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Use of the Stanford‐DeMent Bioassay to Study Atrazine‐Soil Reactions
Author(s) -
Tompkins G. A.,
McIntosh T. H.,
Dunigan E. P.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1968.03615995003200030030x
Subject(s) - atrazine , bioassay , environmental chemistry , chemistry , organic matter , agronomy , phytotoxicity , environmental science , avena , pesticide , biology , ecology , organic chemistry
Quantitative detection of atrazine in soil was accomplished using a modified Stanford‐DeMent type bioassay. The technique should be easily adaptable for analysis of other herbicides in soil. The uptake of atrazine by oat plants ( Avena sativa , var. Swedish Victory) was directly proportional to the amount of atrazine applied to the soil and inversely proportional to the clay and soil organic matter content. Using 14 C labeled atrazine it was found that only a very small amount of atrazine was removed from the soil by one oat crop. The bioassay was used to examine the adsorptive effects of certain model compounds which represented different fractions of soil organic matter. One percent activated charcoal in sand completely inactivated atrazine applied in the range 1.0 to 11.3 ppm. One percent lignin in sand was moderately effective in reducing atrazine phytotoxicity in oats. One percent cellulose in sand was relatively ineffective in adsorbing atrazine. The Stanford‐DeMent type bioassay should be a useful tool for a study of chemical or microbial transformation of herbicides in soil.