Resumen

FERNANDEZ, Mariana Cecilia  y  GIMENEZ, Rosana Alejandra. Impact of Imidacloprid on Organic Decomposition of Soil in Peach Tree Production. Agric. Téc. [online]. 2005, vol.65, n.4, pp.370-377. ISSN 0365-2807.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0365-28072005000400003.

Soil organisms have an essential role in the processes of humification, de composing and structuring consequently several toxicological studies have been carried out to determine the impact of insecticides on them, principally in laboratory with individual species. Regretably, there are few field assays. The objective of this research was to determine the effect caused by the insecticide imidacloprid on soil organisms when it was applied to peach trees (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) var. Red Globe. The control treatment (without chemicals) managed with yellow and pheromone traps was compared with treated plots in which the insecticide was applied to the soil and leaves, using two different concentrations for each treatment (0.5 and 10 cm³ L^-1). A litter bag assay was carried out in order to determine the impact of the insecticide. Polyethylene bags with two different mesh sizes full of dry alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) were buried. The distinct mesh sizes permitted the entrance of different organisms, achieving a stratification of the acting species. At five months, the bags were removed and the dry matter weight was analyzed. The experimental design was a split plot and the combination of factors produced eighteen treatments with three replicates. The results were analyzed using ANOVA. There were no significant differences between soil and canopy treatments and control (6, 5.92 and 5.83 g DM, respectively), nor between concentrations. The decomposition of organic matter was greater (p < 0.05) in the buried bags with bigger mesh size (6.38 g DM) than the smaller mesh size (5.45 g DM) probably due to a greater activity of the soil macrofauna.

Palabras clave : insecticides; nitroguanidine; litter bag; soil fauna.