Subject description
Pesticides – basic definitions. Processes in the fate of plant protection products and the influental factors. Distribution in the soil, binding mechanisms, the phenomenon of bound residues, evaporation, drift, surface runoff, movement in soil profile, leaching into groundwater, uptake by organisms, transformation – degradation – mineralization. Soil remediation: biostimilation and bioaugumentation. The impact of pesticides on non-target organisms. Methods for examining the fate of pesticide in the environment at different levels will be presented, as well as how to interpretate their results. Dynamic modeling and metamodeling approaches for pesticide risk assessment and management in the environment. Maps of soil vulnerability. Mitigation measures for the prevention of point and diffuse pollution by pesticides. Pesticides on the basis of micro-organisms and viruses (biopesticides) – the advantages, limitations and possible applications in integrated plant protection. Legislation dealing with environmental risks of pesticides in Slovenia and EU.
The subject is taught in programs
Objectives and competences
Provide knowledge on pesticide fate in the environment. Different approaches to pesticide risk assessment and management in the environment will be introduced. Students will be encouraged to independently reflect mitigation measures for reducing environmental risks of pesticides. Specifics of biopesticides and the possibility of the joint use with chemical pesticides.
Teaching and learning methods
The course will consist of lectures, tutorials (working with models) and a separate seminar, where acquired knowledge is used.Modern audio-visual products and computer tools will be applied (models FOCUS FOOTPRINT tools, ArcGIS).
Expected study results
Knowledge and understanding:
Students will be able to independently evaluate pesticide properties data which determine their environmental fate. Moreover, they will be able to make pesticide risk assessments in different agro-environmentač scenarios and propose possible measures to mitigate those risks at farm scale, as well as on the catchment and national level.
Basic sources and literature
Dunnivant F.M. in Anders E., 2006. A basic introduction to pollutant fate and transfort. An integrated approach with chemistry, modelling, risk assessment and environmental legislation. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New Jersey, 480 s.
Roberts T., Hutson D., 1999. Metabolic pathways of agrocemicals (part 1 and 2), The Royal Society of Chemisty, MPG Books Ltd., Cornwall, 1475/ 849 s.
Suhadolc M., 2018. Uporaba prostorskih podatkov za upravljanje fitofarmacevtskih sredstev na ravni povodja. Geodetski vestnik. 2018, letn. 62, št. 1, str. 39-50.
Revijalni članki s področja, tekoča periodika, druga učna gradiva.
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University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Tržaška cesta 25, 1000 Ljubljana