Reduction of the presence of crop protection products in a small agricultural basin in Belgium

Abstract

During the springs 1998 and 1999, a mass balance on a small catchment in Belgium, the Nil (32 km²), shows the dominance of point losses in the total load of the river for atrazine, isoproturon, chloridazon and lenacil. Following theses results a pilot-project was started in 2000 with the aim to reduce the crop protection products loads in the Nil catchment. The strategy adopted is first to inform the 50 farmers working on the site about the point sources problem and second to give them advice on the handling of the products in order to reduce the point losses. After one year, a load reduction of 75 % was obtained for some herbicides in the river. An action was also carried out by the municipality in order to reduce their use of diuron on roads.