Leaf surfaces and the bioavailability of pesticide residues

Laboratory bioassays were carried out to determine the toxicity to Folsomia candida Willem (Collembola: Isotomidae) of residues of a pyrethroid insecticide, deltamethrin, and an organophosphorus insecticide, dimethoate, on different leaf surfaces. The test leaves included a range of species and leaves of different ages. Dose‐response relationships were estimated for F candida walking over the various treated leaf substrates. Probit analysis was used to estimate the means and standard deviations of the associated tolerance distributions expressed as g AI ha−1. Parallelism tests were undertaken to compare the susceptibilities of F candida to the two compounds applied to the different leaf surfaces. On deltamethrin‐treated leaf surfaces, the LD50 values for F candida varied from 6.36 to 77.14 g AI ha−1. F candida was least susceptible to deltamethrin residues when applied to leaves of dwarf bean (Phaseolus vulgarus L) and the highest susceptibility was observed following application to leaves of seedlings of barley (Hordeum vulgare L). In contrast, the LD50 values observed for dimethoate treatments did not differ significantly between leaf types, ranging from 1.35 to 8.69 g AI ha−1. The laboratory data on susceptibility of F candida on different leaf types for different pesticides can be used to investigate the role of leaf surface properties in modifying the toxicity of applied pesticides to exposed invertebrates. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry