Atrazine leaching through surface and subsurface of a tropical Oxisol.
The fate of (14)C atrazine was investigated using microcosms and an undisturbed Red-Yellow Latossol (Oxisol) under simulated rainfall conditions of 200 mm water month(-1). Experiments were carried out using microcosm cores, the first with an uncovered surface soil; the second set with uncovered subsurface soil; the third with subsurface soil covered with 3 cm of cow manure and the last with subsurface soil covered with 5 cm of grass straw. Average values for the amount of atrazine leached after 60 days were as follows: surface soil 1.6%; subsurface 47.3%; subsurface plus manure 17.3% and subsurface plus straw 24.8%. In the surface soil, 53% of the (14)C atrazine remained within the upper 1 cm, while in the subsurface microcosms the atrazine was more evenly distributed. The authors report that surface soil was retained atrazine and its metabolites for 60 days. The addition of a straw or manure covering to exposed subsoil helped to retard atrazine leaching.
Langenbach
Tomaz
T
Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. tomazlange@yahoo.com.br
Correia
Fábio V
FV
Macrae
Andrew
A
Vargas
Euripedes A
EA
Campos
Tácio M P
TM
D000327:Adsorption; D001280:Atrazine / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D007700:Kinetics; D008372:Manure; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D014876:Water Pollution
D006540:Herbicides; D008372:Manure; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001280:Atrazine