PH06 Agrochemicals, Pesticides, Pharmaceuticals
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday
(PH055) Potato pesticides in runoff and surface waters in Atlantic Canada.
Hewitt, M.1, Batchelor, S.1, Rees, H.2, Chow, L.2, Edwards, L.3, Brasfield, S.4, Munkittrick, K.4, 1 National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada2 Potato Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada3 Crops and Livestock Research Centre, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada4 Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
ABSTRACT- Pesticides in runoff and surface waters were evaluated in New Brunswick (NB) and Prince Edward Island (PEI) at three scales: a field scale (two sites in NB), small watershed scale (Black Brook, NB) and large watershed scale (Wilmot River, PEI). All watersheds are heavily influenced by potato production. At the field level scale, specific application timing, amounts and types of pesticides were accurately recorded for mass balance purposes. Regular surface water collections were conducted in both watersheds. Runoff event sampling was conducted during the hydrograph in surface waters in both watersheds and automatic field-scale collections of runoff were obtained in NB. Pesticides (linuron, metribuzin, metobromuron, carbaryl, imidacloprid, propamocarb) representing the major classes used in potato production were quantified in aqueous phases using a previously developed solid phase extraction technique. Methods for extraction of residues from suspended solids matrices were developed. All residues were quantified by LC-MS-MS. Pesticide fluxes will be used to estimate their involvement (if any) in responses of wild fish populations in these drainage systems.
Key words: potato farming, pesticides, runoff, endocrine disruption