Tag Archives: Brühl

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Residues of helicopter applied pesticides in and around vineyards at the river Mosel

Members of the Ecotoxicology and Community Ecology team sample soil and vegetation from the slopes of the river Mosel

In this blog post, Lorenz Witt and Ken Mauser provide some background on an excursion to the Mosel Valley. Their objective was to investigate the exposure of terrestrial non-target ecosystems to pesticides, potentially threatening the remaining habitat of a critically endangered butterfly species.

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Highlights of 2023 (Part 2)

In this second and final installment of the ‘Highlights of 2023’ series, we give our readers a glance of another 3 most visited posts in this year. 

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Beyond the classroom: 1st semester ends on the field

In May 2023, a group of M.Sc. Ecotoxicology students along with Carsten Brühl went to the Ecosystem Research Facility, Eusserthal (EERES) and the Riparian Stream Mesocosms (RSM). This excursion was a part of a module in the study program of M.Sc. Environmental Pollution Management (Ecotoxicology). In this blogpost, Danisa Lione and Hajar Bourassi (student representatives of the 2022 cohort), present some brief details about the excursion and their experience.

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The Impact of Pesticides on Biodiversity: A Case Study of Banana Production in Costa Rica

In this blog post, Carsten Brühl is explaining the background and findings of a review produced together with colleagues of the Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances (IRET) at Universidad Nacional (UNA), in Costa Rica that focusses on pesticide use in banana plantations and addresses exposure and effects in environment and human health. The review is the result of a DFG – Conare collaboration funding.

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