Effect of pesticides on nitrification in aquatic sediment.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the herbicides glyphosate, nonanoic acid, and dichlorprop-P and the insecticides potassium oil, malation and Pyretrin and their combinations on nitrification. Nitrification was measured in slurries from the eutrophic and shallow Brabrand Lake (Aarhus, Denmark), by inhibiting oxidation of nitrite to nitrate with chloride. All herbicides and insecticides influenced nitrification. The No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC) was assessed to be 30 microg.L-1 for glyphosate and nonanoic acid and 1 microg.L-1 for dichlorprop-P. The NOEC for malation and Pyretrin on nitrification was assessed to be 3 microg.L-1. No accumulation effect on nitrification of the insecticides malation and Pyretrin, or of the studied herbicides, was observed, indicating that their environmental impact is low at reduced concentrations, even in combination. The procedure used in this study can provide a useful tool for obtaining concentration limits for pesticides or other chemicals in a short period of time.