Guidance Document on the Breakdown of Organic Matter in Litter Bags / OECD.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, author, issuing body.

Series:

OECD environmental health and safety publications. Series on testing and assessment.

OECD Series on Testing and Assessment

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Agricultural chemicals--Analysis.

Agricultural chemicals.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (36 pages).

Place of Publication:

Paris : OECD Publishing, 2006.

Summary:

The purpose of this Guidance Document is to identify possible and suitable approaches to the evaluation of chemicals impact, and in particular plant protection products' impact, on soil organic matter breakdown. The test method and procedures describes in this document are mainly based on previous studies conducted in Europe to address the European regulation; other OECD member countries may not currently have similar data requirements for agricultural chemicals. However, methods identified in this document, and specifically the litter bags test method, add important tools to a battery of existing standardised protocols for assessing chemical impacts on the soil biota communities. Procedures outlined in this Guidance Document are primarily intended for the evaluation of agricultural chemicals but they can also be applied to ecological risk assessment activities at contaminated sites, as well as to laboratory chemical toxicity testing.

Contents:

ABOUT THE OECD

PART A: BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE METHOD AND IDENTIFICATION OF

THE MOST APPROPRIATE METHOD

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND CONSIDERATIONS

Are litter bags appropriate for the functional endpoint test?

Special considerations for the bait-lamina method

SPECIFIC ISSUES

Selection of the most appropriate test substrate

Influence of soil type on OM breakdown

Justification of the proposed standard exposure scenario

Further exposure scenarios

The use of functional tests in soil quality assessment

Sensitivity of the litter bag test

Validity of the litter bag test

PART B: DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST METHOD

PRINCIPLE OF THE TEST

INFORMATION ON THE TEST SUBSTANCE

VALIDITY OF THE TEST

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEST

Site selection and characterisation

Study design

Litter bags

Season for testing

EXPOSURE

Plateau concentration

Annual cumulative application rate

PROCEDURE

Application

Soil analysis for test substance

Maintenance during the test

Sampling and test duration

Collection and processing of litter bags

REPORTING

Description of results

Comparison of start weight and end weight per litter bag

Comparison between control and treatment given as mean of the 6 plots

Treatment of results

Test report

REFERENCES

ANNEX I

ANNEX II

ANNEX III.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

92-64-60116-3