Presence and toxicity of 2,4-d herbicide in coral Galaxea fascicularis of Java Coast, Indonesia

Abstract

The increasing use of herbicides in agriculture sectors have received great attention with respect to their potential toxic effect on reef-building corals of Indonesia. One chlorinated compound, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetat (2,4-D), has been widely used as a herbicide and has become a substantial environmental pollutant. Contamination of 2,4-D was assessed in stressed or dead coral tissues of Galaxea fascicularis from the coastal waters of Java Sea. Controlled tolerance experiment testing 2,4-D was performed on this coral. The effects of 2,4-D on coral mortality were investigated. Comparison of the residue levels in coral tissues showed that the highest presence of 2,4-D concentrations was detected in a sample collected from Jepara coastal waters. While small amounts of a contaminant 2,4-D can still lead to detectable in West Java and East Java coastal waters. Contamination of 2,4- D was not found in coral samples collected from Karimunjawa islands. The toxicity of 2,4-D on corals showed that short duration (48 h) laboratory test demonstrated dramatic effects on sloughing and death of coral. The LC 50_ 96 was determined to be 18.82 mg L -1 2,4-D. These results demonstrated the possibility that 2,4-D herbicide could act and lead to coral mortality in the Java coastal waters. © 2010 Academic Journals Inc.