Category Archives: Research

Polluted surface waters, not just a problem for aquatic organisms: Biomagnification of flood-borne pesticides in plant-feeding aphids

Surface waters are polluted with a variety of contaminants, including synthetic pesticides. A study by Franziska Fiolka and colleagues from the RTG SystemLink in Landau, recently published in the journal “Chemosphere”, is the first to examine if repeated flood events lead to an increase in pesticide concentration in the riparian zone, including plant-feeding insects. It shows that pesticide concentrations in soil and nettle increase with an increase in flooding frequency, and further, that aphids feeding on contaminated riparian plants are able to take up these pesticides.

Continue reading →

Non-Target Casualties: The Overlooked Impact of Neonicotinoids on Grassland Plant Bugs – Investigating Agrochemical Exposure in a Prominent but Overlooked Group of Insects

Modern agro-ecosystems are extensively contaminated with pesticides, but the effects of these chemicals on insect biodiversity are poorly understood. Jan Erik Sedelmeir reports in this blog post about a new study, carried out at the Department of Applied Entomology at the University of Hohenheim under the direction of Georg Petschenka.

Continue reading →

A cocktail of pesticides eradicates biodiversity – PAN Europe Interview to Prof. Dr Carsten Brühl

“Insects and other arthropods are disappearing at an alarming rate all over Europe and pesticides play a major role.” Recently the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN) interviewed Professor Dr. Carsten Brühl, specialist in ecotoxicology.

Continue reading →

Current-use pesticides in vegetation, topsoil and water reveal contaminated landscapes of the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany

Landau, 12.03.2025 – A new study by the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, published in Communications Earth & Environment, shows extensive pesticide contamination in the landscape of the Upper Rhine Region. Pesticides disperse across the entire landscape, contaminating soil, vegetation, and water far beyond agricultural zones. The findings shed new light on the potential environmental impacts of conventional agriculture. According to the researchers, pesticide use must be reduced urgently in order to protect non-target areas around fields, orchards and vineyards.

Continue reading →

Not only during application times: pesticide mixtures are present in soil and plants all year round

Aerial photo. Pesticide application in vineyards. Photo: Carsten A. Brühl

Landau, 21.01.2025 – In conventional agriculture, synthetic chemical pesticides are used in various crops such as arable farming, vegetable growing and viticulture. A study by the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, recently published in the journal “Scientific Reports”, is the first to examine pesticide contamination over the course of a year. It shows that substances can be detected not only during the spraying periods in the fields, but also throughout the year and in adjacent meadows. The impact of these chronically detected complex pesticide mixtures on the environment has not been sufficiently investigated and could be significant.

Continue reading →

Flooding linked with higher contamination in riparian zone

Fiolka - Riparian Zone

In this blog post, Franziska Fiolka and colleagues discuss their study investigating flooding as a vector for organic pesticides, linking aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They assessed regularly and rarely flooded riparian plant contamination profiles in small streams around the Upper Rhine valley and found more and higher concentrations of organic pesticides in regularly flooded riparian soil and plants.

Continue reading →

Modeling long-term effects of contaminants on non-biting midges (Chironomidae)

Dr. Alessandro Manfrin and his team developed a model to assess the long-term effects of contaminants on non-biting midge populations. Their study showed that exposure to the biological larvicide Bti reduces larval densities and adult emergence across multiple generations.

Continue reading →