Revista Brasileira de Milho e Sorgo (Dec 2009)
POTENTIAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION BY HERBICIDES USED IN MAIZE CULTURE
Abstract
Spontaneous plants are a severe problem in maize culture, and may cause a decrease in yield up to 85%. Among the methods used to control such species the chemical is the most important, being used in 65 percent of the cultivated area in Brazil. It is known that interactions between organic molecules and environment can be harmful to the gradients of the ecological organization, thus requiring more refined studies in order to understand the behavior and the environmental fate of pesticides. The EIQ model (Environmental Impact Quotient) quantifies damages caused by the use of agrochemicals, regarding impacts on the agricultural worker (applicator/harvester), on the biota and on the final consumer. The present work objectified to evaluate the contamination potential of the herbicides used in maize. Data of physical-chemical, environmental and toxicological characteristics of the actives were collected, parameterized and used for the calculation of the environmental impact ratio. The results showed that imazapyr and imazapic presented the highest potential for environment contamination while isoxaflutole showed the lowest.
