Assessing the toxicity of environmentally-relevant pesticide mixtures on earthworms, Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus rubellus in European and Argentine cropping systems
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2026 |
| Druh | Článek v odborném periodiku |
| Časopis / Zdroj | Environmental Research |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| www | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125025575 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.123304 |
| Klíčová slova | Pesticide mixtures; Native species; Lumbricus rubellus; Eisenia fetida; Predicted environmental concentration |
| Popis | Pesticides occur in agricultural soils as complex mixtures rather than single active substances, yet current environmental risk assessments rely largely on single-compound data using the standard test species Eisenia fetida. This study evaluated the effects of environmentally realistic pesticide mixtures on E. fetida and the native earthworm Lumbricus rubellus to improve ecological relevance in soil risk assessment. Eleven pesticide mixtures representing dominant European and Argentine cropping systems were prepared based on the SPRINT project field monitoring data. Mixtures contained five pesticides prioritized by frequency of detection, persistence, and risk to soil organisms, tested at measured environmental concentrations (MEC), predicted environmental concentrations (PEC), and five-fold PEC (5 x PEC) following OECD 222 with modifications for L. rubellus. Survival, growth, and reproduction were assessed after 28 days in natural sandy-loam soil. Pesticide mixtures caused significant toxicity in up to eight cropping systems, with effects varying by species and concentration. L. rubellus was generally more sensitive (67 % of the comparisons) than E. fetida, and synergistic interactions predominated in mixtures from Argentina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. Notably, some mixtures produced strong reproductive inhibition even when all component concentrations were below individual no-effect levels, indicating cumulative or interactive effects. These findings demonstrate that environmentally relevant pesticide mixtures can pose substantial risks to non-target soil fauna and that the inclusion of native species enhances the detection of ecological hazards. Integrating mixture toxicity and native species responses into regulatory frameworks would improve the realism and protective power of pesticide environmental risk assessment. |
| Související projekty: |