Comparison of the persistence of atrazine and metolachlor under field and laboratory conditions

A study was carried out in a loamy soil to evaluate the degradation of atrazine and metolachlor under laboratory-controlled and field-variable conditions as a function of temperature and soil moisture content. In laboratory trials, metolachlor showed fast degradation, with half-lives from 100 to 5.7 days in a temperature range from 5 to 35 °C at 100% of field capacity, whereas in the same conditions the degradation rate of atrazine was relatively slow, with half-lives from 407 to 23 days. Modeling of laboratory degradation data to predict field persistence was carried out. Field persistence of atrazine and metolachlor was measured in the same soil during the corn growing seasons in 1993, 1994, and 1996. In the three years the mean half-dissipation times for atrazine and metolachlor were 36 and 21 days, respectively. Calculations from model equations gave acceptable prediction of field dissipation of both herbicides. Limitations and perspectives of employed modelization procedure are discussed.