The use of pesticides in modern agriculture to control weeds, insects, other pests and diseases has significantly increased global agricultural production. When pesticides are applied in agriculture they undergo a variety of physical, biological and chemical processes as sorption-desorption, chemical and biological degradation, surface runoff, leaching, plant uptake, and volatilisation. The extent to which these mechanisms contribute to the overall fate of a pesticide is dependent on the physical and chemical properties of the pesticide, soil characteristics, environmental factors and management practices such as the addition of organic amendments to soil. A thorough understanding of the factors affecting pesticide fate is necessary to maximize agricultural benefits, predict the fate of trace residues of pesticides in soil and minimize adverse environmental impacts, such as detrimental effects on surface water and groundwater quality. The session will be dedicated to laboratory and field studies on the processes that determine the fate of pesticides in the environment.
OBJETIVES
To understand and assess the processes such as sorption, degradation and transport of pesticides in soils.
To promote better soil management practices in order to avoid the risks of water pollution by pesticides.
To predict the fate of pesticides in the environment through data obtained from laboratory and field studies and data modelling.