Patrick Andrieux

Infiltration characteristics of soils in Mediterranean vineyards in Southern France

This study examines factors affecting the spatial variability of soil infiltration in cultivated fields in a Mediterranean environment. The study area is a wine growing catchment located near the town of Roujan (Herault) in the South of France. The steady state infiltration rate was measured in 1 m2 plots in a sample of eight untilled vineyards, using a rainfall simulator. Five measurements were made in each field in order to assess the between- and within-field variability of infiltration. The factors affecting variability of soil infiltration (field effect, slope, soil type, structure of the first few centimetres of the soil, roughness, texture, grass cover and surface water content) were analyzed. A simple classification of the topsoil structures is proposed. Analyses of variance were carried out as a first step, to test the effect of these factors on infiltration in all measurement plots. An attempt was made to simplify these results by grouping together fields with homogeneous characteristics. The results show that 40% of the total variance of observed infiltration rates can be explained either by differences between fields or by differences in local topsoil structure. The latter two criteria are easily observable and can therefore be used in practice for stratifying the spatial variability of infiltration rates.

Dynamique de la mobilisation et du transfert du diuron par ruissellement

Abstract The variation in the availability of diuron to transport by overland flow was studied in a vineyard field under a Mediterranean climate during three years. The availability of diuron decreased with time due to the dissipation of diuron in the topsoil and the decrease of its accessibility by runoff water, which is not represented in pesticide transfer modelling. Thus, calculated concentrations of diuron with simple and actual relations are always greater than those measured in the overland flow.

RECOTOX, a French initiative in ecotoxicology-toxicology to monitor, understand and mitigate the ecotoxicological impacts of pollutants in socioagroecosystems

RECOTOX is a cross-cutting initiative promoting an integrated research to respond to the challenges of monitoring, understanding, and mitigating environmental and health impacts of pesticides in agroecosystems. The added value of RECOTOX is to develop a common culture around spatial ecotoxicology including the whole chain of pressure-exposure-impact, while strengthening an integrated network of in natura specifically equipped sites. In particular, it promotes transversal approaches at relevant socioecological system scales, to capitalize knowledge, expertise, and ongoing research in ecotoxicology and, to a lesser extent, environmental toxicology. Thus, it will open existing research infrastructures in environmental sciences to research programs in ecotoxicology of pesticides.