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The Landau Stream Mesocosm Facility: Pesticide Mitigation in Vegetated Flow-Through Streams

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Abstract

Vegetated treatment systems have the ability to reduce the risk of adverse effects of nonpoint source pesticide pollution in agricultural surface waters, however, flow-through systems have rarely been evaluated. Peak concentrations of a mixture of two insecticides and two fungicides (Indoxacarb, Tebuconazole, Thiacloprid and Trifloxystrobin) were reduced by more than 90 % in 45 m experimental stream mesocosms. Plant density and solubility had the highest explanatory power for the response variable reduction of peak concentration (R² = 0.70, p < 0.001). Optimized vegetated streams can be highly effective in reduction of runoff related pesticide peak concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers for valuable comments to the manuscript. This study is part of the European LIFE ENVIRONMENT Project ArtWET (LIFE 06 ENV/F/000133). We acknowledge additional funding by the University Koblenz-Landau and the Verband der Chemischen Industrie, Frankfurt (VCI) in the setup of the Landau Stream Mesocosm Facility.

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Correspondence to Ralf Schulz.

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Elsaesser, D., Stang, C., Bakanov, N. et al. The Landau Stream Mesocosm Facility: Pesticide Mitigation in Vegetated Flow-Through Streams. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 90, 640–645 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-013-0968-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-013-0968-9

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