Hazard assessment of the pesticides KRAFT 36 EC and SCORE in a tropical natural soil using an ecotoxicological test battery.

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural fields to control plant diseases, weeds, and pests; however, the unforeseeable consequences of releasing these compounds into the soil and their effects on terrestrial invertebrates are matters of grave concern. The aim of the present study was to determine the direct impact of 2 pesticides, KRAFT® 36 EC (an insecticide; a.i. abamectin) and SCORE® (a fungicide; a.i. difenoconazole), on nontarget terrestrial invertebrates. Ecotoxicological tests were performed to evaluate the chronic and acute toxicity of these compounds to a potworm (Enchytraeus crypticus), a collembolan (Folsomia candida), and a mite (Hypoaspis aculeifer). The results showed that, for both pesticides, the collembolan F. candida was the most sensitive species, followed by the enchytraeid E. crypticus and the mite H. aculeifer. Effect concentrations at 50% of organisms' reproduction calculated for F. candida, E. crypticus, and H. aculeifer were 0.06, 2.8, and >32 mg of abamectin/kg dry weight soil and 28.9, 125, and 145.5 mg of difenoconazole/kg dry weight soil, respectively. Environmentally relevant concentrations of both pesticides significantly affected the collembolan species. The existence of a potential risk from abamectin and difenoconazole for soil invertebrates even at recommended doses could be identified. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2919-2924. © 2017 SETAC.