Microbial toxicity and impacts on soil enzyme activities of pesticides used in potato cultivation

In the conventional cultivation of potatoes, weed control and the control of potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans are carried out by the application of herbicides and fungicides. We investigated the impacts of the herbicides metribuzin and linuron and the fungicide fluazinam on soil microbiota in microcosms, in mesocosms and in the field. The toxicity of each pesticide in solution was assessed using the luminescent bacteria test and in soil by a solid phase modification. In microcosm tests, the microbial activity and biomass were estimated by measuring several soil enzyme activities together with soil ATP content. In the mesocosm tests, the separate addition of each pesticide…