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Floating garden tomato production, water quality degradation, and sustainable livelihood in Inle Lake, Shan State, Myanmar
Dissertation Abstract:
The study was conducted in Inle Lake in Nyaung Shwe Township, in the southern Shan State of Myanmar. The study aimed to determine the impacts of floating garden tomato production on the water quality of the lake. The biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics of floating gardens and physicochemical conditions of the lake water were described. The total amount, application frequency, and potential hazards of agrochemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides, including plant growth regulator were described.
The economic return per hectare of tomato floating garden cultivation is the main motivation for the tomato growers. However, concomitant with high economic return is the high usage of agrochemical resulting to environmental contamination and pollution by toxic and persistent chemicals. The high concentrations of total nitrogen and phosphate of the lake water show that the lake quality is in the direction of gradual degradation, particularly eutrophication.
There were more than seven kinds of insecticides, and six kinds of fungicides and/or bactericides sprayed alternately by the respondents. They were either sprayed singly or mixed in various combinations. The high water pesticides such as Alpha-Cypermethrim and Aldrin move with water in surface runoff or move through the soil in water and could readily reach non-target area. In order to reduce the use of this chemical, the neem seed extracts oil cake (Azadirachtin) can be used as an alternative control measure. However, all pesticides can potentially pose risk to non-target organisms and environment.
The properties of pesticides are used as basic information to determine the environmental fate and knowledge of transformation rates of the products and toxicity of transformation as a key to assessing ecological risk. The role of institutions for environmental education is urgently needed for sustainable livelihood of local communities. However, a more detailed study for toxic chemical analysis and monitoring for agrochemicals application are needed.