Plant Protection Products
Projects
Occurrence and behavior of pesticides and other environmental chemicals are investigated in soils and natural waters. Analytical methods are developed to detect trace concentrations of these chemicals in the environment and various studies are performed in the laboratory.
New plant protection products have to be authorized by the Federal Office for Agriculture before they can be placed on the market. Experts of ACW check the documentation of the companies on application and efficacy of the products and complement the submitted data with own experiments in order to evaluate the relationship between benefit and risks of the use of the product.
The ecotoxicology team assesses the possible risks of PPP for aquatic, soil-dwelling and terrestrial organisms. Long-term trends of the use of PPP, as well as their risks are documented with the help of indicators, and solutions for an environmental friendly use of PPP are developed.
Plant protection products protect plants from pests, diseases and weeds. They may, however, pollute the environment (air, water, soil) and put users, fauna and flora at risk. For this reason, they must undergo extensive evaluations.
For pesticide registration, their behavior in soil, water, and air and possible residues in crops have to be assessed. The chemical identity and quality of pesticides and possible impurities from their synthesis must be known.
pesticide application with droplegs