title: Laboratory degradation studies of 14C-atrazine and -isoproturon in soil from sugarcane cultivated fields under Kenyan tropical conditions.
abstract: A study to compare the degradation rates of atrazine (6-chloro-N(2)-ethyl-N(4)-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diammine) and isoproturon [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] in soils from sugarcane fields with different practices of herbicides application was carried out. (14)C-atrazine was poorly mineralized to (14)CO(2) (1.10% +/- 0.22%) after 139 days of incubation in soil without previous exposure to atrazine. In the same soil also with no previous isoproturon exposure isoproturon was mineralized to (14)CO(2) by 7.70% +/- 0.94%. Atrazine mineralization after 98 days was 13.4% +/- 0.30% in soil which discontinued the use of atrazine in 1997 while it was 89.9% +/- 1.23% in soil in which atrazine is currently being used. The isoproturon mineralization values were 7.24% +/- 0.85% and 22.97% +/- 0.96% in soil which discontinued atrazine and soil currently using atrazine, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Sciences-Masinde, Muliro University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 190, 50100, Kakamega, Kenya. zgetenga@mmust.ac.ke
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Getenga
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dörfler
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schroll
mesh_terms: D001280:Atrazine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001711:Biotransformation; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D006540:Herbicides / Q000378:metabolism*; D007630:Kenya; D007753:Laboratories; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D031786:Saccharum; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D006540:Herbicides; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D012987:Soil; C028904:isoproturon; D001280:Atrazine