The use of pesticides in sugar cane at the Corumbatai river basin and the risk of water pollution

The state of Sao Paulo is the main Brazilian consumer of pesticides. Sugar cane, which uses a great amount of these products, is extensivelly cultivated in this state, such as in the Corumbatai river basin, an important source of water for the region. In order to implement an efficient and low-cost monitoring program, the temporal characterization of the use of pesticides on sugar cane in this basin was performed. After knowing the seasonal trends of consumption, a better choice of sampling time, became possible. The combination of data from this survey with partitioning indices, average doses and toxicological classifications showed to be important for defining the pesticides to be included in the monitoring program.