PhD defence

Pesticide transport during erosive rainfall-runoff events

PhD candidate MC (Meindert) Commelin
Promotor prof.dr. V (Violette) Geissen
Co-promotor dr.ir. JEM (Jantiene) Baartman PhD MSc
dr.ir. MJPM (Michel) Riksen
Organisation Wageningen University, Soil Physics and Land Management
Date

Tue 3 September 2024 13:00 to 15:30

Venue Omnia, building number 105
Hoge Steeg 2
105
6708 PH Wageningen
+31 (0) 317 - 484500
Room Auditorium

Summary

Plant protection products, also known as pesticides, pose a threat to our environment when they are transported to off-target areas. Transport of pesticides with runoff water and eroding soil from agricultural fields can contribute to the pollution of downstream areas. In this research the amount of pesticides transported from agricultural fields in a small catchment in the Netherlands was quantified. The results show that during peak runoff eroding sediment can contribute a lot to transport of pesticides, and that concentrations in runoff are high. Based on this data a new model was developed (OpenLISEM-pesticide) that simulates the transport dynamics of pesticides during erosive rainfall-runoff events. The simulation results correspond with the observed data, although the uncertainty in the predictions is still high. This thesis emphasizes that assessment of pesticide transport into the environment should take into account the highly dynamic processes during runoff events.