Spatial-Temporal Change Characteristic Analysis and Environmental Risk Evaluation of Pesticide Application in Anhui Province

Abstract

The excessive application of pesticides causes the increase in pesticide residues, and pesticide pollution presents a point-line-plane 3D space pollution trend. This paper takes pesticide application intensity (PAI for short) as the object, adopts spatial autocorrelation theory to analyze the spatial-temporal change characteristics of PAI in Anhui Province from 2003 to 2020, and constructs the environmental risk index method to evaluate pesticide environmental risk, aiming to provide a reference for macro control pesticide dosage, zoning guidance, and agricultural sustainable development in Anhui Province. The following results were obtained: From 2003 to 2020, the PAI in Anhui Province showed a spatial-temporal change process of first increasing and then decreasing, as well as first clustering and then random distribution. Before 2013, the significant hot spots and cold spots of PAI in Anhui Province were located in southern and northern Anhui, respectively. In addition, the scope of both experienced a process of expanding and then contracting. In recent years, there have been no significant hot and cold areas of PAI in Anhui Province. The overall trend of pesticide environmental risk in the provincial cities in Anhui Province decreased. In 2020, pesticide environmental risk in various provincial cities is dominated by medium- and low-risk levels, which are still higher than in 2003. High-risk and extremely high-risk levels are mainly concentrated in Huainan and Suzhou in northern Anhui and Chizhou and Huangshan in southern Anhui.