It was found that some insecticides and fungicides are highly toxic to earthworms. The most toxic of the tested insecticides were pyrethroides, and of fungicides it was carbendazim, All the tested herbicides proved to be lowly toxic to earthworms.
The proper evaluation of the environmental hazard by pesticides requires the use of the uniform criteria and research methods. The research methods to evaluate pesticidal ecotoxicology were elaborated on the grounds of OECD guidelines. Researches were conducted on the following bio indicators: algas, crustaceans, fishes and earthworms.
Examination of biological activity of 537 new chemical compounds against algae and duckweed was the experimental objective. Among compounds studied only four revealed algicidal activity. They were as follows: dodecyldimethyl(5-hydroxyazomethine-2-methoxy)benzylammonium chloride (IPO--6773); 1,2-dimethyl-3-dodecyloxymethylimidazolium chloride (IPO-8958); 1-octyl-3-octyloxymethylimidazolium chloride (IPO-7833); diethyl dodecylamino(dipropylo)methylphosphonate (IPO-10569). These compounds should be used in the practice of redudant aquatic vegetation control.