Abstract
Simple SummaryIn this study, a chronic, seven-week study of the effect of technical grade glyphosate on the toxicity parameters of crossbred red tilapia (O. niloticus × O. mossambicus) was carried out. The results show that the bodyweight index was the most sensitive toxicity parameter wherein a reduction in body weight was observed at 25 mg/L of glyphosate. Negative correlations between the glyphosate concentration and toxicity parameters such as specific growth rate (SGR), hepato-somatic index (HIS), and gonado-somatic index (GSI) were observed. The fish condition factor and feed conversion ratio were found to be unaffected at the highest glyphosate concentration tested (150 mg/L). The development of glyphosate-resistant genetically modified organisms (GMO) has increased the use of herbicide glyphosate by several magnitudes in recent years. It is now the most commonly used pesticide globally that affects aquatic habitats, especially fish. This study aims to add new knowledge on the effect of technical grade glyphosate on several toxicity parameters and to identify the most effective parameter in predicting technical grade glyphosate chronic toxicity (seven weeks) to fish, especially Malaysia’s heavily farmed red tilapia. The results show that a relatively high concentration of technical grade glyphosate is needed to induce significant changes in all tested parameters. However, the results also indicate that the bodyweight index is the most sensitive toxicity parameter in that a reduction in body weight was observed at 25 mg/L of glyphosate. Negative correlations between the glyphosate concentration and toxicity parameters such as specific growth rate (SGR), hepato-somatic index (HIS), and gonado-somatic index (GSI) were observed. The fish condition factor and feed conversion ratio were found not to be affected at the highest glyphosate concentration tested (150 mg/L). To conclude, crossbred red tilapia (O. niloticus × O. mossambicus) is one potential species for evaluating the toxic effects of technical grade glyphosate on fish.
Highlights
There is a dearth of information on the effects of pure and technical grade glyphosate, or even glyphosate formulation, on some of the most popular fish ecotoxicity parameters, such as body mass index, condition factors, feed or food conversion factor, gonado-somatic index (GSI), and HIS
This study aims to add new knowledge on the effect of technical grade glyphosate on these ecotoxicity parameters and to ascertain which of these parameters is the most effective in predicting technical grade glyphosate toxicity to fish, especially Malaysia’s heavily farmed red tilapia
The results show that relatively high concentrations of technical grade glyphosate are needed to induce significant changes in all parameters tested, which could be expected for pure and technical grade glyphosates
Summary
Water contamination as a result of agrochemical applications of pesticides is considered one of the major challenges to the conservation of aquatic ecosystems [1,2]. Pesticidal pollution, especially run-offs from agricultural areas, is a major concern due to the acute and chronic toxicities for aquatic organisms [3,4]. Chronic and acute exposures to pesticides in large quantities can have adverse effects on the fish physiology, biochemistry, and population stability, as well as the overall health of the ecosystem [5,6,7]. The continuous movement of glyphosate and components of its formulations into aquatic habitats can influence the aquatic inhabitants in various ways, such as occasioning fish death when exposed to a high dose or being deposited in a manner that results in chronic damage to aquatic inhabitants [8,9,10,11]
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