(PH273) Uses, risks and remediation of residues of lindane and atrazine in India.
Gupta , Satish 1, Schwitzguebel , Jean-Paul2, Raghu, K3, Kanekar, P4, Pakniker, K.M.4, 1 Agroscope FAL Swiss Fed Res St for Agriculture and agroecology, Zuerich, Switzerland2 Laboratory of Biotechnology EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland3 Jai Research Foundation (JRF) PO Box 30, VAPI , Gujarat, India4 Agharkar Res Institute (ARI) Agharkar Rd, Pune, India
ABSTRACT- Problems of contamination of agricultural soils, ground water, surface waters, agricultural products with toxic, recalcitrant organic compounds particularly the pesticides, are increasing in India due to industrialization, urbanization and extensive use of agrochemicals in agriculture during last 20 years. The fact that World farm production needs to be maintained not at present level but must be increased to higher levels to feed quality food for increasing population expected to 10 billion in year 2050. Naturally this will require high inputs i.e. water, fertilizers, and plant protection through chemical and bio pesticides.The fact remains that environment feiendly bio pesticides are not able to give either guanrantee for safe production or not developed enough to protect crops from different pests and diseases. We are left to use chemical pesticides, although these are environmental unsafe. This demands that scientists should develop field applicable economically viable techniques such as bjophyto augmentatjon,, phyto extraction, bio phyto degradation. The reuslts are form studies were conducted in an Integrated Research Project fianacced by Swiss and Indian Government. An attempt is made to assess present situation of pestcides in India with respect to their uses, associated risks and possible remediation stratigies based on the synergetic use of rhizospheric microorganisms and roots of plants such as weeds, shrubs and wild legumes and agronomic crops either to extract or to degrade or to stabilise in contaminated sites. 1. Phyto-stimulation and bio-phytoremediation seems the most promising approach to remove atrazine through vetiver, has been tested under field condition in small scale experiment and to be verified in large field experiments. 2. The use of Vetiver to remove atrazine from contaminated soils or to reduce the risk of runoff of the herbicide is ready to be tested at large scale. 3. Bioaugmentation seems the most promising approach to remove lindane from contaminated sites.
Key words: risk assessment, Pesticides in India, remediation of pesticides residues, Pesticides uses in India