Persistence and degradation of the herbicide hexazinone in soils of lowbush blueberry fields in Nova Scotia, Canada

Journal Article · Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01606667· OSTI ID:6283914

Jensen, K I.N.; Kimball, E R

Hexazinone is a broad spectrum herbicide used primarily in forestry, industrial and right-of-way weed control. Hexazinone is very water soluble. It readily leaches in soils and, depending on rainfall and slope, can be transported laterally following surface applications. Eight metabolites were extracted from UC-hexazinone treated soils and metabolite C was the major metabolite at each location. Hexazinone is degraded primarily by microorganisms in the soil with little degradation occurring under sterile or anaerobic conditions. The native lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is tolerant to hexazinone at rates that give selective control of many weedy species associated with this crop. This blueberry is an important fruit crop of Maine and the Eastern Canadian provinces where commercial fields have been developed by management of wild stands originating from forests or abandoned farmland. Hexazinone is now widely used in all blueberry producing areas with thousands of hectares treated annually. The following study examines the fate of this UC-labelled herbicide in several typical soil types in the field and under laboratory conditions.

• Research Organization: Agriculture Canada, Kentville, Nova Scotia
• OSTI ID: 6283914
• Journal Information: Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 38:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
HERBICIDES
BIODEGRADATION
SOILS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BERRIES
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
METABOLITES
NOVA SCOTIA
THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY
CANADA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DECOMPOSITION
FOOD
FRUITS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
PESTICIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics