project - Research and innovation
PROTECTS Project: Understanding the impacts of pesticides on pollinator and soil health in Irish agriculture.
PROTECTS Project: Understanding the impacts of pesticides on pollinator and soil health in Irish agriculture.
Objectives
Pesticide use is important in modern farming. Increasingly there is a need to farm in a sustainable way, and sustainable pesticide use is integral to this. Concerns exist regarding impacts of pesticides on non-target organisms and ecosystem services. We aim to provide baseline information in an Irish context to build towards mitigating the effects of pesticide on pollinators and soils. We will survey pesticide residues in soils and nectar, investigate the hazards of pesticide use for bees, and provide recommendations for soil monitoring and how to mitigate any effects on ecosystem services. Our findings will help to ensure that pesticides can be used safely while protecting the environment.
Objectives
Pesticide use is important in modern farming. Increasingly there is a need to farm in a sustainable way, and sustainable pesticide use is integral to this. Concerns exist regarding impacts of pesticides on non-target organisms and ecosystem services. We aim to provide baseline information in an Irish context to build towards mitigating the effects of pesticide on pollinators and soils. We will survey pesticide residues in soils and nectar, investigate the hazards of pesticide use for bees, and provide recommendations for soil monitoring and how to mitigate any effects on ecosystem services. Our findings will help to ensure that pesticides can be used safely while protecting the environment.
Activities
We used experimental and data approaches to understand the impacts of pesticides on bee and soil health, and to make recommendations for mitigation. We monitored pesticide residues is plant nectar, pollen, bee products and soils. We used this data in modelling approaches to understand pesticide risk in soils across Ireland. Using individual bee, whole colony metrics, and molecular methods, we tested the impacts of glyphosate and prothioconazole on bee health. We tested learning, pollination, mortality, and other metrics. We investigated pesticide use patterns in Ireland and the EU, reviewed evidence for bee protective mitigation measures, and surveyed farmers about pesticide rule compliance.
Additional information
Project partners: Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, Maynooth University, Teagasc
Project details
- Main funding source
- Other public (national, regional) research funds
- Project acronym
- PROTECTS Project
- Agricultural sectors
- Bees & other insects
€ €1.1 million
Total budget
Total contributions including EU funding.
Project keyword
1 Practice Abstracts
We assessed the impacts of widely used pesticides on bee and soil health, and how their impacts can be mitigated.
Little data exists on pesticide residues in pollen and nectar, so there is a poor understanding of how bees are exposed to pesticides. We found neonicotinoid residues in crops long after their last application. Farmers should be aware that when spraying a non-bee attractive crop, residues can make their way into wildflowers. Real world pesticide use caused residues in honey which exceed EU determined safe limits (e.g. boscalid, prothioconazole and glyphosate).
Soil type and other factors can influence the risk of pesticides to non-target organisms. Scientists need more data on pesticide use for it to be useful in testing if pesticides are harmful to wildlife.
Fungicides and herbicides are not designed to target bees, and thus have not been the focus of much research. Bees still forage on plants treated with glyphosate for up to 70 hours, leading to exposure. We found molecular and behavioural evidence of impacts of glyphosate and prothioconazole on bees.
We uncovered the diversity in pesticides on sale in Ireland (876 professional and 275 amateur products) and found that commercial formulations of pesticides can have different impacts on bees than their active ingredients.
Most mitigation measures have not been tested by science and may or may not be effective. To reduce impacts of pesticides on biodiversity a multi-faceted approach needs to be adopted. Forestry, amenity and consumer pesticide use need to be targeted to meet use reduction targets.
We will provide a detailed understanding of the impact of current pesticide usage in Irish agricultural soil, helping establish an effective soil policy directive for sustainable pesticide use.
Contacts
Dara Stanley
Project coordinator
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University College Dublin
Project coordinator