Agricultural Pesticide Usage Research Articles

Linear Discriminant Analysis for Predicting Net Blotch Severity in Spring Barley with Meteorological Data in Finland

Predictive information on plant diseases could help to reduce and optimize the usage of pesticides in agriculture. This research presents classification procedures with linear discriminant analysis to predict three possible severity levels of net blotch in spring barley in Finland. The weather data utilized for classification included mathematical transformations, namely features of outdoor temperature and air humidity with calculated dew point temperature values. Historical field observations of net blotch density were utilized as a target class for the identification of classifiers. The performance of classifiers was analyzed in sliding data windows of two weeks with selected, cumulative, summed feature values. According to classification results from 36 yearly data sets, the prediction of net blotch occurrence in spring barley in Finland can be considered as a linearly separable classification task. Furthermore, this can be achieved with linear discriminant analysis by combining the output probabilities of separate binary classifiers identified for each severity level of net blotch disease. In this case, perfect classification with a resolution of three different net blotch severity levels was achieved during the first 50 days from the beginning of the growing season. This strongly suggests that real-time classification based on a few weather variables measured on a daily basis can be applied to estimate the severity of net blotch in advance. This allows application of the principles of integrated pest management (IPM) and usage of pesticides only when there is a proven need.

Motivation and opportunity may drive Tunisian farmers to reduce chemical pesticides in horticulture

This study investigates the sociopsychological factors influencing Tunisian farmers’ adoption of sustainable pest management techniques by employing the motivation-opportunity-ability framework and using partial least squares structural equation modelling. It is the first empirical study to test this framework in predicting farmers’ readiness to reduce pesticide usage in agriculture, distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. The findings reveal that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations significantly impact farmers’ readiness to reduce pesticide use. Particularly, extrinsic motivations, such as peer influence and prevailing practices within the community, play a crucial role, highlighting the importance of social dynamics in sustainable agricultural decisions. Additionally, opportunities to adopt non-chemical pest control methods, enhanced by access to information and technology, positively influence farmers’ intentions to minimize pesticide use. These results suggest that enhancing farmers’ motivation through targeted educational programs and fostering opportunities via supportive policy environments are key strategies to promoting sustainable pest management practices in the region.

Wild rodents seed choice is relevant for sustainable agriculture

Mitigating pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) and post-harvest food loss (PHFL) is essential for enhancing food securrity. To reduce food loss, the use of plant derived specialized metabolites can represent a good approach to develop a more eco-friendly agriculture. Here, we have discovered that soybean seeds hidden underground during winter by Tscherskia triton and Apodemus agrarius during winter possess a higher concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to those remaining exposed in fields. This selection by rodents suggests that among the identified volatiles, 3-FurAldehyde (Fur) and (E)-2-Heptenal (eHep) effectively inhibit the growth of plant pathogens such as Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium solani and Pseudomonas syringae. Additionally, compounds such as Camphene (Cam), 3-FurAldehyde, and (E)-2-Heptenal, suppress the germination of seeds in crops including soybean, rice, maize, and wheat. Importantly, some of these VOCs also prevent rice seeds from pre-harvest sprouting. Consequently, our findings offer straightforward and practical approaches to seed protection and the reduction of PHS and PHFL, indicating potential new pathways for breeding, and reducing both PHS and pesticide usage in agriculture.

Rice leaf disease detection based on bidirectional feature attention pyramid network with YOLO v5 model

To ensure higher quality, capacity, and production of rice, it is vital to diagnose rice leaf disease in its early stage in order to decrease the usage of pesticides in agriculture which in turn avoids environmental damage. Hence, this article presents a Multi-scale YOLO v5 detection network to detect and classify the rice crop disease in its early stage. The experiment is initially started by pre-processing the rice leaf images obtained from the RLD dataset, after which data set labels are created, which are then divided into train and test sets. DenseNet-201 is used as the backbone network and depth-aware instance segmentation is used to segment the different regions of rice leaf. Moreover, the proposed Bidirectional Feature Attention Pyramid Network (Bi-FAPN) is used for extracting the features from the segmented image and also enhances the detection of diseases with different scales. Furthermore, the feature maps are identified in the detection head, where the anchor boxes are then applied to the output feature maps to produce the final output vectors by the YOLO v5 network. The subset of channels or filters is pruned from different layers of deep neural network models through the principled pruning approach without affecting the full framework performance. The experiments are conducted with RLD dataset with different existing networks to verify the generalization ability of the proposed model. The effectiveness of the network is evaluated based on various parameters in terms of average precision, accuracy, average recall, IoU, inference time, and F1 score, which are achieved at 82.8, 94.87, 75.81, 0.71, 0.017, and 92.45 respectively.

Sustainable Agriculture through the Enhancement of Microbial Biocontrol Agents: Current Challenges and New Perspectives

The future of pesticide usage in agriculture is uncertain due to its unsustainability, adverse environmental impacts, and its association in enhanced phytopathogen resistance. Hence, this situation urges the development of new sustainable practices in agriculture. A promising approach involves endophytes, which are non-pathogenic microorganisms inhabiting the interior parts of plants. However, due to the vast diversity and complexity of plant microbiomes, a major gap has formed with regards to endophytic research and its application in phytopathogen biocontrol. The gap has mainly been increasing due to the difficulty of isolating underrepresented endophytes and due to limitation of previous genetic tools availability to further research and understand plant-microbe interaction, endophytic biocontrol capabilities and their biocontrol compounds. This review highlights the current challenges being encountered in this research field. Additionally, the research advances through utilization of specialized techniques (CRISPR/Cas9 system, nanoparticles and multi-omics) are highlighted to assist in elucidating the mechanism revolving around plant-microbe interactions and to generate model systems demonstrating improved biocontrol capabilities of endophytes. The ultimate goal of this review is to provide improved approaches that could be implement in an array of microorganism that will enhance the phytopathogen biocontrol field in order to create a sustainable agricultural sector.

The Impact of Pesticide Use on Tree Health in Riparian Buffer Zone

The result of the enormous usage of pesticides in agriculture is the contamination of soil and water bodies surrounding the fields. Therefore, creating buffer zones to prevent water contamination is very useful. Chlorpyrifos (CPS) is the active substance of a number of insecticides widely used all over the world. In our study, we focused on the effect of CPS on plants forming riparian buffer zones: poplar (Populus nigra L., TPE18), hybrid aspen (P.tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.), and alder (Alnus glutinosa L.). Foliage spray and root irrigation experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions on in vitro cultivated plants. Spray applications of pure CPS were compared with its commercially available form-Oleoekol®. Although CPS is considered a nonsystemic insecticide, our results indicate that CPS is transferred not only upwards from roots to shoots but also downwards from leaves to roots. The amount of CPS in the roots was higher (4.9 times and 5.7 times, respectively) in aspen or poplar sprayed with Oleoekol than in those sprayed with pure CPS. Although the treated plants were not affected in growth parameters, they showed increased activity of antioxidant enzymes (approximately two times in the case of superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase) and augmented levels of phenolic substances (control plants -114.67 mg GAE/g dry tissue, plants treated with CPS-194.27 mg GAE/g dry tissue). In summary, chlorpyrifos, especially as a foliar spray pesticide, can create persistent residues and affects not only target plants but also plants surrounding the field.

Evaluation of the implications of pesticide usage in agriculture on earthworms in the mono-modal equatorial agro-ecological zone of Cameroon

Evaluation of the implications of pesticide usage in agriculture on earthworms in the mono-modal equatorial agro-ecological zone of Cameroon

Switchable aptamer-fueled colorimetric sensing toward agricultural fipronil exposure sensitized with affiliative metal-organic framework

Persistent usage of pesticides in agriculture has posed serious damage to overall ecosystem and human health, and thereby it is imperative to develop sensitive and efficient tools to evaluate residual pesticides in food and environmental setting. Herein, we reported a switchable colorimetric probe toward fipronil residue sensitized with aptamer-fueled catalytic activity of affiliative ZIF-8. Innovatively, it was found that the attached aptamer preferred to adsorb 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) rather than 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazo-line-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), greatly promoting catalytic oxidation of ZIF-8 toward TMB for further improving sensitivity. Aiding with smartphone-based image acquisition, fipronil-responsive discoloration degree was converted into the ratio of green and blue (G/B) with limit of detection as low as 0.036 μM (0.016 μg·g−1). Moreover, it allowed for fipronil analysis in water, soil and vegetable samples with good recovery between 87 % and 110 %, verifying extension application prospect of the aptamer-fueled colorimetry for on-field pesticide evaluation in food safety supervision.

Rapid evolution of insecticide resistance and patterns of pesticides usage in agriculture in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon

BackgroundThe practice of agriculture in urban settings contributes to the rapid expansion of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. However, there is still not enough information on pesticide usage in most urban settings. The present study aims to assess the evolution of Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) population susceptibility to insecticides and patterns of pesticide usage in agriculture in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon.MethodsWHO susceptibility tests and synergist PBO bioassays were conducted on adult An. gambiae (s.l.) mosquitoes aged 3 to 5 days emerging from larvae collected from the field. Seven insecticides (deltamethrin, permethrin, DDT, bendiocarb, propoxur, fenitrothion and malathion) were evaluated. The presence of target site mutation conferring knockdown (kdr) resistance was investigated using TaqMan assay, and mosquito species were identified using SINE-PCR. Surveys on 81 retailers and 232 farmers were conducted to assess general knowledge and practices regarding agricultural pesticide usage.ResultsHigh resistance intensity to pyrethroids was observed with a high frequency of the kdr allele 1014F and low frequency of the kdr 1014S allele. The level of susceptibility of An. gambiae (s.l.) to pyrethroids and carbamates was found to decrease with time (from > 34% in 2017 to < 23% in 2019 for deltamethrin and permethrin and from 97% in 2017 to < 86% in 2019 for bendiocarb). Both An. gambiae (s.s.) and An. coluzzii were recorded. Over 150 pesticides and fertilizers were sold by retailers for agricultural purposes in the city of Yaoundé. Most farmers do not respect safety practices. Poor practices including extensive and inappropriate application of pesticides as well as poor management of perished pesticides and empty pesticide containers were also documented.ConclusionsThe study indicated rapid evolution of insecticide resistance and uncontrolled usage of pesticides by farmers in agriculture. There is an urgent need to address these gaps to improve the management of insecticide resistance.Graphical

Fuzzy Based Predication Technique for Diabetics Association Analysis for Salem District Farmers

Diabetes is a one of the major issue that all people in the world currently face. Diabetes is caused by excessive amounts of sugar in the blood. Once diabetes is diagnosed, it is not completely curable, but it can be controlled with proper medication, exercise and a balanced diet. Diabetes affects the vital organs of the body such as the heart, kidneys, brain and eyes. The diabetes mellitus and its complications can be determined using a variety of pathological tests, such as patients’ symptoms and blood sugar, urine and lipid profile. The use of fuzzy logic in diagnosis is very common and useful because it combines the knowledge and experience of the physician into ambiguous sets and rules. Most of the researchers proposed methods to diagnosis the diabetes mellitus but still it in their infancy level. This work proposed a fuzzy based system for diagnosing diabetes disease. The usage of pesticides in agriculture by farmers is treated as one of the dependent variable for predication. The empirical zif’s law is used to compute the frequency of farmers using pesticides are predicated as diabetic. The output of the proposed system proved that the fuzzy based prediction model diagnosis the disease accurately.

A Retrospective Study on Agrocultural Poisoning: Causes and Effects

A rise in the usage of pesticides in agriculture has coincided with an increase in the number of people who have been poisoned by them. Herbicides greater part are incessant agrochemical poisons, trailed by organophosphates. Numerous horticultural toxins, such as ethyl parathion and defoliant, have been banned in recent years. To discourage illicit use, they are combined with a coloring agent such as indigo carmine. Additionally, parquet has a "stanching" ingredient. Organochlorines work through a completely different process. Whereas Organophosphates are anti-cholinesterase, while organochlorines are anti-cholinesterase. Meddling with the transmission of driving forces through nerve cells. Organochlorines give out a kerosene-like odor when people die. The presence of organochloride in the gut contents or offal is used to make the diagnosis. Organochlorines are resistant to putrefaction and can be identified long after a person has died. Suicidal, accidental, and homicidal poisonings have all been linked to paraquat. This poisoning is moderately caustic, and ulcers around the lips and mouth is frequent. The severe alterations in the lungs, especially after the sufferer has lived a few days, are the hallmark of paraquat poisoning. Algicides, aphicides, herbicide safeners, fertilisers, and other agrochemicals are less often seen. Most governments have enacted regulations to avoid unintentional poisonings from these substances. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was passed by the US government in 1962, while the Indian sovereignty proceeded The Insecticides Act in 1968. These laws, in addition via other things compel pesticide producers to include signal phrases on their labels to alert the public to their toxicity and associated dangers.

Status of insecticide susceptibility in Anopheles arabiensis and detection of the knockdown resistance mutation (kdr) concerning agricultural practices from Northern Sudan state, Sudan

BackgroundChemical control has been the most efficient method in mosquito control, the development of insecticide resistance in target populations has a significant impact on vector control. The use of agricultural pesticides may have a profound impact on the development of resistance in the field populations of malaria vectors. Our study focused on insecticide resistance and knockdown resistance (kdr) of Anopheles arabiensis populations from Northern Sudan, related to agricultural pesticide usage. ResultsAnopheles arabiensis from urban and rural localities (Merowe and Al-hamadab) were fully susceptible to bendiocarb 0.1% and permethrin 0.75% insecticides while resistant to DDT 4% and malathion 5%. The population of laboratory reference colony F189 from Dongola showed a mortality of 91% to DDT (4%) and fully susceptible to others. GLM analysis indicated that insecticides, sites, site type, and their interaction were determinant factors on mortality rates (P < 0.01). Except for malathion, mortality rates of all insecticides were not significant (P > 0.05) according to sites. Mortality rates of malathion and DDT were varied significantly (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05 respectively) by site types, while mortality rates of bendiocarb and permethrin were not significant (P >0.05). The West African kdr mutation (L1014F) was found in urban and rural sites. Even though, the low-moderate frequency of kdr (L1014F) mutation was observed. The findings presented here for An. arabiensis showed no correlation between the resistant phenotype as ascertained by bioassay and the presence of the kdr mutation, with all individuals tested except the Merowe site which showed a moderate association with DDT (OR= 6 in allelic test), suggesting that kdr genotype would be a poor indicator of phenotypic resistance. ConclusionThe results provide critical pieces of information regarding the insecticide susceptibility status of An. arabiensis in northern Sudan. The usage of the same pesticides in agricultural areas seemed to affect the Anopheles susceptibility when they are exposed to those insecticides in the field. The kdr mutation might have a less role than normally expected in pyrethroids resistance; however, other resistance genes should be in focus. These pieces of information will help to improve the surveillance system and The implication of different vector control programs employing any of these insecticides either in the treatment of bed nets or for indoor residual spraying would achieve satisfactory success rates.

Potential of TiO2 with Various Au Nanoparticles for Catalyzing Mesotrione Removal from Wastewaters under Sunlight.

Nowadays, great focus is given to the contamination of surface and groundwater because of the extensive usage of pesticides in agriculture. The improvements of commercial catalyst TiO2 activity using different Au nanoparticles were investigated for mesotrione photocatalytic degradation under simulated sunlight. The selected system was 2.43 × 10−3% Au–S–CH2–CH2–OH/TiO2 (0.5 g/L) that was studied by transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. It was found that TiO2 particles size was ~20 nm and ~50 nm, respectively. The Au nanoparticles were below 10 nm and were well distributed within the framework of TiO2. For 2.43 × 10−3% Au–S–CH2–CH2–OH/TiO2 (0.5 g/L), band gap energy was 2.45 eV. In comparison to the pure TiO2, addition of Au nanoparticles generally enhanced photocatalytic removal of mesotrione. By examining the degree of mineralization, it was found that 2.43 × 10−3% Au–S–CH2–CH2–OH/TiO2 (0.5 g/L) system was the most efficient for the removal of the mesotrione and intermediates. The effect of tert-butanol, NaF and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt on the transformation rate suggested that the relative contribution of various reactive species changed in following order: h+ > ●OHads > ●OHbulk. Finally, several intermediates that were formed during the photocatalytic treatment of mesotrione were identified.

Patterns of pesticide usage in agriculture in rural Tanzania call for integrating agricultural and public health practices in managing insecticide-resistance in malaria vectors

BackgroundUnrestricted use of pesticides in agriculture is likely to increase insecticide resistance in mosquito vectors. Unfortunately, strategies for managing insecticide resistance in agriculture and public health sectors lack integration. This study explored the types and usage of agricultural pesticides, and awareness and management practices among retailers and farmers in Ulanga and Kilombero districts in south-eastern Tanzania, where Anopheles mosquitoes are resistant to pyrethroids.MethodsAn exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed. First, a survey to characterize pesticide stocks was conducted in agricultural and veterinary (agrovet) retail stores. Interviews to assess general knowledge and practices regarding agricultural pesticides were performed with 17 retailers and 30 farmers, followed by a survey involving 427 farmers. Concurrently, field observations were done to validate the results.ResultsLambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin (both pyrethroids) and imidacloprids (neonicotinoids) were the most common agricultural insecticides sold to farmers. The herbicide glyphosate (amino-phosphonates) (59.0%), and the fungicides dithiocarbamate and acylalanine (54.5%), and organochlorine (27.3%) were also readily available in the agrovet shops and widely used by farmers. Although both retailers and farmers had at least primary-level education and recognized pesticides by their trade names, they lacked knowledge on pest control or proper usage of these pesticides. Most of the farmers (54.4%, n = 316) relied on instructions from pesticides dealers. Overall, 93.7% (400) farmers practised pesticides mixing in their farms, often in close proximity to water sources. One-third of the farmers disposed of their pesticide leftovers (30.0%, n = 128) and most farmers discarded empty pesticide containers into rivers or nearby bushes (55.7%, n = 238).ConclusionSimilarities of active ingredients used in agriculture and malaria vector control, poor pesticide management practices and low-levels of awareness among farmers and pesticides retailers might enhance the selection of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. This study emphasizes the need for improving awareness among retailers and farmers on proper usage and management of pesticides. The study also highlights the need for an integrated approach, including coordinated education on pesticide use, to improve the overall management of insecticide resistance in both agricultural and public health sectors.

Organochlorine contamination in sediments collected from a rural-, urban- and industrial-impacted aquatic system (Danube, Serbia)

The spatial distribution of various organochlorinated compounds (PCBs and ОCPs (DDTs, HCB, and HCHs)) were investigated in sediments of Serbia's stretch of the Danube River. The obtained concentrations appeared to be relatively low in comparison with other river sediments worldwide. The results demonstrated a wide range of concentrations (µg/kg dry weight) with the following decreasing order: Σ6DDTs (0.70 - 16.65) &amp;gt; Σ 7PCBs (0.25 - 3.54) &amp;gt; Σ 5HCH (0.04 - 2.28) &amp;gt; HCB (0.06 - 0.62), with a dominance of o,p’ -DDT. Relatively higher ΣDDT concentrations and high DDT/DDE + DDD ratios in two sampling locations near the industrial cities indicates a current DDT usage, probably linked to public health concerns. Compositional analyses indicated that hexa- and hepta-PCBs were dominant for PCBs. Our results indicated that the contamination with PCBs came from nonpoint deposition, such as atmospheric contribution and surface runoff, for lightly chlorinated congeners and point source deposition, such as the industrial sources along river flow, for highly chlorinated congeners, whereas OCPs originate mainly from old residues and new usage of pesticides in agriculture and aquaculture. These results contribute to the sparse regional database for organochlorinated compounds in the Danube basin.

Assessment of the impact of pesticide usage in groundwater aquifer of an agriculturally dominated area in North West India

Abstract Groundwater pollution due to several anthropogenic activities has been a worldwide problem, one such activity being injudicious pesticide usage in agriculture. Assessment of pesticide impact on groundwater is a prerequisite step towards the formulation of regulatory policies related to the pesticides' application. The present study deals with assessment of the impact of pesticide usage in the groundwater aquifer of an agriculturally dominated area in North West India. The relationship between the pesticide usage and its impact on the quality of groundwater has been established by employing a model named Pesticide Impact Rating Index (PIRI). For illustration, seven farms lying in Nakodar tehsil of Punjab state in India were considered. Based on the frequency of usage of various pesticides in the study area, four pesticides namely atrazine, chlorophyrifos, phorate and monocrotophos were selected for detailed analysis. Groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for observed values of pesticide residues. The observed residues were compared with the PIRI model estimates and results showed that though the observed values were higher corresponding to the estimated values, the ratio seemed to be fluctuating within a consistent range. Therefore multiplicative correction factors were introduced for the model estimates so as to predict realistic pesticide residues in an area.

Accelerated photodeterioration of class I toxic monocrotophos in the presence of one-pot constructed Ag3PO4/polyaniline@g-C3N4 nanocomposite: efficacy in light harvesting.

Water and soil contamination has become unavoidable due to the enormous usage of pesticides in agriculture. Among the pesticides, monocrotophos (MCP), a popular and largely used pesticide, is extremely toxic to birds and humans, which is easily leached into the environment. Therefore, establishment of a green tactic to clean the environment from such hazard is very essential. Herein, we have developed a novel ternary nanocomposite, Ag3PO4/polyaniline@g-C3N4 with enhanced electron-hole separation efficiency, a condition which is very much required for any photocatalyst. The nanocomposite was one-pot synthesized by a simple and economical hydrothermal method. The strategically modulated band gaps of the nanocomposite help harvest the sunlight efficaciously for the robust degradation of MCP (99.6%). It has been found that the active species involved in the photo-cleaning process are OH· and O2·-. A suitable reaction mechanism has been proposed and discussed. Analytical techniques, which include energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), elemental mapping analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), were used to characterize the synthesized nanocomposite. This nano-photocatalyst, which is simple, stable, and reusable, certainly has potential applications in soil contamination remediation, sewage treatments, and other environment decontaminations. Also, a study of this kind offers more strategic plans for the production of clean energy (hydrogen) by solar-driven water splitting.

The Ecotoxicology of Heavy Metals from Various Anthropogenic Sources and Pathways for their Bioremediation

Although Cu and Zn are important microelements with well-defined roles in organisms functioning, their presence in toxic concentrations is related to a contamination process. On the other hand, Pb, Cd, and Hg are toxic xenobiotics with cumulative effects on various organisms, and in the case of Ni the reports are contradictory. All of these heavy metals are found as a naturally content in the earth�s crust wherefrom are mobilized through volcanic eruptions or mining activities. Some human activities, such as metals smelting, burning of fossil fuels, cement obtaining, usage of pesticides in agriculture, contribute to the environmental pollution with these heavy metals. The presence of heavy metals is considered a risk factor for all components of the ecosystem due to their geo- and bio accumulative features. In long-term exposure, especially in countries with intensive industrialization and urbanization, toxic and carcinogenic effects based on various mechanisms were reported. However, the extraction and the usage of heavy metals in various industry branches might be considered a necessary evil for the nowadays modern society. In some moments of our evolution there were no alternatives, neither as knowledge, nor as application possibilities. In last decades, alarm signals were pulled by the scientific community and non-governmental organizations, and a legislation of heavy metal residues monitoring was developed and applied in many countries all over the world. Moreover, various ecological alternatives were found for the limitation or even excluding of pollutant materials from many of our life aspects (unleaded petrol, insecticides based on pheromones, green concrete manufactured with less cement quantity etc.) and different ways of soil phytoremediation and heavy metals biosorption from aqueous media were tested. The aim of this paper is to review the most important aspects related to heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Ni, Cu, Zn) ecotoxicology. Various sources of environmental pollution and different mechanisms for physiological homeostasis disruption for each reviewed elementary xenobiotic are critically discussed.

Parental sublethal insecticide exposure prolongs mating response and decreases reproductive output in offspring

Abstract Insecticide usage is steadily increasing, implying an ongoing threat of sublethal exposure for non‐target organisms in habitats close to farmland. The exposure to low insecticide doses is often associated with a fitness decline in affected organisms. We determined the effects of exposure to the pyrethroid lambda‐cyhalothrin, at a concentration 20 times lower than the LC50, on the cuticle surface profile containing mating cues, the mating and aggression behaviour and fitness consequences for a beetle species (Phaedon cochleariae Fabricius), which faces agropollutants when occurring close to farmland. Traits were investigated in the insecticide‐exposed parental generation, and carry‐over effects into their unexposed offspring were studied. In both the parental and the offspring generation, the chemical surface profile was unaffected by the insecticide exposure. Nevertheless, insecticide exposure and carry‐over effects decreased male mating acceptance of females in no‐choice situations. A reduced acceptance of insecticide‐exposed females may be related to changes in specific chemical surface cues, because males attempted to mate more readily with dummies treated with surface extracts of control females than of insecticide‐exposed females. Moreover, females became more aggressive in dual‐choice situations towards other females in the presence of an insecticide‐exposed compared to an unexposed male, potentially due to neuronal dysfunctions. Thus, both intersexual (chemical) communication during mating and intrasexual communication were altered in response to insecticide exposure. Insecticide‐exposed parents and their offspring suffered from a decreased reproductive output, likely due to direct toxic effects or constraints induced by detoxification processes. The carry‐over effects might be mediated by a parental insecticide transfer or insecticide‐induced heritable epigenetic changes involved in detoxification processes. Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that sublethal insecticide exposure can have far‐reaching consequences on (non‐target) herbivores. These results have implications for population dynamics and, ultimately, for ecological communities, as insects are highly important members of food chains. Therefore, long‐term effects of short‐term insecticide exposure should be considered in the evaluation of pesticides and the discussion about pesticide usage in agriculture.

Functionalized polystyrene beads as carriers in release studies of two herbicides: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid

The extensive usage of pesticides in agriculture has adverse effect on the quality of water and soil; therefore, the proper dosage is of great concern. The aim of this study was to use the functionalized polystyrene beads (QuadraPure™) as a reservoir for the storage and controlled release of two herbicides: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid. It was proved that desorption of herbicides was strongly affected by the surface properties of polystyrene beads characterized by different pore size distributions and modified with various functional groups. We suggest that the optimal hybrid systems are the mixtures that are able to release the high amount of herbicides for a long time. For 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, these conditions were fulfilled by polystyrene beads with the attached imino diacetate or thiourea functional groups. For 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, the appropriate results were obtained when polystyrene beads with the thiourea functional groups were applied. Additionally, QuadraPure™ scavengers could form stable complexes with copper and nickel ions, and therefore, the pesticide release was limited. The application of a hybrid system permitted to control the distribution of the herbicide by the formation of complexes between metal ions and organic groups of QuadraPure™ materials. The results proved that by using the polystyrene beads the release of herbicide could be controlled.Graphical abstract