TITLE:
Influence of Combinations of Pesticides and Fertilizers on Aquatic Productivity
AUTHORS:
Ganapati Hegde, Mahesh Mandya, Sushma S. Gokarnakar, Vinodbabu N. Babu, Vijayakumar N. Shivaramaiah, Sannanegunda V. Krishnamurthy
KEYWORDS:
Chlorophyll Production, Zooplankton, Pesticide, Fertilizers, Combinations of Pesticides and Fertilizers
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.5 No.5,
April
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: We have
examined the effects of environmentally realistic concentrations of widely used
pesticides and fertilizers for rice paddy in Western Ghats regions of India on chlorophyll
and zooplankton production using a laboratory mesocosm. Malathion (100 μg·L-1),
Cypermethrin (25 μg·L-1), Nitrate-nitrogen (8 mg·L-1) and
Phosphate-phosphorus (8 mg·L-1) in different combinations such as
pesticide-pesticide and pesticide-fertilizer were tested in fully factorial
manner for a period of 42 days. Study revealed that, chlorophyll production was
supported by addition of fertilizers, while combinations of fertilizers with
either one or two pesticides reduce the zooplankton density and diversity
rendering chlorophyll concentration more than control groups. This could
indicate the reason for eutrophication of ponds located in agro-ecosystems.
Single application of combinations of pesticides (in spite of presence of
fertilizers) even at low concentrations can produce severe negative effects on
several taxonomic groups zooplankton living in small shallow water.