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Pesticide Application and Detection in Variable Agricultural Intensity Watersheds and Their River Systems in the Maritime Region of Canada

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Abstract

Applications of pesticides in areas of agricultural production have been an environmental concern for the past several decades. Varying-sized watersheds draining regions of intense agriculture in the Maritime Provinces of Canada were monitored between 2003 and 2007 to determine the major in-use pesticides and to gain an understanding of the risks posed to aquatic ecosystems. A questionnaire collected from farmers in one watershed intensively cropped with potato indicated that 43 pesticides were applied with 18 of them being detected in that watershed. Our results across the Maritime region suggested that detection frequencies ranged from 0.0 to 22 % during the study period. Chlorothalonil, linuron, metalaxyl, and metribuzin were detected in 17–22 % of samples collected during rainfall events every year. Other pesticides, such as azinphos-methyl, atrazine, cypermethrin, permethrin, fonofos, and β-endosulfan were detected in ≤17 % of the samples during some years of the study. Concentrations of several pesticides were found to exceed their Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) aquatic life water-quality guidelines in pulses after rain events. The highest proportion of detections exceeding a CCME guideline was for chlorothalonil at 12.9 %, β-endosulfan at 6.0 %, and linuron at 3.4 %. Despite indications that remedial measures offer protection to aquatic environments, spatial and temporal gaps in the data prevented a full evaluation. A dedicated long-term multiple-watershed monitoring program for this region of Canada is therefore recommended.

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Acknowledgments

Project support from Watershed Evaluation of BMPs (WEBs) project and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Environment Canada’s (EC) Pesticide Science Fund, as well as the capable assistance of project partner and collaborator James Mutch, PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry, is gratefully acknowledged. Assistance provided by Kenneth G. Doe of Environment Canada in project design, laboratory analysis, and data interpretation is also kindly acknowledged. Technical assistance was provided by Sylvie Lavoie, John Monteith, Lionel Stevens, and Yang Yu (Soil Laboratory of the Potato Research Centre at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada). Dale Hebb of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Gilles Theriault and Monique Mazzerole from the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government, and Lynda Rankin of the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour are much appreciated for sharing information on the watersheds locations and land use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Potato Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fredericton, NB, Canada

    Zisheng Xing, Lien Chow, Glenn Benoy, Herb Rees & Sheng Li

  2. Faculty of Forestry and Environment, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

    Zisheng Xing & Fanrui Meng

  3. Atlantic Laboratory for Environmental Testing, Environment Canada, Moncton, NB, Canada

    Art Cook

  4. National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, Burlington, ON, Canada

    Glenn Benoy, Suzanne Batchelor & L. Mark Hewitt

  5. Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Dartmouth, NS, Canada

    Bill Ernst

  6. School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China

    Tianshan Zha

  7. Environmental Protection and Operations Directorate, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

    Clair Murphy

Authors
  1. Zisheng Xing
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  2. Lien Chow
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  3. Art Cook
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  4. Glenn Benoy
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  5. Herb Rees
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  6. Bill Ernst
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  7. Fanrui Meng
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  8. Sheng Li
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  9. Tianshan Zha
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  10. Clair Murphy
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  11. Suzanne Batchelor
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  12. L. Mark Hewitt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. Mark Hewitt.

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Xing, Z., Chow, L., Cook, A. et al. Pesticide Application and Detection in Variable Agricultural Intensity Watersheds and Their River Systems in the Maritime Region of Canada. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 63, 471–483 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9789-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9789-9

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