IMPACT OF DIFFERENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON SOIL GENOTOXICITY

摘要

The presence of genotoxic chemicals in soil can negatively affect crop yield and human health. In this study Tri-folium repens was used as bioindicator to assess the impact of three different agriculture practices on soil genotoxicity. Three separate sites representative of the three different agricultural management systems were selected in the Pavia Province, Italy. Two biomonitoring experiments were performed during autumn 2004, after plant harvest and during summer 2005, just after soil preparation. Soil genotoxicity was evaluated with AFLP molecular markers. Results showed that all the three soils induced DNA damage in the indicator-plants. Nevertheless, on the base of the present findings, biodynamic agricultural management system seems the best farming approach to maintain soil quality with regard to genotoxicity.