Sorption of isoxaflutole diketonitrile degradate (DKN) and dicamba in unsaturated soil

J Environ Sci Health B. 2006;41(7):1071-83. doi: 10.1080/03601230600850903.

Abstract

When analyzing the sorption characteristics of weakly sorbing or labile pesticides, batch methods tend to yield a high margin of error attributable to errors in concentration measurement and to degradation, respectively. This study employs a recently developed unsaturated transient flow method to determine the sorption of isoxaflutole's herbicidally active diketonitrile degradate (DKN) and dicamba. A 20-cm acrylic column was packed with soils with varied texture that had been uniformly treated with 14C-labeled chemical. The antecedent solution herbicide in equilibrium with sorbed phase herbicide was displaced by herbicide-free water, which was infiltrated into the column. Sorption coefficients, Kd, were obtained from a plot of total herbicide concentration in the soil versus water content in the region where the antecedent solution accumulated. DKN Kd values were approximately 2-3 times (average Kd = 0.71 L kg-1) greater using the unsaturated transient flow method as compared to the batch equilibration method in clay loam (Kd = 0.33 L kg-1), but similar for the two methods in sand (0.12 vs 0.09 L kg-1) soils. Dicamba Kd values were 3 times greater using the unsaturated transient flow method as compared to the batch equilibration method in the clay loam soil (0.38 vs 0.13 L kg-1), however, the Kd values were the same for the two methods in the sand (approximately 0.06 L kg-1). This demonstrates that to determine sorption coefficients for labile hydrophilic pesticides, an unsaturated transient flow method may be a suitable alternative to the batch method. In fact, it may be better in cases where transport models have overpredicted herbicide leaching when batch sorption coefficients have been used.

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Carbon Radioisotopes
  • Dicamba / chemistry*
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Herbicides / analysis
  • Herbicides / chemistry*
  • Isoxazoles / chemistry*
  • Nitriles / chemistry
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Soil Pollutants / analysis*
  • Sulfones / chemistry

Substances

  • Carbon Radioisotopes
  • Herbicides
  • Isoxazoles
  • Nitriles
  • Soil Pollutants
  • Sulfones
  • diketonitrile
  • isoxaflutole
  • Dicamba