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Assessment of phytosanitary practices on the environment: case study potato of Loukkos (northwest Morocco)

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Abstract

Loukkos perimeter is among the most important irrigated agricultural areas in Morocco. It covers horticulture and market garden production, including potato. This crop is characterized by the intensive use of pesticides that could lead to health and ecological risks, via the food chain and contamination of natural resources, including groundwater. This study is aimed at assessing the use of pesticides in potato cultivation and their impacts on the environment and human health. Here, pesticide use was characterized by the number of treatments (NT), quantity of active substances indicator (QASI), and the treatment frequency indicator (TFI), through field surveys carried out on 50 Loukkos potato producers. The results showed that farmers use heavy pesticide treatments, mainly against late blight. We determined NT = 19 treatments, total TFI = 28.10, and QASI = 14.86 kg/ha. These values reflect a massive use of pesticides on this crop, which could therefore constitute a challenge and a major constraint for the development of sustainable agriculture in this zone, due to their negative environmental and health effects. It is, therefore, necessary to react quickly to make changes in phytosanitary practices with the aim to monitoring pesticide use via the agro-environmental indicators to reduce health and environmental impact of intensive pesticide use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Pesticides Residues, UR Research On Nuclear Techniques, Environment and Quality, National Institute for Agricultural Research, Tangier, Morocco

    Mohamed Abbou & Mohamed Benicha

  2. Laboratory of Physical-Chemistry of Materials, Natural Substances and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technics, Abdelmalek Essâadi University, Tangier, Morocco

    Mohamed Abbou & Mohamed Chabbi

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  1. Mohamed Abbou
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Data processing and analysis and data collection and analysis were performed by Mohamed Abbou. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mohamed Abbou, Mohamed Benicha, and Mohamed Chabbi. All authors provided input into various aspects of the study, provided ongoing critique, and approved the final version of the manuscript. All the authors declare that they have seen the revised manuscript and approved the version to be published. All the authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

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Correspondence to Mohamed Abbou.

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The methodology for this study was conducted by the guidelines of the National Institute for Agricultural Research, Tangier (Morocco), and by the ethics committee of the Faculty of Sciences and Technics Tangier (Morocco). All authors have read, understood, and we have complied with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors.

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Abbou, M., Chabbi, M. & Benicha, M. Assessment of phytosanitary practices on the environment: case study potato of Loukkos (northwest Morocco). Environ Monit Assess 195, 352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-10949-9

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