HERBICIDE RESIDUES IN SOILS: FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR FORMATION AND POSSIBLE EFFECTS ON ROTATIONAL CROPS.
Referencia: PID2020-113379RB-I00
Funding Entity: Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN), State Research Agency (AEI).
Duration: 2021-2023.
Principal Investigator: Mª Sonia Rodríguez Cruz.
Participating researchers: Mª Jesús Sánchez Martín (IRNASA-CSIC), Marisol Andrades (University of La Rioja), Mª Ángeles Gómez (University of Salamanca), Remedios Morales (University of Salamanca).
Summary
A common strategy to control weeds without excessive herbicide application is through crop rotation. However, the production of these rotational crops could be affected by the presence of herbicide residues in the soil from their application in the previous crop cycle. The potential damage caused by residual herbicides on rotational crops will be influenced by the amount of herbicide present in the soil and the susceptibility of the rotational crop. Some common agricultural practices in agriculture today, such as the application of organic amendments to the soil simultaneously with herbicide application, could also modify the behaviour of these compounds in the soil. In this project a study will be carried out under controlled and real field conditions (greenhouse, climatic chamber and experimental plots) to know the effect of the application of cereal herbicides on two rotational crops including in the study different variables of interest (different soils, herbicides applied in pre- or post-emergence and different doses, irrigation regime and organic amendments). The study will allow predicting the permanence of the residues of the selected herbicides under different conditions and, if necessary, establishing appropriate measures regarding the regular application of herbicides and organic amendments to the soil in agricultural practices. All this will contribute to optimize the use of herbicides improving crop yields and avoiding water pollution.
