Ecotoxicological Hazard of Pesticide Use in Traditional Agricultural Technologies

Abstract

The ecotoxicological hazard assessment of pesticide use on crops was performed. The study was conducted in 2021-2023 at the experimental field of the Skvyra Research Farm of the Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management of National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, located in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. The influence of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides on the formation of environmental hazards in crop agrocenoses was studied: experiment (1) -peas, winter wheat, buckwheat; experiment (2) -winter wheat, buckwheat, oats. The ecological risk was assessed taking into account the ecotoxic properties of the chemical active ingredients of pesticides. It was found that the main parameters characterizing the occurrence of environmental risks are: (i) the pesticide load, i.e. the amount of toxicant applied per unit of sown area; (ii) the ecotoxicity of the pesticide (LD 50 ), which is established by hygienic standards; (iii) the persistence of the pesticide in the soil, namely, its half-life (DT 50 ), etc. The calculations proved that the pesticides used had a low environmental risk of impact on agrocenoses. This is evidenced by the ecotoxicity index (E). The total pesticide load (Σ E ) on the agrocenosis of each crop during the three years of the study (2021-2023) was calculated. It was found that in experiment (1) -Σ Experiment 1 = 0.23 conventional units (c.u.); in experiment (2) -Σ Eexperiment 2 = 0.04 c.u. The results obtained indicate an insignificant environmental risk of pesticide use for experimental plots of crops of the studied farm. However, prolonged use of pesticides certainly leads to the concentration of their persistent residues in the soil. This can lead to contamination of crop products and environmental. The cereals (buckwheat and oats) grown on the farm are intended for dietary consumption. To confirm the reliability of the hypothesis of the safety of the obtained grain and cereal products, it is advisable to further study their quality in terms of pesticide residues. It is shown that this methodology can be used to assess the risk of pesticide contamination of an agroecosystem. The ecotoxicity criterion (E) can be considered as a management tool for reducing environmental risks in agroecosystems.