The fate of herbicide acetochlor and its toxicity to Eisenia fetida under laboratory conditions

To assess the toxic effects of the herbicide acetochlor on earthworms, we exposed Eisenia fetida (Savigny) to artificial soils (OECD soil) supplemented with different concentrations (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg kg−1 soil) of acetochlor. The residues of acetochlor in soil and the effect of the herbicide on growth, reproduction, glutathione-S-transferases (GST) activity and cellulase activity of earthworms were determined. The degradation half-life of acetochlor in soil of acetochlor was between 9.3 and 15.6 days under laboratory condition; the degradation rate with low concentrations was faster than it was with higher concentrations. At 5 and 10 mg kg−1, acetochlor had not significant effect on growth of E. fetida except after 15 and 30 days of exposure. When concentration >20 mg kg−1, growth rates and numbers of juveniles per cocoon decreased significantly compared to the control in all treatments. However, cellulase activity decreased significantly in all treatments (5–80 mg kg−1). This study showed that acetochlor had no long-term effect on the growth and reproduction of E. fetida at field dose (5–10 mg kg−1). At higher concentrations of acetochlor (20–80 mg kg−1), acetochlor revealed sublethal toxicity to E. fetida. Growth, numbers of juveniles per cocoon and cellulase activity can be regarded as sensitive parameters to evaluate the toxicity of acetochlor on earthworms.