Effect of an insecticide, fungicide and plant growth regulator and their mixture on the survival of the springtail Folsomia candida and the potential reduction of toxicity by vitamins.

A pesticide-free model soil was pretreated with field-realistic doses/applications of the insecticide, Biscaya 240 OD; the fungicide Tilmor; the growth regulator, Atonik and their mixture. Because Folsomia candida is eyeless, unpigmented, avoids light, and prefers dark, wet and cold conditions, we grew and tested it in the dark and at 18°C. Survival of springtails added to soil at 50 % moisture was assessed after 28 days. The experiments were repeated three times in order to confirm the validity of the test and results. The mixture decreased the survival most significantly. Bayesian statistics showed that pesticide treatment had a greater effect than repeating the experiment. Further tests revealed that the negative effect of the mixture on springtail survival was effectively suppressed by the application of biotin (vitamin B7), whereas riboflavin (vitamin B2) had little effect. Vitamins can reduce the toxicity of agrochemicals in the soil through potential effects on soil biological activity.