Solarization and biosolarization enhance fungicide dissipation in the soil

Although there is some evidence regarding the effect of solarization and biosolarization on pesticide degradation, information is still scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of these disinfection techniques on the degradation of eight fungicides (azoxystrobin, kresoxin methyl, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, triadimenol, cyprodinil, pyrimethanil and fludioxonil) commonly used in pepper crops under greenhouse cultivation. Seventy-five 17-L pots filled with clay-loam soil were placed in a greenhouse during the summer season and then contaminated with the studied fungicides. Treatments consisted of different disinfection treatments, including a control without disinfection, solarization and biosolarization. For the solarization and biosolarization treatments, low-density polyethylene film was used as cover. Five pots per treatment were sampled periodically up to 90 d after the beginning of each treatment and fungicide residues were analyzed by GC/MS. The results showed that both solarization and biosolarization enhanced fungicide dissipation rates with regard to the control treatment, an effect which was attributed to the increased soil temperature. Most of the fungicides studied showed similar behavior under solarization and biosolarization conditions. However, triadimenol was degraded to a greater extent in the biosolarization than in the solarization treatment, while fludioxonil behaved in the opposite way. The results confirm that both solarization and biosolarization contribute to pesticide dissipation and can therefore be considered alongside other soil disinfection techniques, as a bioremediation tool for pesticide-polluted soils.