Effects of Insecticides on Soil Arthropod Communities

Abstract

Insecticides are applied to agricultural crops for the reduction of a certain ‘target’ organisms. However ,most of them are not specific poisons. In treated areas they are toxic to many ‘non-target’ organisms. This side-effects can result in the upset of the balance within the crop ecosystem. At Rothamsted Experimental Station, Buahin and Edwards (1) studied the side-effect of DDT and aldrin in the soils on arthropods and worms, they reported that Isotomid Collembola, which live near the surface were more numerous in all DDT-treated plots than untreated controls, but they were almost eliminated by aldrin They also found that all doses of DDT- (6,20 and 60 Ib. a.i./acre) decreased the number of mesostigmatid mites, dipterous larvae, and symphylid.