Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

Spring 2020

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

Environmental Science-BS

Department

Biology & Earth Science

Advisor

Dr. Kevin Svitana

First Committee Member

Dr. Kevin Svitana

Second Committee Member

Dr. Jeffery Lehman

Third Committee Member

Dr. Halard Lescinsky

Keywords

Glyphosate, Water Sampling, Herbicides, ELISA Kit, Land Use

Subject Categories

Agriculture | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Hydrology | Sustainability

Abstract

Glyphosate is widely used in the United States and has recently been described as both mobile and persistent in soils and bodies of water. There is little research however, on the variability of glyphosate concentration in runoff based on different land use types. For this study an evaluation of samples from different land uses are used to assess glyphosate concentrations in first order streams during a runoff event. The intent was to compare three sites with a. known commercial applications, b. known lack of applications (organic), and c. assumed limited application of glyphosate. There was no significant difference in glyphosate concentration in first order streams between these locations. There was a small positive correlation between stream depth and glyphosate concentration at the c. location. There were more dissolved solids at the b. location when compared to the other two locations. Collectively the data suggests there is no statistically significant variability in glyphosate concentrations at these three sampling locations. While detected concentrations are low, these findings indicate a potential trend of overall glyphosate persistence in the environment and the persistence of glyphosate in runoff into bodies of water.

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