Fate and distribution of 14C-atrazine in a tropical oxisol.
The herbicide atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in groundwater world-wide. A new microcosm test-system was used to determine the fate of 14C-atrazine in a Brazilian oxisol. 14C Ring-labelled atrazine was applied in a mixture with the commercial product Gesaprim 500 (Novartis) at a rate of 3 kg ha-1. During two months, about 1% of the initially applied amount was lost by volatilization. The mineralization of the pesticide, measured directly using 14CO2 evolved from the applied pesticide, was between 0.09% and 0.16%, whereas less than 0.2% was leached. The distribution of radioactivity in the soil profile showed that most of the radioactivity remained in the top soil down to a 3 cm depth. The radioactivity in the upper 3 cm of the column was adsorbed perferably in fulvic acid (FA) and human fractions.
Langenbach
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Institute de Microbiologia, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Schroll
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Paim
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D001280:Atrazine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001938:Brazil; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D017753:Ecosystem; D006540:Herbicides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D014835:Volatilization
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D006540:Herbicides; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D001280:Atrazine