Current trends and mismatches on fungicide use and assessment of the ecological effects in freshwater ecosystems

Despite increasing evidence of off-site ecological impacts of pesticides and policy efforts worldwide, pesticide use is still far from being ecologically sustainable. Fungicides are among the most sold classes of pesticides and are crucial to ensure global food supply and security. This study aimed to identify potential gaps of knowledge and mismatches between research and usage data of fungicides by: (i) systematizing the current trends in global sales of fungicides, focusing on the European context in particular (where they are proportionally important); (ii) reviewing the scientific literature on the impacts of synthetic fungicides on non-target freshwater organisms. Sales data revealed important global and regional asymmetries in the relative importance of fungicides and the preferred active ingredients. The literature review on the ecological effects of fungicides disclosed a mismatch between the most studied and the most sold substances, as well as a bias towards the use of single species assays with standard test organisms. To ensure a proper evaluation, risk scenarios should focus on a regional scale, and research agendas must highlight sensitive aquatic ecorreceptors and improve the crosstalk between analytical and sales data.