Agricultural yields strongly depend on crop protection measures. The main purpose of pesticide use is to increase food security, with a secondary goal being increased standard of living. In view of a ...changing climate, not only crop yields but also pesticide use is expected to be affected. Therefore, an analysis of the detailed effect of changing climatic variables on pesticide use is conducted. Not only effects on cultivated crops, occurring pests and pesticide efficiency are considered but also implications for technological development, regulations and the economic situation are included as all of these aspects can influence pesticide use. The objective of this review is to gain insights into the specific effect of climate change on the consumer exposure caused by pesticide residues on crops. In terms of climate change, temperature increase and changes in precipitation patterns are the main pest and pathogen infection determinants. An increased pesticide use is expected in form of higher amounts, doses, frequencies and different varieties or types of products applied. Climate change will reduce environmental concentrations of pesticides due to a combination of increased volatilization and accelerated degradation, both strongly affected by a high moisture content, elevated temperatures and direct exposure to sunlight. Pesticide dissipation seems also to be benefitted by higher amounts of precipitation. To overcome this, pesticide use might be changed. An adapted pesticide use will finally impact consumer exposure at the end of the food chain.
•Climate change influences pesticide use directly and indirectly.•Legislation, economy, technology, crops, pests and pesticides themselves are influenced.•In the future, more frequent pesticide applications are expected.•A shift to other management systems and a different pesticide scope is expected.•Complex interactions and climate variability will decide on the risks to agriculture.
Breast milk is often used as an environmental bioindicator since it serves as an important medium to accumulate organochlorine pesticides. The main aim of this study is to determine the level of ...organochlorine pesticides in human breast milk collected from three districts of southwestern Ethiopia (Asendabo, Deneba, and Serbo) at three times points baselines (1st month), midline ( six months), and end line (12 months) and risk of infants' exposure. A longitudinal study was conducted to assess pesticide residues in human breast milk samples and evaluate the risk-exposure of infants to these pesticides from consumption of mother's milk in Ethiopia. Breast milk samples were collected from 168 mothers at three time points and pesticides were extracted using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. The level of pesticide residues in human milk samples and exposure of infants to the pesticides was evaluated by calculating the estimated daily intake and compared with the provisional tolerable daily intake of the pesticides under study. The results indicated that, from the eight organochlorine pesticides analyzed in 447 breast milk samples at three sampling times, DDT and its metabolites were detected. p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT were detected in all (100%) of the breast milk samples while, p,p-DDD, and o,p-DDT were detected in 53.9%, and 42.7%, respectively. The mean concentration of total DDT at three time points(baseline, midline and endline) were 2.25, 1.68 and 1.32 µg/g milk fat, respectively. The mean concentration of total DDT from the three districts was 1.85 µg/g milk fat which is above the maximum residue limit (MRL = 0.02 µg/g milk fat set by FAO/WHO). The mean ratio of DDT/DDE for the three areas was calculated less than five (< 5) indicates historical DDT use in the study area. The estimated daily intake of infants at the first month of breastfeeding was 11.24 µg/kg-BW/day, above the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) for total DDT set by FAO/WHO, which is 10 µg/kg body weight. An intake of OCPs is a big concern for infants' health in Ethiopia and countries with a similar condition, particularly at the first month of lactation. Strict regulations of the health-threatening pesticide by the regulatory body (Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission) at the country and regional levels is advocated.
Risk assessment of pesticides involves ecotoxicological testing. In case pesticide exposure to bees is likely, toxicity tests are performed with honey bees (Apis mellifera), with a tiered approach, ...for which validated and internationally accepted test protocols exist. However, concerns have grown regarding the protection of non-Apis bees bumble bees (Bombus spp.), solitary and stingless bees, given their different life cycles and therefore distinct exposure routes. Larvae of solitary bees of the genus Osmia feed on unprocessed pollen during development, yet no toxicity test protocol is internationally accepted or validated to assess the impact of pesticide exposure during this stage of their life cycle. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to further validate a test protocol with two solitary bee species (O. cornuta and O. bicornis) to assess lethal and sublethal effects of pesticide exposure on larval development. Larvae were exposed to thiacloprid (neonicotinoid insecticide) mixed in a new, artificial pollen provision. Both lethal (developmental and winter mortality) and sublethal endpoints (larval development time, pollen provision consumption, cocoon weight, emergence time and adult longevity) were recorded. Effects of lower, more environmentally realistic doses were only reflected in sublethal endpoints. In both bee species, thiacloprid treatment was associated with increased developmental mortality and larval development time, and decreased pollen provision consumption and cocoon weight. The test protocol proved valid and robust and showed that for higher doses of thiacloprid the acute endpoint (larval mortality) is sufficient. In addition, new insights needed to develop a standardized test protocol were acquired, such as testing of a positive control for the first time and selection of male and female individuals at egg level.
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•Including solitary bees in pesticide risk assessment is proven to be possible.•Both lethal and relevant sublethal effects can be assessed simultaneously.•Dose-response relationships due to the insecticide thiacloprid have been shown.•Chronic thiacloprid uptake of Osmia spp. larvae is reflected in sublethal endpoints.•Larval development time increases with increasing thiacloprid exposure.
In mass spectrometry, the type and design of ionization source play a key role on the performance of a given instrument. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to evaluate newly developed sources ...for their suitability to analyze food contaminants like pesticide residues. Here, we carried out a head-to-head comparison of key extraction and analytical performance parameters of an electrospray ionization (ESI) source with a new atmospheric pressure ionization source, UniSpray (US). The two interfaces were evaluated in three matrices of different properties (coffee, apple, and water) to determine if multiresidue analysis of 81 pesticides by QuEChERS extraction and LC-MS/MS analysis could be improved. Depending on the matrix and irrespective of the chemical class, US provided a tremendous gain in signal intensity (22- to 32-fold in peak area, 6- to 7-fold in peak height), a threefold to fourfold increase in signal-to-noise ratio, a mild gain in the range of compounds that can be quantified, and up to twofold improvement of recovery. UniSpray offered comparable linearity and precision of the analyses with ESI, and did not affect the ion ratio. A gain in sensitivity of many compounds was observed with US, but in general, the two ionization interfaces did not show significant difference in LOD and LOQ. UniSpray suffered less signal suppression; the matrix effect was in average 3 to 4 times more pronounced, but showed better values than ESI. With no effect on recovery efficiency, US improved the overall process efficiency 3 to 4 times more than ESI.
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Pesticides are not only used on food but also on non-food crops, such as tobacco, to control a range of unwanted animal, plant, and microbial, fungal pests. The residue levels in tobacco leaves are ...expected to decline up to harvest, during drying, and when the leaves are further processed. Additional pesticides may also be applied to the finished product and residue levels may remain present even when the tobacco is burned. Human exposure to pesticide residues on tobacco occurs when residues remaining in cigarette smoke are inhaled. Based on this assumption, the objectives of this research were (i) to determine the level of pesticides residues in harvested tobacco leaves and (ii) to assess the risk of human exposure to these residues in tobacco smoke. Pesticide residues were detected in all analysed tobacco samples. These detected residues represent ten different active ingredients (AI), three of these AIs (thiodicarb, alachlor, and endosulfan) are no longer allowed in Europe. A 54.7% of these residues were quantifiable. Furthermore, it was found that with the use of solid-phase extraction sorbent (SPE) as adsorbent and n-hexane as solvent, higher recoveries of the pesticide residues in the tobacco smoke from the amount spiked can be obtained. It was also found that cigarette filters help to reduce the intake of residues of pesticides that may be present in cigarettes. Finally, the study concluded that both active smoking and passive smoking populations are exposed to pesticide residues in the tobacco smoke.
The omnipresent group of pesticide adjuvants are often referred to as "inert" ingredients, a rather misleading term since consumers associate this term with "safe". The upcoming new EU regulation ...concerning the introduction of plant protection products on the market (EC1107/2009) includes for the first time the demand for information on the possible negative effects of not only the active ingredients but also the used adjuvants. This new regulation requires basic toxicological information that allows decisions on the use/ban or preference of use of available adjuvants. In this study we obtained toxicological relevant information through a multiple endpoint reporter assay for a broad selection of commonly used adjuvants including several solvents (e.g. isophorone) and non-ionic surfactants (e.g. ethoxylated alcohols). The used assay allows the toxicity screening in a mechanistic way, with direct measurement of specific toxicological responses (e.g. oxidative stress, DNA damage, membrane damage and general cell lesions). The results show that the selected solvents are less toxic than the surfactants, suggesting that solvents may have a preference of use, but further research on more compounds is needed to confirm this observation. The gene expression profiles of the selected surfactants reveal that a phenol (ethoxylated tristyrylphenol) and an organosilicone surfactant (ethoxylated trisiloxane) show little or no inductions at EC(20) concentrations, making them preferred surfactants for use in different applications. The organosilicone surfactant shows little or no toxicity and good adjuvant properties. However, this study also illustrates possible genotoxicity (induction of the bacterial SOS response) for several surfactants (POEA, AE, tri-EO, EO FA and EO NP) and one solvent (gamma-butyrolactone). Although the number of compounds that were evaluated is rather limited (13), the results show that the used reporter assay is a promising tool to rank commonly used agricultural adjuvants based on toxicity and toxic mode of action data.
Mangroves are unique coastal ecosystems, located in tropical and subtropical regions. Yet, the functioning of these essential ecosystems is threatened by the presence of pollutants, including ...pesticides originating from agricultural activities. We investigated pesticide residues in the Guayas estuarine environment, since agricultural activities rapidly increased in the Guayas river basin over the past decades. A multi-residue analysis involving a selection of 88 pesticides was performed on the white meat and the hepatopancreas of the red mangrove crab (Ucides Occidentalis) at 15 sampling sites within the Guayas estuary along with water, sediment, and leaves samples. We found that 35 active compounds were present in the Guayas estuary, of which pyrimethanil was most commonly detected and had the highest concentrations in almost all compartments. Also, cadusafos was present in all studied compartments of the Guayas mangrove system and several prohibited pesticides (including carbendazim, carbofuran, and parathion) were detected. An ecotoxicological and probabilistic consumer risk assessment pointed out that current butachlor, carbendazim, and fludioxonil concentrations can cause adverse effects in aquatic organisms in the long term. Moreover, high potential acute and chronic risks of cadusafos residues on aquatic invertebrates and of diuron on algae in the Guayas wetlands were observed. Still, the exposure results indicated that the health risk for the consumers of the commercial red mangrove crab is low concerning cadusafos, chlorpyrifos, diuron, linuron, and pyrimethanil residues in crab tissues. The findings presented in this research can provide a useful basis for local water managers and environmental conservation groups to act and reduce the usage of pesticides, to avoid threatening aquatic and human health.
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•Thirty-five pesticides were detected in the Guayas mangroves.•Cadusafos had the highest Risk Quotient and Toxic Unit (15869 and 97 respectively).•Several prohibited pesticides were detected.•Cadusafos, diuron, and carbendazim pose the highest potential aquatic health risk.•The human health risk for the commercial mangrove crab consumers appeared to be low.
Pyrethroids are widely applied insecticides in agriculture, but their frequent use has provoked many cases of resistance, in which mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC), the pyrethroid ...target-site, were shown to play a major role. However, for the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, it has also been shown that increased detoxification contributes to resistance against the pyrethroid bifenthrin. Here, we performed QTL-mapping to identify the genomic loci underlying bifenthrin resistance in T. urticae. Two loci on chromosome 1 were identified, with the VGSC gene being located near the second QTL and harboring the well-known L1024V mutation. In addition, the presence of an L925M mutation in the VGSC of a highly bifenthrin-resistant strain and its loss in its derived, susceptible, inbred line indicated the importance of target-site mutations in bifenthrin resistance. Further, RNAseq experiments revealed that genes encoding detoxification enzymes, including carboxyl/choline esterases (CCEs), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and UDP-glycosyl transferases (UGTs), were overexpressed in resistant strains. Toxicity bioassays with bifenthrin (ester pyrethroid) and etofenprox (non-ester pyrethroid) also indicated a possible role for CCEs in bifenthrin resistance. A selection of CCEs and UGTs were therefore functionally expressed, and CCEinc18 was shown to metabolize bifenthrin, while teturUGT10 could glycosylate bifenthrin-alcohol. To conclude, our findings suggest that both target-site and metabolic mechanisms underlie bifenthrin resistance in T. urticae, and these might synergize high levels of resistance.
The co-creation and sharing of knowledge among different types of actors with complementary expertise is known as the Multi-Actor Approach (MAA). This paper presents how Horizon2020 Thematic-Networks ...(TNs) deal with the MAA and put forward best practices during the different project phases, based on the results of a desktop study, interviews, surveys and expert workshops. The study shows that not all types of actors are equally involved in TN consortia and participatory activities, meaning TNs might be not sufficiently demand-driven and the uptake of the results is not optimal. Facilitators are key to contributing to the relationships and the mutual understanding between different actors. Moreover, a user-friendly digital knowledge platform linked to demonstration activities and peer-to-peer exchange can improve the sharing of knowledge, enhancing impact in agricultural and forestry innovation in the longer term.
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