Pesticides are applied in large quantities to agroecosystems worldwide. To date, few studies assessed the occurrence of pesticides organically managed agricultural soils, and it is unresolved whether these pesticide residues affect soil life. We screened 100 fields under organic conventional management with an analytical method containing 46 (16 herbicides, 8 herbicide transformation products, ...

Beginning in the 1980s, concerns about the deleterious effects of synthetic pesticides have driven a significant Southeast Asian research and development effort directed towards alternative pest control strategies, including the use of microbial control agents. Despite this effort, use of microbial control agents has grown slowly in the region. This is the result of an interplay between interna...

The effect of the pesticide Lindane on microbial populations was analyzed in soil with a history of contamination with various chemicals, including this pesticide. Soil microcosms were amended with 100 mg Lindane/kg soil and microbial populations were monitored for 70 days. Bacterial cell concentrations, metabolic versatility (whole community Biolog), and genetic diversity (16S rDNA/denaturing ...

Introduction Composting is a process in which microorganisms rapidly consume organic matter, using it as an energy source and converting it into carbon dioxide, water, microbial biomass, heat and compost. Feedstock used to fuel the composting process may originate from a number of different sources, including yard trimmings, manure, biosolids, and agricultural residues. These materials may cont...

An ecofriendly alternative to chemical pesticides is biopesticides, which encompasses a broad array of microbial pesticides, biochemicals derived from micro-organisms and other natural sources, and processes involving the genetic incorporation of DNA into agricultural commodities that confer protection against pest damage. Biopesticides fall into three major classes. The potential benefits to a...

The laboratory trial consisted in incubating samples of soil and soil treated with sewage sludge, with the application of organophosphate pesticides with different active ingredients under controlled conditions of temperature and moisture. On the basis of a previous study of the influence of the application of sludge on the degradation of pesticides in the soil, a kinetic study is included of t...

Microbial transformations of fertilizers and pesticides in the surface soil have a direct impact on the mass of the agrochemical that is susceptible to leaching losses. Thus, our greatest potential for controlling leaching losses of agrochemicals is through the management of these compounds in the surface soil. A variety of strategies have been employed to maximize the residence time of applied...