Brazil's Embrapa launches software that evaluates agchem risks on water‏

The Brazilian Company of Agricultural Research (Embrapa) announced a new software named ARAquá, which evaluates the risks of agchem application on water. The free software assesses the groundwater risks, as well as rivers, streams and lakes.

 

One of the major users of ARAquá is the Brazilian Institute of Natural Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The agency uses the system to assess environmental risks of agchem over registration procedures and the reevaluation of products that are already in the market.

 

The program works with variables such as climate conditions, soil properties and the ground situation. Based on toxicological data, the new version of ARAquá shows as risk quotients for aquatic organisms and water consumption by the population.

 

"It's useless to have abundant water if the water is not potable. The water quality is as important as quantity, so this tool helps precisely in the preservation of groundwater without contamination" said researcher Claudio Spadotto, a Territorial manager at Embrapa.

 

The team now works on developing ARAquáGeo, which is a new version that calculates with georeferenced data presenting results on map. The ARAquá development relies on a partnership of Agronomy Science School of the Paulista State University "Júlio Mesquita Filho" (Unesp) and Technology School of the State of São Paulo, both in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo.