Pesticides used in agriculture to increase crop yields affect non-target organisms such as soil microbial communities important for ecosystemic functioning by stimulation (biodegradation) or inhibition (toxicity). Pesticide registration decisions concerning ecotoxicities exclusively rely on mineralization tests. Within the framework of the IAPP Marie Curie project 'LOVE-TO-HATE', the ecotoxicity of the herbicide isoproturon [IPU, 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] was investigated developing advanced methods assessing the ecotoxicity of pesticides.A microcosm study was executed with soil from an Italian agricultural field untreated for 5 years. IPU dissipation was investigated at x1, x2 or x10 recommended agricultural dose for 125 days and analyzed by HPLC-PDA. Mineralization of 14C-labeled IPU at x1 dose was monitored by analysis of evolved 14CO2. IPU impacts on 11 soil microbial groups were assessed by qPCR of extracted soil DNA. The abundance of IPU degraders in soil was determined by qPCR of the recently discovered IPU degrading pdmAB genes. Results will be presented and discussed.

Fate and metabolism of the herbicide isoproturon in soil microcosms and its impact on soil microbial communities using advanced molecular tools

248th National Meeting (2014)

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