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Title: Assessing atrazine persistence in soil following a severe drought

Journal Article · · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01688250· OSTI ID:5016558
; ; ;  [1]
  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), Vol. 46:1; ISSN 0007-4861
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English