Extension workers are sensing pressure to use soils information and chemical characteristics data to guide farmers in selecting pesticides least prone to leach into groundwater. Our objective was to estimate differences in herbicide migration to groundwater under conditions typical for the Southeast Coastal Plain, and to consider how a farmer might be advised to use such knowledge in selecting herbicides. We used a simple computer code for microcomputers to predict persistence and migration of 17 herbicides through a hypothetical, coarse-textured soil typical of the Southeast Coastal Plain. Appropriate herbicides were selected for several common crop-weed problems, such as sicklepod in soybean and Palmer amaranth in corn. Groundwater was assumed to be 3.15 m below the soil surface. Herbicides selected covered a broad range of half-lives and organic carbon partition coefficients. Only after the first-order degradation rate constant was reduced by a factor of five did predicted soil water concentrations of several herbicides at the groundwater interface reach normal detection limits. Still, predicted concentrations were below the level established for health effects advisory purposes. Due to the large number of uncertainties and the inability to estimate practical benefits, we conclude that data relating to soil and herbicide characteristics cannot be used at this time to override cost effectiveness, efficacy, and other factors normally considered by farmers and Extension professionals in herbicides for weed control.

A pot bioassay, based on root growth of pregerminated corn, was used to evaluate factors influencing field persistence of chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron, triasulfuron, and tribenuron, which were applied preemergence at 0, 10, 20, and 40 g ai ha−1 to wheat grown in three soils that differed in texture (sandy loam, sandy clay loam, and silty clay loam) and pH (7.9, 4.7, and 7.6). Residual activity and leaching of all herbicides in all soils increased with increasing rate of application, with the exception of tribenuron which showed practically no residual activity and leaching in sandy clay loam soil. Sunflower sown 4 mo after tribenuron application in all soils was not injured by any rate used but was significantly affected by the other herbicides. Lentil and sugarbeet also were affected by all herbicides in all soils. These three crops sown 8 mo after herbicide application were not affected by any herbicide used in the sandy clay loam soil but were injured by chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron, and metsulfuron in the sandy loam soil. Only lentil and sugarbeet were injured by chlorsulfuron in the silty clay loam soil.

Concentrations of atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine] in contaminated groundwater recovered from 41 monitoring wells in Hall and Buffalo counties, Nebraska range from 0.01 to 8.29 μg/L. Over a 1-year period concentrations fluctuated sufficiently in a seasonal pattern to indicate that atrazine dissipation occurs. This reduction in concentration can be attributed to adsorption, dispersion, and degradation. A limited amount of atrazine degraded chemically to hydroxyatrazine [2-hydroxy-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine] under simulated aquifer conditions; microbial degradation could not be detected. A geometrical progression model for predicting long term residue accumulation indicates that current contamination levels probably reflect a steady-state situation between the amount that yearly enters into, and the partial degradation that occurs within, the aquifer. Oat (Avena sativa L. ‘Neal’) bioassays indicate that present levels of groundwater contamination remain well below the threshold necessary for phytotoxicity.

Studies to predict pesticide fate often lack measurements of model input parameters. Using independent data sets and understanding how soil properties affect herbicide retention and degradation may result in more accurate prediction of herbicide fate. We conducted laboratory studies to determine the influence of soil properties on atrazine adsorption and degradation. These data will be used in a separate study involving a pesticide fate model. Atrazine adsorption and desorption isotherms were constructed for six soil depths of a Hastings silty clay loam (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Udic Argiustoll) using batch equilibration. The Freundlich adsorption constants (log Kf ) ranged from 0.38 (60 to 90 cm) to 2.91 (0 to 30 cm). Adsorption was higher in the low pH, high organic matter-containing surface soil compared to the lower soil depths. Multiple regression of the adsorption constants against selected soil properties indicated that organic matter content was the best single predictor of atrazine adsorption (R 2 = 0.98) followed by soil pH (R 2 = 0.82). Combining organic matter and cation exchange capacity in the model produced the lowest Cp statistic (2.33) and highest R 2 value (0.99). We observed hysteresis in atrazine adsorption–desorption isotherms by higher adsorption slopes (1/n)ads compared to desorption slopes (1/n)des. Soils that adsorbed more atrazine also desorbed less atrazine. Desorption correlated negatively with organic matter content and positively with soil pH. Atrazine degradation after 84 d of incubation generally decreased with increasing depth. The first-order degradation rate was highest 0 to 30 cm deep (0.0187 day−1) and lowest 270 to 300 cm deep (0.0031 day−1). Atrazine degradation was faster in soil treated annually for 12 yr than in soil with no previous atrazine history (p = 0.01).

The phytotoxicity, adsorption, and mobility of metribuzin and ethyl-metribuzin3 were studied in five soils to determine if differential soil behavior could explain: a) the greater activity of both chemicals in western Oregon than in eastern Oregon, and b) the greater activity of metribuzin than ethyl-metribuzin under similar conditions. Metribuzin had higher activity on oats than ethyl-metribuzin in all soils and in quartz sand. Metribuzin was adsorbed less and moved more than ethyl-metribuzin in all soils. Activity of both herbicides decreased as sand content increased, and activity in quartz sand was lower than in soil. Activity of both herbicides increased in a bioassay in which leaching was prevented, indicating that leaching may be important in the loss of activity of metribuzin and ethyl-metribuzin. Lowest herbicide adsorption and greatest movement were observed in coarser textured soils.

Adsorption and desorption isotherms for atrazine and two metabolites, hydroxyatrazine (HA) and S-glutathione atrazine (GSHA), were determined by batch equilibration on Plano and Waukegan silt loam soils at two soil pH levels (Plano, 6.1 and 4.5; Waukegan, 6.1 and 4.0). Freundlich adsorption isotherms were not affected by soil type except for GSHA at pH 4.0 to 4.5. When averaged over both soils, the order of adsorption at pH 6.1 was atrazine (Kf = 3.7) < GSHA (Kf = 7.3) << HA (Kf = 25) and at pH 4.0–4.5 was atrazine (Kf = 6.1) << HA (Kf = 58) ≤ GSHA (Kf: Plano = 35; Waukegan = 78). The average slope of the adsorption isotherms (1/nads) was 0.81. The slopes of all desorption isotherms (1/ndes) were less than their respective 1/nads, indicating hysteresis. Atrazine desorbed into soil solution (1/ndes > 0.0). With the exception of GSHA which desorbed from the pH 6.1 Plano silt loam (1/ndes = 0.15), desorption of HA and GSHA from other treatments was negligible (1/ndes = 0.0). Consequently, leaching of HA and GSHA in these and similar soils is not likely, due to high adsorption and low desorption.

Mobility and sorption of radiolabeled sulfometuron {2-[[[[(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinyl)amino] carbonyl] amino] sulfonyl] benzoic acid} and imazapyr {(±)-2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid} were evaluated in five soils representative of the major soil types in Alabama. Thin-layer soil chromatography indicated that sulfometuron was slightly more mobile (average Rf = 0.86) than imazapyr (average Rf = 0.79). Sulfometuron was more subject to sorption (average kd = 0.29) than imazapyr (average kd = 0.09) in batch equilibrium experiments. Least sorption of both herbicides occurred on clay soils, and maximum sorption occurred on a sandy clay. Similar results were obtained with a soil solution recovery technique. Sorption of both herbicides was exhanced by temporary reduction in soil water content and by lowering soil pH. The pH response of imazapyr was greater than that of sulfometuron.

Indaziflam is a cellulose biosynthesis-inhibiting herbicide for annual weed control in various agricultural systems. Sporadic cases of unacceptable injury to desirable plants have been reported after indaziflam application, which may have been due to conditions favoring increased indaziflam–soil bioavailability. Research was conducted from 2013 to 2015 on a sandy soil to elucidate the effects of soil organic matter content (SOMC) and soil volumetric water content (SVWC) on indaziflam–soil bioavailability. Indaziflam was applied (50 or 100 g ha–1) at fall only, fall plus spring, and spring only timings to plots in a factorial arrangement of SOMC, pre–indaziflam application (PrIA) SVWC, and post–indaziflam application (PoIA) SVWC. After application, field soil cores were collected for a subsequent greenhouse bioassay experiment, where foliage mass reduction of perennial ryegrass seeded from 0 to 15 cm soil depth was used as an indicator of indaziflam–soil bioavailability throughout the profile. Significant edaphic effects were observed at 0 to 2.5, 2.5 to 5, and 5 to 7.5 cm depths, with increased bioavailability at low compared with high SOMC. Pre–indaziflam application SVWC did not affect bioavailability, whereas PoIA high SVWC increased indaziflam–soil bioavailability at 2.5 to 7.5 cm depth compared with PoIA low SVWC. Low SOMC–PoIA high SVWC decreased perennial ryegrass foliage mass 40 and 37% at 5 to 7.5 cm depth from cores collected 10 and 14 wk after treatment, respectively, whereas reductions from all other SOMC–PoIA SVWC combinations were < 12% and did not vary from each other. Pearson's correlation coefficients showed a moderate, positive relationship between perennial ryegrass mass reductions at 0 to 2.5, 2.5 to 5, 0 to 5, and 0 to 10 cm depths and hybrid bermudagrass cover reduction, which suggests conditions favoring increased indaziflam–soil bioavailability can adversely affect plant growth. Data from this research will aid land managers to use indaziflam effectively without adversely affecting growth of desirable species.

Petri dish bioassays, based on root response of corn grown in soil and perlite, were used to study the activity, adsorption, and leaching of pyrithiobac in a clay, loam, and a clay loam soils containing 2.3, 1.4, and 1.3% organic matter, respectively. Both bioassays indicated that activity of pyrithiobac (reduction of corn root length) increased with increasing herbicide concentration, but in a nonlinear manner, particularly at higher concentrations. Activity of pyrithiobac was similar in clay loam and loam soils, but was lower in clay soil. Adsorption distribution coefficients (K d) for the clay, loam, and clay loam soils were 0.56, 0.10, and 0.24, respectively. Pyrithiobac leached through all three soils, and biologically available herbicide was detected below 30 cm in all soils; however, the amount leached through the clay soil was lower than that leached through the other two soils. Field persistence of pyrithiobac applied preplant incorporated (PPI), preemergence (PRE), or postemergence (POST) at 68, 102, or 136 g ha−1 was similar in loam and clay loam soils, but was more persistent in clay soil. Pyrithiobac applied POST in clay and loam soils was more persistent than that applied PPI or PRE; however, in clay soil field persistence of POST pyrithiobac was similar with that applied PPI or PRE. Biologically available residues were not detected in 0- to 10-cm soil depth 120 d after any herbicide treatment applied either PPI or PRE in all soils, but this was not the case for pyrithiobac applied POST in the loam soil. Adsorption of pyrithiobac was very low in all three soils, and this was the reason for its increased mobility even below 30-cm depth in all soils. The field persistence of pyrithiobac was generally less than one growing season. However, some pyrithiobac may have moved deeper in the soil and could be harmful to rotational crops after plowing or through capillary movement upward.

Preemergence herbicides are commonly applied to nursery containers for control of annual weeds in the production of ornamental plants. Pine bark is a popular container growing medium because it is inexpensive, drains well, is easy to transport, and supports acceptable nursery crop growth. However, little is understood about leaching of herbicides through pine bark. The downward movement of these herbicides through container media may inhibit root growth in sensitive nursery crops and also reduce herbicidal efficacy. Four experiments were conducted at two different irrigation volumes to evaluate depth of pendimethalin movement in packed columns of pine bark and field soil. After 17.5 cm of water was applied over 7 d, pendimethalin moved downward into the 6 to 9-cm depth in 100% pine bark, whereas no movement was detected below the 0 to 3-cm depth in a Tetotum loam soil, as determined by a large crabgrass bioassay. Doubling the irrigation volume to 35 cm of water applied over 14 d did not significantly increase pendimethalin movement in pine bark or field soil. However, it did decrease pendimethalin persistence in the top 0 to 3-cm depth in pine bark. The pine bark had a higher cation exchange capacity than did the field soil. However, the physical characteristics of pine bark, a large volume of void space and low bulk density, resulted in higher hydraulic conductivity rates than in field soil. These factors may be the principal reasons that pendimethalin leached to a greater extent through pine bark than the field soil.

Flumioxazin is used in nursery production and landscape maintenance industries. In these situations, weed control provided by flumioxazin often lasts longer than that reported in soil. Our objective was to quantify flumioxazin longevity under conditions found in nursery production. Pots were filled with 6 : 1 (v/v) pine bark : sand mixture. This nonsoil media is typical of what is used for nursery crop production. Pots were treated with flumioxazin at either 0.28 or 0.42 kg ai ha−1, and subsequently sown with either hairy bittercress (two winter experiments) or spotted spurge (two summer experiments) at weekly intervals. Weed seed germination, emergence, and seedling establishment in the treated pots was compared with nontreated control and used as a proxy for herbicide activity. Flumioxazin provided approximately 7 wk of complete (100%) hairy bittercress control regardless of rate. However, a rate effect was evident in only one of the two experiments conducted with hairy bittercress. In both experiments with hairy bittercress, marginal and highly variable activity was still evident at 18 wk after treatment. Flumioxazin at 0.28 and 0.42 kg ha−1 provided 2- and 4-wk complete spotted spurge control, respectively. No spotted spurge control was evident after about 8 wk. Subjecting this less-variable data to nonlinear regression revealed that the time required for 50% reduction in flumioxazin activity was approximately 5.5 and 6.6 wk for the two rates, respectively. A column leaching study revealed that flumioxazin activity remained localized near the surface (0 to 4 cm). Therefore the dissipation observed was likely the result of in situ degradation and not displacement. The high organic matter content of the nonsoil media contributes to the observed persistence of flumioxazin activity.

Flumioxazin is commonly used in nursery production for PRE weed control. Container nursery producers are of the opinion that the granular formulation is less effective than the sprayable formulation. Under the hypothesis that the granular formulation may require more water for activation, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the interaction of flumioxazin formulation, rate, and activation moisture for PRE control of spotted spurge in a pine-bark substrate. Experiment consisted of a factorial arrangement of four experimental variables; flumioxazin formulation (granular and spray), and flumioxazin rate (0.28 and 0.42 kg ai ha−1), substrate moisture level at the time of application (dry, medium, and wet), and after-application irrigation level (a single irrigation at 0.6, 1.3, 2.5, and 5.1 cm). Treated pots were seeded with spotted spurge 2 d after the herbicide application, which was 1 d after the first irrigation. Control as indicated by spotted spurge counts and fresh weight was influenced only by flumioxazin rate and formulation. The sprayable formulation provided excellent control regardless of rate. Granular formulation was generally less effective, and additional activation moisture did not improve efficacy. Further studies were conducted with the granular formulation to determine the maximum separation distance between the spotted spurge seed and herbicide prills at which control is possible. Individual prills and spotted spurge seeds were placed on media surface at progressively increasing separation distances. Nonlinear regression of seedling survival data revealed that ≥99% control required a prill–seed separation of ≤5.2 mm. This prill–seed separation requirement is only marginally obtained with the current registered rate, i.e., 0.42 kg ai ha−1 or 168 kg product ha−1. The relationship between control and prill–seed separation distance cannot be manipulated by additional activation moisture. Inadequate contact between the spotted spurge seeds and the flumoioxazin-containing prills is likely the sole cause of inadequate control.

Soil-applied herbicides are commonly used for broad-spectrum residual weed control in Florida citrus. Groundwater contamination from some soil-applied herbicides has been reported in citrus growing areas in Florida. Indaziflam is a new soil-applied herbicide recently registered for broad-spectrum weed control in Florida citrus. There is no information available on leaching behavior of indaziflam in sandy soil. Experiments were conducted to compare leaching of indaziflam with five commercially used residual herbicides in a Florida Candler soil under simulated rainfall of 5 or 15 cm ha−1. Herbicide movement down soil columns was measured by visually evaluating injury and harvesting aboveground biomass of the bioassay species annual ryegrass. Ryegrass was not injured and plant biomass was not affected beyond 30 cm when indaziflam at a recommended rate of 73 g ai ha−1 was leached through the soil column. Leaching of indaziflam increased with increasing amounts of rainfall. For example, indaziflam leached up to 12.2 ± 0.8 cm (values are expressed ± SD) and 27.2 ± 2.6 cm at 5 and 15 cm ha−1 rainfall, respectively. The herbicide ranking from high to low mobility at 15 cm ha−1 of rainfall was bromacil = norflurazon > indaziflam > simazine = pendimethalin > diuron. Overall results suggested that indaziflam leaching was limited in Florida Candler soil in this study; however, field experiments are required to confirm the leaching of indaziflam under natural rainfall situation.

Research was conducted to determine picloram and aminopyralid sorption in five soils and three clay minerals and to determine if the potential for off-target movement of aminopyralid in soil is less than that of picloram. Nearly all sorption of picloram and aminopyralid occurred between 0 and 8 h, and the maximum theoretical sorption of picloram and aminopyralid were 10.3 and 15.2%, respectively. Freundlich distribution coefficients (K f) for picloram ranged from 0.12 in a Cecil sandy loam to 0.81 in an Arredondo fine sand, while K f values for aminopyralid ranged from 0.35 in a Cecil sandy loam to 0.96 in an Arredondo fine sand. Furthermore, K f values of aminopyralid were higher than those of picloram in all soils tested. K f values of picloram in clay minerals were 0.25 (kaolinite), 1.17 (bentonite), and 1,016.4 (montmorillonite), and those of aminopyralid were 5.63 (kaolinite), 2.29 (bentonite), and 608.90 (montmorillonite). It was concluded that soil sorption of aminopyralid was greater than that of picloram and that the potential for off-target movement of aminopyralid is less than that of picloram.