ABSTRACT
The aim of this work was to determine the toxic effect of the most used herbicides on marine organisms, the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, and the crustacean Artemia salina. The effect of these substances was evaluated using a luminescent bacterial test and an ecotoxicity test. The results showed that half maximal inhibitory concentration for A. fischeri is as follows: 15minIC50 (Roundup® Classic Pro) = 236 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Kaput® Premium) = 2475 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Banvel® 480 S) = 2637 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Lontrel 300) = 7596 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (Finalsan®) = 64 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (glyphosate) = 7934 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (dicamba) = 15,937 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (clopyralid) = 10,417 µg·L-1, 15minIC50 (nonanoic acid) = 16,040 µg·L-1. Median lethal concentrations for A. salina were determined as follows: LC50 (Roundup® Classic Pro) = 18 µg·L-1, LC50 (Kaput® Premium) = 19 µg·L-1, LC50 (Banvel® 480 S) = 2519 µg·L-1, LC50 (Lontrel 300) = 1796 µg·L-1, LC50 (Finalsan®) = 100 µg·L-1, LC50 (glyphosate) = 811 µg·L-1, LC50 (dicamba) = 3705 µg·L-1, LC50 (clopyralid) = 2800 µg·L-1, LC50 (nonanoic acid) = 7493 µg·L-1. These findings indicate the need to monitor the herbicides used for all environmental compartments.
ABSTRACT
Herbicides help increase agricultural yields significantly, but they may negatively impact the life of non-target organisms. Modifying the life cycle of primary producers can affect other organisms in the food chain, and consequently in the whole ecosystem. We investigated the effect of common herbicides Roundup® Classic Pro (active substance glyphosate) and Garlon New (triclopyr and fluroxypyr) on aquatic organisms duckweed Lemna minor and green algae Desmodesmus subspicatus, and on the enzymatic activity of soil. We also compared the effects of Roundup® Classic Pro to that of a metabolite of its active substance, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). The results of an algal growth test showed that AMPA has a 1.5× weaker inhibitory effect on the growth of D. subspicatus than the Roundup formula, and the strongest growth inhibition was caused by Garlon New (IC50Roundup = 267.3 µg/L, IC50Garlon = 21.0 µg/L, IC50AMPA = 117.8 mg/L). The results of the duckweed growth inhibition test revealed that Roundup and Garlon New caused 100% growth inhibition of L. minor even at significantly lower concentrations than the ready-to-use concentration. The total chlorophyll content in the fronds was lowest when Garlon New was used. The highest dehydrogenase activity was observed in soil treated with Garlon New, and the lowest in soil treated with Roundup® Classic Pro. The results of this study showed that all three tested substances were ecotoxic to the tested organisms.
