title: Pesticide residue concentration in soil following conventional and Low-Input Crop Management in a Mediterranean agro-ecosystem, in Central Greece.
abstract: The present study was focused on the comparative evaluation of pesticide residues, determined in soil samples from Kopaida region, Greece before and after the implementation of Low-Input Crop Management (LCM) protocols. LCM has been suggested as an environmental friendly plant protection approach to be applied on crops growing in vulnerable to pollution ecosystems, with special focus on the site specific problems. In the case of the specific pilot area, the vulnerability was mainly related to the pollution of water bodies from agrochemicals attributed to diffuse pollution primarily from herbicides and secondarily from insecticides. A total of sixty-six soil samples, were collected and analyzed during a three-year monitoring study and the results of the determined pesticide residues were considered for the impact evaluation of applied plant protection methodology. The LCM was developed and applied in the main crops growing in the pilot area i.e. cotton, maize and industrial tomato. Herbicides active ingredients such as ethalfluralin, trifluralin, pendimethalin, S-metolachlor and fluometuron were detected in most samples at various concentrations. Ethalfluralin, which was the active ingredient present in the majority of the samples ranged from 0.01 μg g(-1) to 0.26 μg g(-1) soil dry weight. However, the amount of herbicides measured after the implementation of LCM for two cropping periods, was reduced by more than 75% in all cases. The method of analysis was based on the simultaneous extraction of the target compounds by mechanical shaking, followed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometric and gas chromatography electron capture (LC-MS/MS and GC-ECD) analysis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Control of Pesticides, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Street, Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece. Electronic address: e.karassali@bpi.gr.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karasali
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Control of Pesticides, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Street, Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marousopoulou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pesticides Toxicology, Department of Pesticides Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 8 St. Delta Street, Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece. Electronic address: k.machera@bpi.gr.
authors.forename: Kyriaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Machera
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006115:Greece; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010573:Pesticide Residues; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Cotton; Herbicides; Low input crop management; Residues; Soil; Validation