Compost addition to polluted soils to ensure fruit and vegetable safety
Pollution affects food safety, environmental quality and human health. ln the case of persistent soil pollution such as chlordecone in the French West Indies, horticultural crops can be so polluted as to exceed maximum residue limits. Generally, there is no remediation solution for these polluted soils. Interactions between organic matter and pesticides are known to help reduce the bioavailability of pesticides in soils. Sequestering pesticides in soils by adding compost could be an alternative way of reducing their diffusion into food chains. We added 5% organic matter to the soil upper layer in horticultural fields and pots. The soil to crop transfer for radish, lettuce and cucumber decreased from 33 to 75% according to the crop and the soil type. We demonstrated that sequestration depended on the soil type and the clay physical properties. In nitisols, chlordecone sequestration was mainly due to chemical interactions with the compost particles whereas in andosols, it was partly due to the physical impact of the added compost (allophane collapse). Increasing soil organic matter content reduces pesticide mobility in the soil and hence its bioavailability for plants. Adding organic amendments to soils is a promising way to reduce the risk of pesticide contamination of food and thus decrease human exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | conference_item biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
ISHS
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| Subjects: | P02 - Pollution, H02 - Pesticides, F04 - Fertilisation, P36 - Érosion, conservation et récupération des sols, |
| Online Access: | http://agritrop.cirad.fr/575845/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/575845/1/document_575845.pdf |
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