Plant Protection Products, more commonly referred to as pesticides and biocides, are used to control a wide range of yield-reducing pests including insects, fungi, nematodes, and weeds. Concern has been raised that some pesticides may act as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with the potential to interfere with the hormone systems of non-target invertebrates and vertebrates, including humans. EDCs act at low doses and particularly vulnerable periods of exposure include pre- and perinatal development. Of critical concern is the number of pesticides with the potential to interfere with the developing nervous system and brain, notably with thyroid hormone signaling. Across vertebrates, thyroid hormone orchestrates metamorphosis, brain development, and metabolism. Pesticide action on thyroid homeostasis can involve interference with TH production and its control, displacement from distributor proteins and liver metabolism. Here we focused on thyroid endpoints for each of the different classes of pesticides reviewing epidemiological and experimental studies carried out both in in vivo and in vitro. We conclude first, that many pesticides were placed on the market with insufficient testing, other than acute or chronic toxicity, and second, that thyroid-specific endpoints for neurodevelopmental effects and mixture assessment are largely absent from regulatory directives.

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Pesticides With Potential Thyroid Hormone-Disrupting Effects: A Review of Recent Data.

Agroecology for adaptation to climate change and resource depletion in the Mediterranean region. A review

Agroforestry systems combining trees with crops or pastures have been widely used to reduce water, soil, and nutrient losses and associated water pollution from agricultural lands in both temperate and tropical regions. However, reviews on improvement/efficiency and the scope of such reductions by soil, management, climate, and hydrological processes are limited. This paper synthesized the available evidence on the reduction in surface runoff, soil erosion, nutrient, and pollutant losses (e.g., herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics) to quantify the effectiveness of agroforestry systems on water quality improvement based on published studies. On average, agroforestry systems reduced surface runoff, soil, organic carbon, and related nutrient losses by 1–100%, 0–97%, –175–92%, and –265–100%, respectively, with average values of 58%, 65%, 9%, and 50%, respectively. They also lowered herbicide, pesticide, and other pollutant losses by –55–100% (49% on average). Reduction efficiency of agroforestry systems is site-dependent and varies widely depending on different biophysical factors. A comprehensive science-based review is needed to generalize agroforestry design and site adaptability for water and soil conservation where climatic, geographical, ecological, and socio-economic conditions are relatively similar in the world.

Reductions in water, soil and nutrient losses and pesticide pollution in agroforestry practices: a review of evidence and processes

One-step synthesis of zirconium dioxide-biochar derived from Camellia oleifera seed shell with enhanced removal capacity for fluoride from water

Validation of ultrasonic-assisted switchable solvent liquid phase microextraction for trace determination of hormones and organochlorine pesticides by GC-MS and combination with QuEChERS.

Due to the extent of non-point source agricultural pollution, protective measures to control agrochemicals from entering aquatic systems are necessary. Measures may include, among others, vegetated...

Tree uptake of excess nutrients and herbicides in a maize-olive tree cultivation system.

Pesticides are a powerful tool in the agricultural and sanitary fields, to meet the worldwide need for food and to protect human and animal health from unwanted pests. This article classifies the vast variety of pesticides and attempts to clarify certain related terms. It is pointed out that the indiscriminate misuse of pesticides endangers environmental and human safety, and their main adverse effects are presented. Finally, the current regulations are cited, as plant protection products and their active substances are among the most rigorously regulated chemicals in the world.

Pesticides and Herbicides: Types of Pesticide

The efficiency of two common Mediterranean agroforestry systems, a potato-poplar and a maize-poplar, was assessed with respect to the uptake of nutrients and pesticides in an experimental plot located in Attica, Greece, during the cultivating period of 2016. Soil samples were collected on a monthly basis at different soil horizons and varying distance from the tree row. The monitored substances included all nitrogen ions (NO3−-N, NO2−-N, NH4+-N), phosphates (PO43−-P), potassium (K+), the insecticide chlorpyrifos, as well as the herbicides s-metolachlor, pendimethalin, and its metabolite M455H001. Experiments for the potato-poplar system exhibited reductions of more than 86% for K+, 90% for NO3−-N, 92% for NH4+-N, 85% for NO2−-N, and up to 100% for PO43−-P. Accordingly, for the maize-poplar system, reductions were more than 73% for K+, at least 77% for NO3−-N, approximately 77% for NO2−-N, 97% for NH4+-N, and up to 100% for PO43−-P. Regarding the examined pesticides, all substances reached more than 61.5% and up to 100% disappearance in the closest to the tree row points compared to the control points, thus also exhibiting the potential for tree uptake of the excess pesticides. As such, it was demonstrated that agroforestry alley cropping systems may act as a technique for pollution abatement, since tree roots that extend below the crops can uptake the excess of agrochemicals that would otherwise enter groundwater via leaching or surface water via runoff.

Pesticide and Fertilizer Pollution Reduction in Two Alley Cropping Agroforestry Cultivating Systems

In the present study, a soil monitoring program was undertaken in Greek cotton cultivated areas in 2012. Twenty-seven soil samples were collected from the entire Thessaly plain in early summer of 2...

Occurrence and distribution of trifluralin, ethalfluralin, and pendimethalin in soils used for long-term intensive cotton cultivation in central Greece.

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum, non-selective, post-emergence herbicide that controls weeds by inhibiting their ability to synthesize amino acids. It is characterized by high persistence and adsorption to soil, with its dissipation to be highly correlated to the climatic conditions. After its degradation in soil, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is the sole and major metabolite produced, characterized also by high persistence and adsorption. Both substances have the potential to remain in soil rather than move to other environmental compartments. Considering the recent intense debate during the EU renewal of glyphosate along with its wide use, it is apparent that both glyphosate and AMPA require further attention and information on their occurrence and distribution in EU soils. The present study does constitute the first extended soil monitoring survey of glyphosate and AMPA with samples derived during the years 2013–2015, from the highest extent of the Greek territory. Specific attention was given to areas of high agricultural production as well as to urban areas, since glyphosate-containing products are also registered for non-professional uses. The positive samples represented the 36.7% for glyphosate and 44.9% for AMPA, while the detected residues fluctuated from 0.026 to 40.6 μg g−1 and from 0.01 to 2.5 μg g−1 for glyphosate and AMPA, respectively. Our findings can constitute a basis for the determination of the background concentration levels of glyphosate and its metabolite in the Greek territory. As such, apart from being the first study for glyphosate monitoring in Greece, the most significant highlights recognized in the present work are the following:

Helen Karasali

Papers

Tree uptake of excess nutrients and herbicides in a maize-olive tree cultivation system.

Pesticides and Herbicides: Types of Pesticide

Pesticide and Fertilizer Pollution Reduction in Two Alley Cropping Agroforestry Cultivating Systems

Occurrence and distribution of trifluralin, ethalfluralin, and pendimethalin in soils used for long-term intensive cotton cultivation in central Greece.

Investigation of the presence of glyphosate and its major metabolite AMPA in Greek soils.