Different pesticides are widely used to protect the crops. However, they are considered to be one of the major causes of environmental pollution. Therefore, in this project, efforts are made to characterize the potential risks of pesticides applied, to study their effects on the environment, and to understand the local professional practices. A survey was conducted among market gardeners and farmers, in two main districts of Biskra Ziban, Algeria. Using pesticide environmental risk indicator model, an Environmental Risk Score (ERS), the final indicator of environmental risk (final indicator of ER), and the normalized final environmental risk were calculated for 18 pesticides, which are most commonly used. Six active ingredients had an ERS that reached a value of 5 and more. The highest final indicator of ER was obtained for the formulation based on the active substance diazinon (score = 120.00). Besides, the perception and attitude of farmers regarding risk from pesticide exposure were also observed and discussed. Consequently, the risk indicators allowed us to compare and identify the least environmentally hazardous pesticide among all the possible alternatives.
Key words: Environmental risk;Biskra Zibans; pesticide residues; PERI model; vegetables.
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