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Microbiological tests of the effects of plant protection products in soil: experience and proposals to improve ecotoxicological significance
Author(s) -
Malkomes H.P.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
eppo bulletin
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.327
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1365-2338
pISSN - 0250-8052
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2338.2001.tb00985.x
Subject(s) - nitrification , authorization , environmental science , toxicology , biochemical engineering , environmental chemistry , chemistry , biology , computer science , engineering , nitrogen , computer security , organic chemistry
One objective of ecotoxicological testing of plant protection products within authorization procedures is to assess, under standardized conditions, potential risks for soil microorganisms. This is only possible if some essential conditions are considered. In the past 10 years, experience has been obtained, either from authorization procedures or ecotoxicological research, which may stimulate discussion of existing or planned test methods. This includes applied microbiological test parameters (e.g. sensitivity, significance), design of the tests (e.g. dosage, mode of application, reference compounds, soils, ecological conditions, incubation time) as well as the interpretation of results. The size of tests is necessarily reduced in routine authorization procedures as compared with those within ecotoxicological research and these tests must therefore be optimized and updated to reach sufficient efficiency. From our experience, the combination of biomass‐related microbial activities (e.g. substrate‐induced respiration, dehydrogenase activity) with nitrogen transformation (mineralization followed by nitrification) is especially useful to identify dose‐dependent effects.