Environmental Study of Pesticide Residues in Soil and Water from Cotton Growing Areas in Mali by Safiatou Berthe DEM Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Life Sciences With a concentration in Entomology Approved By: Donald E. Mullins, Chairperson Andrea M. Dietrich, Associate Professor of Entomology Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Douglas G. Pfeiffer Jean Cobb, Laboratory Specialist Professor of Entomology Biochemistry May 26, 2004 Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0319 Keywords: soil and water pesticide residues, cotton growing areas, Mali West Africa, farmer survey Copyright © 2004, Safiatou Berthe DEM Environmental Study of Pesticide Residues in Soil and Water from Cotton Growing Areas in Mali Safiatou Berthe DEM Abstract: A study was undertaken to obtain information on farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding pesticide usage and to determine the amount of pesticide in soil and water samples collected at four cotton producing areas of Mali. The results from a survey of 24 farmers identified various concerns regarding personal and environmental safety. Despite their training, sometimes growers did not use pesticides in an appropriate manner. Highly toxic pesticides are used by farmers with insufficient personal protective equipment. Sixty soil samples and eight water samples from four cotton growing areas in Mali were scanned for detectable levels of fifty pesticides in total. Pesticides were detected in 77% of the soil samples and the main pesticides were p,p-DDT and its breakdown products, endosulfan I endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate and profenofos. Among the pesticides detected, p,p-DDT use in the study area had not been reported during the past ten years. The most common pesticide detected in the soil samples from cotton growing areas studied was endosulfan II constituting 65% of the detections with a maximum amount of 37 ng/g. Residues detected in soil samples were below the quantification limit for the newer cotton production region of Kita and for the intermediate region of San. Eight pesticides were detected in water samples: γ-BHC (lindane), endosulfan I, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate, dieldrin, p,p-DDD, p,p-DDE and atrazine. All detected pesticides in water had concentrations below the quantification limit except for atrazine. Even though pesticides were found at low concentrations in ground water samples, the fact that water from these wells is used for human and animal consumption is of concern. Also, soil pesticides may be taken up by plants and passed on to other organisms feeding on those plants. Further residues studies in the cotton growing areas of Mali are in order to monitor pesticides residues in Malian soils, water and living organisms. Dedication: This thesis is dedicated to my family. It is the product of two years of a work in which you all have contributed in different ways. I cannot fully express my gratitude to you all for having been concerned by the accomplishment of this study and by my well-being as an individual. My father, mother and step mother have been a wellspring of strong values for my brothers, sisters and me. You taught us how to love by love, how to be hard workers and most importantly how to forgive our peers and how to accept the difference from others would they be poor, rich or from another culture. Mother Komso, thanks to the courage you taught me during your shortened life with us I was able to brave fearless the confusion I have encountered alone far from family. You have been an example of kindness around you at such point that we were all amazed by the flow of more than a thousand of people that participated at your funeral. People were asking if you were a political figure? No Komso, you were just kind and just to others. Because of the kindness you have demonstrated in this world, God has guided me and let me achieve this work. Mohamed (Ladji), your love, patience, moral assistance, financial support and comprehension have been a source of consolation for all those days of turmoil during the time frame of this master. God bless you. Would I be irritated, you will have the right words to calm me down. You saved me from misinterpreting this turbulent world. I would always remember these sentences from you: “Be strong Atou, your moral strength will be your saver; we are only in transit in this world, and patience is mother of all virtues”. Your everyday phone calls have lessened difficulties during my stay away from you in Blacksburg. I cannot imagine a stronger and softer company for Soukhaina and me. I made the right choice by saying “yes” to you. You are the light which brightens the darkness of the world for me and help me sort out the iii good from the bad. You have helped me confront the vicissitudes of life and so did I accept to ignore those turpitudes. The power of mentally transcending and instantly turning the bad into the good that you taught me has been of invaluable guidance through this work. Soukhaina, you have been an example of courage and patience for a small child of your age. My brothers and sisters have been examples of good values. I pray every day that nothing will break the union of our family and that we will transmit strong values to our children. Daddy Moctar, mom Aoua and Sitan, you have been an invaluable assistance for Ina and Ladji during my absence. As Komso liked to teach us: be kind with the children of others and somebody will be kind some day with your own children. I have verified this quote from Komso. I wish the best for all of our children. I would also like to dedicate this thesis to my country and to the unified and wonderful Malian people who will always find a compromise in solving difficult problems. I sincerely wish that many others Malian students will have the opportunity to achieve graduate studies. iv Acknowledgments: Funding for this project was provided by the Integrated Pest Management/Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM/CRSP), USAID Grant # LAG-4196-G-00-3053-00. I would like to thank USAID-Mali Mission and the OIERD-VA Tech for their financial support and assistance with this project. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the friendship and guidance of my major advisor Dr. Donald Mullins. His concern for me as a professional and as an individual has always transcended the boundaries of the workplace. He has been always dedicated to help me get through the most difficult parts of this work. He has been an example of strong values for me. His mentoring provided me with a solid foundation and thoughtful advice which will benefit many others back to Mali. I would also like to thank Jean Cobb of my committee who for all practical purposes has acted as a co-advisor on this thesis. I appreciated Jean Cobb’s friendship, assistance and guidance throughout this research. Besides work, Jean Cobb had the kindness of taking good care of me in Blacksburg. Thanks to Jean I have mastered pesticide residues analyses and the chromatography technique. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Pfeiffer, Dr. Dietrich, for their guidance and support. Their doors were always open and they always provided kind and insightful advice. I would like to thank the “Compagnie Malienne pour le Développement des Textiles (CMDT) for their assistance in this research. I would also like to thank the Director of the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Dr. Saïdou Tembely for his kindness and always open doors to his colleagues. A number of individuals at institutions in Mali provided invaluable assistance in v my research. I would like to thank my colleagues from the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) Dr. Traoré Halimatou Koné, Mr. Fousséni Diallo, Mrs. Maïga Habiba Ahamadou and Mr. Issa Sidibé from the Opération Haute Vallée du Niger (OHVN) for their devotion and commitment to assist me during the survey and sampling parts of this work. Halima always treated me as a sister and gave me the guidance and support necessary throughout this research. She also has the amiability to maintain contact with my husband and my daughter while I was away and became the best friend of my daughter who cannot spend a day without citing her name. I have known few individuals in my life that have been willing to treat their colleagues as she does without being bossy. If all bosses could be as Halima is, life at work would be easy. Working with her is a joy and I am very pleased to have her guide me. I would also like to thank Mr. Soumaré Boubacar, Mr. Aya and Mr Jean Pierre Derlon from the CMDT for their support and guidance. Mrs. Elizabeth Watson, Mrs. Sandra Gabbert, Mrs. Joy Burroughs, Mrs. Debbie Glossbrenner, and Mrs. Irena Pfeil were of invaluable assistance during these two years work on this master’s degree. I would also like to thank Dr. Loke Kok, Head of the Entomology Department and Dr. John Hess, Head of the Biochemistry Department for their support. This research was conducted with the assistance of many generous individuals. Mrs. Elizabeth Smiley from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department was instrumental for the analyses using Mass Spectroscopy. Mrs. Pat Hipkins has assisted me with guidance for the survey part of this work. Several students have assisted with various aspects of this research: Sally Walker, Eric Salig, Katie Newton, and Rachel Perrott. Dr. Keith Moore, Dr.