Winter cereal production in the Southern Cone faces increasing challenges due to the intensive use of foliar fungicides for disease control in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) crops. This theoretical, hazard-based study evaluated the potential environmental fate and toxicity for terrestrial and aquatic organisms of fungicides widely used in Uruguay. The characterization of potential environmental hazards was based on the physicochemical properties and toxicological data reported in the literature, including information from monitoring and risk assessment studies. Moreover, a preliminary farm-level hazard analysis was performed using the Toxic Units (TUs), providing a comparative overview of potential impacts of fungicides in representative winter cereal production systems. The results indicated that soil and water are the main environmental compartments potentially affected. In soil, 21% of the compounds exhibit high persistence and 11% have the potential to leach into groundwater or persist in surface waters. Some azole fungicides combine high persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulation potential, identifying them as key targets for environmental monitoring and hazard prioritization. Terrestrial organisms exhibited variable species-dependent sensitivity, with earthworms and mammals being the most affected. Among the evaluated compounds, benzovindiflupyr emerges as the most toxic to the studied organisms. The farm-level TU analysis enabled the prioritization of fungicides and comparison of potential hazard across different production areas. This approach underscores the need for more refined assessments and regulatory frameworks, and could be extended to other farms, crops, and pesticides, for adjusting use strategies to minimize environmental impacts.
Palladino, C.; García, I.; Machado, A.; Martínez, M. L.; Vryzas, Z.; Pareja, L. (2026). "Environmental hazard assessment of foliar fungicides used in wheat and barley in Uruguay".Agronomía y Ambiente : Revista de la Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, 46(1),15-28.
http://ri.agro.uba.ar/greenstone3/library/collection/raya/document/raya2026palladinocintia
Palladino, Cintia, García, Isabel, Machado, Agustina, Martínez, María Laura, Vryzas, Zisis, Pareja, Lucía. "Environmental hazard assessment of foliar fungicides used in wheat and barley in Uruguay".Agronomía y Ambiente : Revista de la Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires 46, no.1 (2026),15-28
http://ri.agro.uba.ar/greenstone3/library/collection/raya/document/raya2026palladinocintia