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Movement of pesticides in soil columns as affected by anhydrous ammonia
Author(s) -
Smith Sammie,
Willis Guye H.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620040402
Subject(s) - anhydrous , chemistry , trifluralin , metribuzin , fenvalerate , pesticide , environmental chemistry , toxaphene , nuclear chemistry , agronomy , organic chemistry , weed control , biology
A soil column study was conducted to characterize the movement of permethrin [3‐phenoxybenzyl(1 RS )‐ cis, trans ‐3‐(2,2‐dichlorovinyl)‐2,2‐dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate], fenvalerate [( RS )‐α‐cyano‐3‐phenoxybenzyl( RS )‐2‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐3‐methylbutyrate], toxaphene (chlorinated camphene), trifluralin (α,α,α ‐trifluoro‐2,6‐dinitro‐ N,N ‐dipropyl‐ p ‐toluidine) and metribuzin [4‐amino‐6‐ tert ‐butyl‐3‐(methylthio)‐ as ‐triazin‐5(4 H )‐one] in soil as affected by fertilizer anhydrous NH 3 application at 0, 50 and 150 kg N/ha. The soil columns were leached with three pore volumes of water and segmented. Under the saturated flow conditions used in the study, the insecticides were essentially immobile in the columns receiving no anhydrous NH 3 . About 5% permethrin was found 5 to 10 cm below the zone of application and about 9% fenvalerate and 16% toxaphene were found 5 to 20 cm below the zone of application in the soil columns receiving the highest level of anhydrous NH 3 . No appreciable amounts (<0.5%) of the insecticides occurred in the column leachates. There was no apparent enhancement of the mobility of the herbicides trifluralin and metribuzin due to anhydrous NH 3 application. Extensive disappearance of trifluralin occurred at all anhydrous NH 3 levels, and the disappearance of metribuzin increased with increasing anhydrous NH 3 application. The observed enhanced leaching of the insecticides appears to support the hypothesis that soil humic substances, solubilized by NH 3 , can serve as pesticide carriers.