title: Enhanced atrazine degradation is widespread across the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atrazine (ATZ) has been a key herbicide for annual weed control in corn, with both a soil and post-emergence vegetation application period. Although enhanced ATZ degradation in soil with a history of ATZ use has been reported, the extent and rate of degradation in the US Corn Belt is uncertain. We show that enhanced ATZ degradation exists across much of the country.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Soils from 15 of 16 surveyed states had enhanced ATZ degradation. The average ATZ half-life was only 2.3 days in ATZ history soils, compared with an average 14.5 days in soils with no previous ATZ use, meaning that ATZ degrades an average 6 times faster in soils with previous ATZ use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When ATZ is used for several years, enhanced degradation will undoubtedly change the way ATZ is used in agronomic crops and also its ultimate environmental fate. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Ethan T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee West TN Research and Education Center, Jackson, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steckel
authors.affiliation: South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA.
authors.forename: Sharon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Clay
authors.affiliation: Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Micheal Dk
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.affiliation: Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.affiliation: Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas, Lonoke, AR, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.affiliation: LSU AgCenter, Alexandria, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.affiliation: LSU AgCenter, St Joseph, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Donnie K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Eric P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Prostko
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Beeville, TX, USA.
authors.forename: W James
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Grichar
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Princeton, KY, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Mississippi State University, Stoneville, MS, USA.
authors.forename: L Jason
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Kruz
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.affiliation: Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bernards
authors.affiliation: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dotray
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska, Concord, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Stevan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knezevic
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Vince
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska, North Platte, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D001280:Atrazine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D001280:Atrazine
keywords: atrazine; enhanced degradation; environmental fate