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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #254869
Title: Evaluation of Core Cultivation Practices to Reduce Ecological Risk of Pesticides in Runoff from Agrostis palustris

Author
item Rice, Pamela
item HORGAN, BRIAN - University Of Minnesota

Submitted to: Trade Journal Publication
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2010
Publication Date: 7/19/2010
Citation: Rice, P.J., Horgan, B. 2010. Evaluation of Core Cultivation Practices to Reduce Ecological Risk of Pesticides in Runoff from Agrostis palustris. Trade Journal Publication. Available: http://nimss.umd.edu/homepages/saes.cfm?trackID=7176#4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Highly managed biotic systems such as golf courses and commercial landscapes often require multiple applications of pesticides that may be transported with runoff to areas beyond the intended site. Pesticides have been detected in surface waters of rural and urban watersheds raising questions concerning their source, potential environmental effects and strategies to reduce their inputs. Experiments were designed to quantify pesticides transported with runoff from turf plots maintained as a golf course fairway to evaluate the efficacy of management practices to mitigate chemical transport. Estimated environmental concentrations of the pesticides in a surface water receiving runoff from turf managed with solid tine (ST) core cultivation exceeded the median lethal concentration (LC50) and median effective concentration (EC50) for nine of 19 aquatic organisms assessed. With a few exceptions, replacing ST core cultivation with hollow tine (HT) core cultivation reduced surface water concentrations of the pesticides to levels below the LC50 or EC50 of these aquatic organisms; lessening risk associated with pesticides in runoff from the fairway turf. Results of the present research provide quantitative information that will allow for informed decisions on cultural practices that can reduce pesticide transport with runoff from turf and minimize exposure to surrounding areas.