Herbicides - Environmental Affect Scientific studies and management approaches

258 Pages·2016·16.19 MB·English

by  Ruben Alvarez-Fernandez (Ed.)

HERBICIDES –
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STUDIES AND
MANAGEMENT
APPROACHES

Edited by
Ruben Alvarez-Fernandez
HERBICIDES –
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STUDIES AND
MANAGEMENT
APPROACHES

Edited by Ruben Alvarez-Fernandez
Herbicides – Environmental Impact Studies and Management Approaches
Edited by Ruben Alvarez-Fernandez

Published by InTech
Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia

Copyright © 2011 InTech
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Notice
Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors
and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the
accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no
responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any
materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book.

Publishing Process Manager Petra Nenadic
Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic
Cover Designer InTech Design Team

First published January, 2012
Printed in Croatia

A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com
Additional hard copies can be obtained from [email protected]

Herbicides – Environmental Impact Studies and Management Approaches,
Edited by Ruben Alvarez-Fernandez
p. cm.
ISBN 978-953-307-892-2

Contents

Preface IX
Chapter 1 Evaluation of Toxicities of Herbicides
Using Short-Term Chronic Tests of Alga, Daphnid and Fish 1
Norihisa Tatarazako and Taisen Iguchi
Chapter 2 Herbicide Phytotoxicity
and Resistance to Herbicides in Legume Plants 19
Agnieszka I. Piotrowicz-Cieślak and Barbara Adomas
Chapter 3 Use of Sugar Beet as a Bioindicator Plant
for Detection of Flucarbazone
and Sulfentrazone Herbicides in Soil 45
Anna M. Szmigielski, Jeff J. Schoenau and Eric N. Johnson
Chapter 4 Investigation of Degradation
of Pesticide Lontrel in Aqueous Solutions 59
E.A. Saratovskih
Chapter 5 Distribution and Potential Effects
of Novel Antifouling Herbicide Diuron on Coral Reefs 83
Sheikh, M. A., T. Oomori, H. Fujimura, T.Higuchi, T. Imo,
A. Akamatsu, T. Miyagi, T. Yokota, S. Yasumura
Chapter 6 Herbicide Reduction Methods 95
Martin Weis, Martina Keller and Victor Rueda Ayala
Chapter 7 Managing Weeds with Reduced
Herbicide Inputs:
Developing a Novel System for Onion 121
Harlene Hatterman-Valenti
Chapter 8 Microbial Weed Control
and Microbial Herbicides 135
Tami L. Stubbs and Ann C. Kennedy
VI Contents

Chapter 9 Velvet Bean (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis)
a Cover Crop as Bioherbicide
to Preserve the Environmental Services of Soil 167
Angel Isauro Ortiz Ceballos, Juan Rogelio Aguirre Rivera,
Mario Manuel Osorio Arce and Cecilia Peña Valdivia
Chapter 10 Organic Weed Control 185
Charles L. Webber III, James W. Shrefler and Lynn P. Brandenberger
Chapter 11 Opportunities for Weed Control in Dry Seeded
Rice in North-Western Indo-Gangetic Plains 199
Gulshan Mahajan Bhagirath Singh Chauhan and Jagadish Timsina
,
Chapter 12 Weed Management Challenges in Fairtrade Banana Farm
Systems in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean 209
Wendy-Ann P. Isaac, Richard A.I. Brathwaite and Wayne G. Ganpat
Chapter 13 Genetic Diversity in Weeds 223
Claudete Aparecida Mangolin; Rubem Silvério de Oliveira Junior
and Maria de Fátima P.S. Machado

Preface

Weeds severely affect crop quality and yield. Therefore, successful farming relied for a
very long time on the combination of manual weeding and management approaches,
including crop rotation, fire, tillage, and fallow systems.
A new farming era began during the Second World War with the discovery of two
synthetic auxinic herbicides. In 1942, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)was first
identified, which was soon followed by 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA)
in 1945 and 1946, respectively. These two herbicides were then marketed and used to
selectively control broad leaf weeds in cereal crops.
The use of herbicides on a wide scale started in the 1950’s and expanded quickly until
the 1970’s. Thousands of new compounds and herbicides were identified, allowing for
a qualitative increase in crop yield. However, this “easy chemistry” soon became
fully exploited. Toxicities to the environment and humans were found, and
consequently regulations tightened. The development of herbicide-resistant crops
forced a change in the scope of herbicide development. And by 1980, the growth of
this industry began to decline and today it remains in a static situation.
This book blends review chapters with scientific studies, providing the reader with an
insight into some of the current trends in the field of herbicides. Included are
environmental case studies on the toxicity and impact of herbicides on natural
populations, as well as methods to reduce herbicidal inputs and the use of
bioherbicides as natural alternatives. Importantly, this book describes ecological and
economical aspects of herbicide application. On the one hand it shows the need for
controlling or abandoning herbicide applications to reduce contamination, and on the
other it shows how increased herbicide dosage does not necessarily imply higher crop
yield and can actually lower the economic gain. Indeed, in some cases, herbicide
savings could reach 80% with appropriate management and decision support systems
- an approach that the farmer usually dismisses because he may think that killing the
weed is always necessary. Consequently, the use of Integrated Weed Management
approaches and Decision Support Systems is encouraged. These will assist in choosing
optimal parameters such as herbicide type, application time, area, and mode aiming at
obtaining the highest yield and crop quality with the minimum environmental impact.
X Preface

Finally, as Editor of this book I would like to acknowledge the effort of the authors,
their prompt response to comments, and their openness to discuss suggestions to
improve the chapters. I would also like to thank my Publishing Process Manager, Ms.
Petra Nenadic, for her kindness, willingness to help, and professionalism during the
editorial process.
Dr Rubén Álvarez-Fernandéz
University of Cambridge,
Department of Plant Sciences,
UK