land and rented land. Both recurrent and nonrecurrent practices upgrading the soil were carried out to a lesser extent on rented than on owner-operated land, while the quality of the rented land was in fact lower and in greater need of ameliorative practices. This resulted in a difference in grain corn yield; the lower yield being obtained from rented land. Key words: Land tenure, tenancy, rental contract, soil conservation, soil productivity, soil quality


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Huffman ◽  
R. Ogston ◽  
T. Fisette ◽  
B. Daneshfar ◽  
P-Y. Gasser, L. White ◽  
...  

The land use and management data requirements for assessing, monitoring and reporting on the impact of agricultural production practices on the environment, especially in a country as large as Canada, are considerable. In view of the fact that environmental assessments are a relatively new phenomenon, data collection activities targeted toward these needs are not widespread. As a result, we find it necessary to acquire and integrate a variety of data sources with differing time lines, spatial scales and sampling frameworks. This paper uses our current activities with respect to Kyoto reporting as a focus to present and discuss the types of data required and the spatial analysis and integration procedures being developed to provide them. The essential data for this activity include the area of crop and land use types, land use changes since 1990, farm and land management practices and biomass production. The spatial framework selected for national analysis is the Soil Landscapes of Canada, and the primary existing data sources are the Census of Agriculture, sample-derived yield estimates and satellite-based land cover products. These are supplemented with detailed, multi-season, multi-year satellite image interpretations conducted at an ecologically and statistically stratified sample of sites across the country. The use of these data in preparing an account of greenhouse gas sources and sinks identified a number of gaps and problems, and a brief outline of future work designed to improve the data inputs is presented. Key words: Kyoto reporting, data integration, land use and management, greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration


2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahman Amiri ◽  
K. Sudheer ◽  
Nicola Fohrer

Linkage Between In-Stream Total Phosphorus and Land Cover in Chugoku District, Japan: An Ann ApproachDevelopment of any area often leads to more intensive land use and increase in the generation of pollutants. Modeling these changes is critical to evaluate emerging changes in land use and their effect on stream water quality. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of spatial patterns in land use and population density on the water quality of streams, in case of data scarcity, in the Chugoku district of Japan. The study employed artificial neural network (ANN) technique to assess the relationship between the total phosphorous (TP) in river water and the land use in 21 river basins in the district, and the model was able to reasonably estimate the TP in the stream water. Uncertainty analysis of ANN estimates was performed using the Monte Carlo framework, and the results indicated that the ANN model predictions are statistically similar to the characteristics of the measured TP values. It was observed that any reduction in forested area or increase in agricultural land in the watersheds may cause the increase of TP concentration in the stream. Therefore, appropriate watershed management practices should be followed before making any land use change in the Chugoku district.


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