Mitigating glyphosate levels in surface waters: Long-term assessment in an agricultural catchment in Belgium

Abstract

The increasing concern over pesticide pollution in water bodies underscores the need for effective mitigation strategies to support the transition towards sustainable agriculture. This study assesses the effectiveness of landscape mitigation strategies, specifically vegetative buffer strips, in reducing glyphosate loads at the catchment scale under realistic conditions. Conducted over six years (2014-2019) in a small agricultural region in Belgium, our research involved the analysis of 732 water samples from two monitoring stations, differentiated by baseflow and event-driven sampling, and before (baseline) and after the implementation of mitigation measures. The results indicated a decline in both the number and intensity of point source losses over the years. Additionally, there was a general decrease in load intensity; however, the confluence of varying weather conditions (notably dry years during the mitigation period) and management practices (the introduction of buffer strips) posed challenges for a statistically robust evaluation of each contributing factor. A reduction of loads was measured when comparing mitigation with baseline, although this reduction is not statistically significant. Glyphosate loads during rainfall events correlated with a rainfall index and runoff ratio. Overall, focusing the mitigation strategy on runoff and erosion was a valid approach. Nevertheless, challenges remain, as evidenced by the continuous presence of glyphosate in baseflow conditions, highlighting the complex dynamics of pesticide transport. The study concludes that while progress has been made towards reducing pesticide pollution, the complexity of interacting factors necessitates further research. Future directions should focus on enhancing farmer engagement in mitigation programs and developing experiments with more intense data collection that help to assess underlying dynamics of pesticide pollution and the impact of mitigation strategies in more detail, contributing towards the goal of reducing pesticide pollution in water bodies.

Keywords: Agriculture; Catchment scale; Mitigation; Monitoring; Pesticides; Surface water; water quality.