Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b95js Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-26T10:57:08.729Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Microbiological Decomposition of Atrazine and Diuron in Soil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

L. L. McCormick  and
A. E. Hiltbold
L. L. McCormick
Affiliation:
Agronomy, Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Ala. Louisiana State University Extension Service, Baton Rouge 3, Louisiana
A. E. Hiltbold
Affiliation:
Soils, Agronomy and Soils Dept., Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama
Get access

Abstract

The relationship of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) and diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] decomposition to microbial activity in two soils was determined. Microbial responses to temperature, added energy material, and time were measured by evolution of CO2 from herbicide-treated soil samples. Evaluation of herbicide decomposition was made by bioassay and radioassay. Herbicide inactivation was directly related to metabolism of soil organic carbon. Larger amounts of herbicide were inactivated per unit of soil carbon metabolized in Norfolk loamy sand than in Decatur clay loam. This was associated with less soil specific surface and consequently greater concentration of herbicide on soil particle surfaces in Norfolk compared to Decatur soil. Addition of microbial energy sources accelerated decomposition of atrazine and diuron in both soils. Herbicide decomposition was closely associated with repeated additions of energy material, indicating an incidental or nonpreferential involvement in microbial metabolism. Decomposition of atrazine doubled with each 10-degree rise in temperature from 10 to 30 C, paralleling the response of soil organic matter decomposition. Diuron decomposition approximately tripled with each 10-degree rise in temperature.

Type
Research Article
Information
Weeds , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , January 1966 , pp. 77 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © 1966 Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

1. Audus, L. J. 1960. Microbiological breakdown of herbicides in soils. p. 1–19. In Herbicides and the soil. Woodford, E. K., and Sagar, G. R., ed. Blackwell Sci. Pub., Oxford.Google Scholar
2. Bartholomew, W. V., and Broadbent, F. E. 1949. Apparatus for control of moisture, temperature, and air composition in microbiological respiration experiments. Soil Sci. Amer. Proc. 14:156–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Broadbent, F. E., and Norman, A. G. 1946. Some factors affecting the availability of the organic nitrogen in soil—a preliminary report. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 11:264–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Dalton, R. L., Evans, A. W., and Rhodes, R. C. 1965. Disappearance of diuron in cotton field soils. Proc. SWC 18:72–78.Google Scholar
5. Dewey, O. R. 1960. Further experimental evidence on the fate of simazine in the soil. Proc. British Weed Control Conf. 5:91–97.Google Scholar
6. Guillemat, J. 1960. Interactions entre la simazine et la mycoflore du sol. Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci. 250:1343–1344.Google Scholar
7. Hill, G. D., McGahan, J. W., Baker, H. M., Finnerty, D. W., and Bingeman, C. W. 1955. The fate of substituted urea herbicides in agricultural soils. Agron. J. 47:93–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Kaufman, D. D., Kearney, P. C., and Sheets, T. J. 1963. Simazine: degradation by soil microorganisms. Science 142:405–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Kunze, G. W., and Rich, C. I. 1959. Certain properties of selected southeastern United States soils and mineralogical procedures for their study. Southern. Reg. Bull. 61 for Coop. Reg. Res. Project S-14. Virginia Agr. Expt. Sta., Blacksburg.Google Scholar
10. Scudder, W. T. 1963. Persistence of simazine in Florida mineral and organic soils. Florida Agr. Expt. Sta. Tech. Bull. 657.Google Scholar
11. Sheets, T. J., and Crafts, A. S. 1957. The phytotoxicity of four phenylurea herbicides in soil. Weeds 5:93–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Talbert, R. E., and Fletchall, O. H. 1964. Inactivation of simazine and atrazine in the field. Weeds 12:33–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar