Degradation of an Atrazine and Metolachlor Herbicide Mixture in Pesticide-Contaminated Soils from Two Agrochemical Dealerships in Iowa

The fate of atrazine and metolachlor,applied as a mixture, in soil taken from twopesticide-contaminated sites in Iowa (denoted as Alphaor Bravo) were determined in laboratory studies. Atrazine and metolachlor degradation, as well asatrazine mineralization, were greater in soilcollected from Kochia scoparia L. (Schrader)rhizosphere than in soils from unvegetated areas. Theradiolabeled ¹⁴C-carbinol and¹⁴C-morpholinone metabolites were identified in¹⁴C-metolachlor-applied soil 60 d aftertreatment. The half-life for atrazine in Alpha soilwas significantly less in the rhizosphere soil (50 d)than in unvegetated soil (193 d). Quantities ofspecific atrazine degraders were one to two orders ofmagnitude greater in Bravo soils than in Alpha soils. In an experiment with plants present, significantlymore ¹⁴C-atrazine was taken up by K.scoparia (9.9% of the applied ¹⁴C) than by Brassica napus L. Significantly less atrazine wasextractable from soils vegetated with K.scoparia than from soils vegetated with B.napus or unvegetated soils.