Assessing atrazine persistence in soil following a severe drought

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01688250· OSTI ID:5016558

Leavitt, R A; Kells, J J; Bunkelmann, J R; Hollingworth, R M ^[1]

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1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing (United States)

Much of the corn production region in the US, including Michigan, experienced a severe drought during the 1988 growing season. The very little rainfall coupled with temperatures above normal created extremely dry soil conditions during the period when soil moisture is usually adequate in Michigan raised concern about herbicide carryover. Atrazine (2-chloro-40(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine) is the most widely used herbicide with potential to persist in sufficient quantity to injure sensitive rotational crops. Atrazine is degraded in soil by both chemical hydrolysis and microbial breakdown with these processes occurring much more rapidly under conditions of adequate soil moisture and relatively warm temperature. It is generally accepted that the risk of atrazine carryover is greater following a year of low rainfall, since microbial activity is favored by adequate soil moisture. The 1988 drought created a critical need for an assessment of atrazine concentration in soil to advise producers on crop management options related to atrazine sensitive crops. The objectives of this study were to assess: (1) atrazine residue levels in Michigan soils following the 1988 drought, and (2) the suitability of the immunoassay technique over a wide variety of soils.

• OSTI ID: 5016558
• Journal Information: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States), Journal Name: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States) Vol. 46:1; ISSN 0007-4861; ISSN BECTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ALFALFA
AZINES
BIOASSAY
BIODEGRADATION
CEREALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DROUGHTS
GRAMINEAE
HERBICIDES
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IMMUNOASSAY
LEGUMINOSAE
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MAGNOLIOPSIDA
MAIZE
MICHIGAN
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
PLANTS
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOILS
TRIAZINES
USA