Abstract:
Glyphosate is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world. Effect
of Glyphosate on abundance of selected arthropods under five orders which
belong to class Insecta (Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera,
Diptera) and class Arachnida were studied for a period of three months in a
selected non-agricultural site using two different concentrations of Roundup
(Glyphosate). After application of Glyphosate, the abundance of all tested
arthropods reduced (ANOVA, p ≤ 0.05) in treated plots compared to that in
untreated plots. With time, the weeds started to reappear and the abundance
of beetles, weevils and bugs increased gradually. Meanwhile the abundance
of butterflies, moths, dipterans, grasshoppers and ants inhabited in treated
area reduced significantly (p ≤0.05) even after the reappearance of weeds in
the experimental plots. The fresh water samples collected from the vicinity
of the study site indicated a continuous increase of the concentration of
inorganic phosphate. This reveals a possible Glyphosate contamination of
water.
