WORKSHOP: Pesticides in Soil and the Environment

[teo36 at mtt.fi]

Pesticides in Soil and the Environment

6th International Workshop

Current approaches to understanding the environmental fate of pesticides
13-15 May 1996
Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

Organised under the auspices of the Commission of the European Union and 
COST Action 66, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries 
and Food  and of Horticulture Research International.

The workshop will take place at the Moat House Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK.

The workshop will review current and recent research on the biological and 
physicochemical  processes controlling the behaviour and fate of pesticides 
in soils and their dispersion  in the environment. It will address the 
validity of concepts and procedures used to evaluate and quantify environmental 
risk and will explore the roles of these evaluations in the development and 
harmonisation of regulatory measures.

In the opening plenary session, invited speakers will review regulatory aspects 
of pesticide use in Europe, with particular emphasis on progress towards 
legislative harmonisation.

Programme outline

Session A - Sorption and Mobility
This session will examine all aspects of the sorption and mobility of pesticides 
in soil. It will include methodology for measurement of sorption, the change in 
sorption with time and the role of sorption during macropore flow. Papers are 
invited which consider the extents to which these and other relevant aspects of 
sorption influence the interpretation of lysimeter and field studies.

Session B - Transformation
The objective of this session is to examine the many factors and processes which 
influence pesticide degradation in soil, during transport to surface or ground 
water, or in the aqueous environment itself. Presentations relevant to degradation 
in subsoil and aquifer environments will be particularly welcome, as well as 
contributions on integrated fate processes in surface environments.

Session C - Monitoring and outdoor experiments
Monitoring aspects will include experimental approaches, sampling procedures and 
leaching as well as the detection of pesticides in water, the biosphere and the 
general environment. Outdoor experiments will cover topics such as field application 
and behaviour, fate of pesticides and metabolites, field lysimeters interactions 
with agricultural practices, climatic and edaphic aspects, outdoor macrocosms and 
the use of geographical information systems.

Session D - Modelling
Numerous mathematical models are available for quantitative prediction of the 
environmental fate of pesticides, and they are being used increasingly in the 
registration process. Although widely used, the true validation status of many 
of them is unclear. Papers are requested that will provide further new 
information concerning model validation and that  will stimulate debate 
concerning the use ( or mis-use) of modelling techniques.

More information and registrations: 

COST 66 Workshop Secretariat, AAB Office,
c/o Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF,UK.
Fax: (44) 1789 470234