It is important to understand the degradation and persistence of pesticides in soil and water in order to maximize pesticide efficacy while minimizing any detrimental effects they may have on the ecosystem.
Understanding mobility of pesticides is an important part of environmental toxicology and chemistry. Pesticides need to be mobile enough to allow them to be transported to the site of action. On the other hand, pesticides that are too mobile will rapidly dissipate once applied to the target area and contaminate water and sediment. Many factors can affect the mobility of pesticides in soil and water including soil characteristics, pesticide properties, and timing of application.
In recent years, transgenic crops have increased significantly in their usage in agriculture. Many of these crops produce insecticidal Bt proteins that target specific insect pests. As with conventional chemicals, it is important to know the fate of these insecticidal Bt proteins in the environment. The fate data is used in the risk assessment process to determine potential exposure of the insecticidal Bt proteins to non-target organisms.
