The leaching potential of three insecticides (spirodiclofen, spiromesifen, and spirotetramat) was assessed using disturbed soil columns. Small quantities of spirodiclofen and spiromesifen were detected in leachate fraction, while spirotetramat residues were not found in the leachates. In addition, the transformation products (enol derivatives) are relatively more mobile than the parent compounds and may leach into groundwater. Moreover, the use of disinfection soil techniques (solarization and biosolarization) to enhance their degradation rates in soil was investigated. The results show that both practices achieved a reduction in the number of juvenile nematodes, enhancing in a parallel way degradation rates of the insecticides and their enol derivatives as compared with the non-disinfected soil. This behavior can be mainly attributed to the increase in soil temperature and changes in microbial activity. All insecticides showed similar behavior under solarization and biosolarization conditions. As a consequence, both agronomic techniques could be considered as suitable strategies for detoxification of soils polluted with the studied pesticides.
Keywords: Groundwater pollution; Organic amendments; Pesticide movement; Soil decontamination; Solar heating.