The General Objective
To demonstrate the reduction of the environmental contamination of pesticides and their metabolites in the air using Optimal Volume Rate Adjustment tools (OVRA) and drift reducing tools (SDRT) which will lead to a decrease of the pesticide risk for fauna, flora and humans. Besides a new ultra-fast, sensitive and time resolved technology for the analysis of pesticides will be developed to assess the application of pesticides from a health standpoint, in real agricultural conditions.
This general objective lead to the following specific objectives
- To demonstrate the reduction of quantity of pesticide sprayed using recent OVRA tools without affecting the efficacy of applications, both in citrus, with the ‘CitrusVol’ tool, and vineyards, with the ‘Dosaviña’ tool.
- To demonstrate the reduction of quantity of pesticides in the atmosphere using developed drift reducing tools ‘TOPPS-PROWADIS drift evaluation tool’ and ‘Air-assisted sprayer vertical pattern tool’, and drift reducing techniques (low-drift nozzles, deflectors, etc.).
- To improve the knowledge of farmers, agricultural technicians, administration and governments about OVRA tools and SDRT and techniques to achieve an environmentally sustainable production.
- To obtain a procedure for pesticides application with low emissions to the atmosphere and therefore with low impact over environment and people based on the use of OVRA tools and SDRT.
- To modify, demonstrate and validate that an instrument developed through LIFE12 ENV/ES/000729 project can be modified and used for the direct measurements of PPP drift, including a business plan for its future exploitation.
- To identify chemicals or secondary contaminants from the atmospheric degradation of pesticides and compounds used in their formulation that pose further health and environmental hazard due to their higher toxicity.
- To identify chemicals and biomarkers of exposure in biological samples to have a better knowledge of their concentrations and to protect human health.
- To promote the implementation of the Directive 2009/128/EC in Mediterranean Countries to achieve sustainable use of pesticides and to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment according to REACH.