AGRO 84 |
| Fumigants have been extensively used to improve crop production by controlling plant pests. Atmospheric emissions are a major problem and have been shown to increase the risk of stratospheric ozone depletion, bystander exposure, and may also contribute to the formation of near-surface ozone. This has become a serious concern with the implementation of a new federal 8-hour ozone standard. The adverse impacts from soil fumigation can be reduced using one of several management practices; including deep injection, improved surface barriers and soil amendments. Although many methods are available to reduce emissions, no simple and cost-effective methodology is available to provide information and guidance to the regulatory community. This has led to a requirement that large-scale, time-consuming, costly, and complex experiments be conducted to provide emissions estimates for new emission-reduction methodology. The experiments, which are conducted at specific sites and times, are heavily influenced by the particular cultural practices and the prevailing soil and environmental conditions. This introduces large uncertainties when the experimental information is used as a surrogate for other locations. Described in this presentation is an investigation of lower-cost approaches to estimate fumigant emissions and to determine their usefulness in providing regulatory guidance. Through laboratory experimentation and simulation modeling, comparisons will be made to emission estimates obtained from field experiments. This allows quantification of the effectiveness of lower-cost approaches in characterizing large-scale field behavior. Through similar comparison studies, it is expected that new cost-effective approaches will be shown to be valuable in assisting the regulatory community obtain needed emissions information. |
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Investigating VOCs from Pesticide and Fumigant Applications: State of the Science and New Approaches to Protect Air Quality
1:45 PM-5:10 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- 259 A/B, Oral
Division of Agrochemicals |