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Rice paddy field herbicides and their effects on the environment and ecosystems

2001; Wiley; Volume: 1; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1046/j.1445-6664.2001.00002.x

1445-6664

Masako Ueji, Keiya Inao,

Weed Control and Herbicide Applications

Paddy herbicides contribute to the reduction of weeding labor, however, there are concerns about their effects on the environment and ecosystems. The environmental burden of applied herbicides is heaviest in water systems such as irrigation channels and rivers. Herbicides are generally detected in rivers in concentrations in levels of ng/L for only 2 to 3 months after use. It is to be regretted that herbicides have been implicated in accidents involving fish, the impeded propagation of algae and other non‐target organisms. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the ecological risk, and the Environment Agency in Japan compiled an interim report on how pesticides' ecological effects should be assessed. Pesticides are separately examined for their toxicity (hazard assessment) and exposure (exposure analysis). However, to the environment and ecosystems there are many problems in assessing the ecological risk of pesticides, such as selection of geographic locations, methodology of assessing the impacts on ecosystems and monitoring the effect of pesticides. New herbicides are expected to have high selectivity and low toxicity. Decreasing herbicide toxicity requires high selectivity to distinguish target weeds from crops and non‐target organisms. New groups of compounds will be developed based on a biorational approach. Moreover, it is necessary to develop an environmentally low‐impact application method such as the use of granular types and sustained‐release formulation among others. It is important that integrated methods be used to control paddy weeds by combining ecological/agronomical, mechanical and biological control methods, instead of relying solely on chemical herbicides.