Ecology Toxicology Apple and pear orchards are a significant part of the Hood Ri

Question

Ecology Toxicology

Apple and pear orchards are a significant part of the Hood River Basin and the control of pests are important for apple and pear production in the Basin. The organophosphate insecticide Azinphos methyl and the herbicide Simazine are used in the Hood River Basin and were detected in some of the streams.

A. Using the journal article by Belden et al., 2000, Impact of Atrazine on Organophosphate Insecticide Toxicity:

i) What effect does atrazine have on organophosphate insecticides?

Explanation / Answer

Atrazine is (IUPAC Nomenclature:- 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropyl) widely used herbicide. It has relatively high water solubility. It is not considered as ecologically harmful. But recent studies on atrazine has shown that it may influence toxicity of other xenobiotics such as organophosphorus insectisides. OP insecticides reacts further with atrazine in bioactivation steps, it will replace sulphur with oxygen within chemical structure of OPs, more toxic than normal OP insecticides.

Atrazine in binary combination with chlorpyrifos, malathion and methyl parathion exhibited greater than additive toxicity to the forth instar of the midge Chironomus tentans. Various other studies and hypothesis have shown that the joint action noted between atrazine and various OPs may be result of atrazine increasing biotransformation of the OPs, thereby converting them into more (or less) toxic metabolites.

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