Weed populations in winter wheat as affected by crop sequence, intensity of tillage and time of herbicide application in a cool and humid climate

Summary There is a lack of information on the combined effects of preceding crop, reduced tillage (especially no-tillage) and the time of herbicide application on the development of weed populations and the efficiency of weed control in winter wheat in humid temperate climates. An experiment was conducted with a crop rotation (winter wheat – oilseed rape – winter wheat – maize) on a sandy loam and a loamy silt soil in the Swiss midlands to investigate the impact of different preceding crops and pre- and post-emergence control of weeds in conventional tillage (CT; mouldboard plough), minimum tillage (MT; chisel plough) and no-tillage (NT; no soil disturbance systems). When winter wheat was grown after maize and winter wheat was grown after oilseed rape, the ranking order of weed density in treatments without herbicide application was NT < MT < CT and CT < MT < NT respectively. Analysis of variance and canonical discriminant analysis showed that Epilobium spp., Sonchus arvensis , Myosotis arvensis and volunteer crops were more abundant in NT than in MT and CT. The efficiency of post-emergence weed control was generally better than that of pre-emergence weed control, regardless of tillage intensity.     

Activity,adsorption, mobility and field persistence of sulfosulfuron in soil

Petri dish bioassays, based on root response of corn grown in soil or in perlite, were used to study the activity, adsorption, mobility and field persistence of sulfosulfuron in a silty clay loam and a sandy loam soil. Both bioassays indicated that activity of sulfosulfuron increased with increasing herbicide concentration, and to a slightly greater degree in sandy loam soil than in silty clay loam soil. More sulfosulfuron was adsorbed on the sandy loam (not biologically available) than on the silty clay loam soil. Consequently, slightly greater amounts of sulfosulfuron were leached through the silty clay loam than through the sandy loam soil. Biologically available sulfosulfuron was not detected at depths below 40 cm after application in sandy loam, but this was not the case for the silty clay loam soil. In 2002, all sulfosulfuron rates showed field persistence of less than 5 months. On the other hand, in 2003, biologically available sulfosulfuron was detected in the 0–10-cm soil depth 150 days after application. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting May 6, 2004.     

Sulcotrione versus atrazine transport and degradation in soil columns

A soil column experiment under outdoor conditions was performed to monitor the fate of 14C-ring-labelled sulcotrione, 2-(2-chloro-4-mesylbenzoyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione and atrazine, 6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine, in water leachates and in the ploughed horizon of a sandy loam soil. Two months after treatment, the cumulative amounts of herbicide residues leached from the soil were 14.5% and 7% of the applied radioactivity for sulcotrione and atrazine, respectively. Maximum leachate concentrations for each herbicide were observed during the first month following application: 120 and 95 microg litre(-1) for sulcotrione and atrazine respectively. After 2 weeks, 78% of the sulcotrione and atrazine was extractable from the soil, whereas after two months only 10 and 4%, respectively, could be extracted. The maximum sulcotrione content in the first 10 cm of soil was identical with that of atrazine. For both molecules, the content of non-extractable residues was low, being around 15%. Sulcotrione seems to be more mobile than atrazine but the consequences for water contamination are similar since lower doses are used.     

Photolysis of the herbicide sulcotrione: formation of a major photoproduct and its toxicity evaluation

BACKGROUND: Sulcotrione is a selective herbicide marketed for use in maize since 1993, but its environmental fate is not yet fully elucidated. A major metabolite resulting from cleavage between the two ring moieties, leading to 2‐chloro‐4‐mesylbenzoic acid (CMBA), has been identified; it presents a rather low toxicity. In photochemical studies this compound has also been claimed to be formed in high proportions. The present authors recently found that, under irradiation, sulcotrione mainly yields a cyclization product (CP). Thus, Sulcotrione photochemistry is still a matter of debate. The aim of the present work was to give an unequivocal answer to this issue. The potential toxicity of CP, CMBA and sulcotrione towards three organisms considered as representative of aquatic ecosystems was also evaluated. RESULTS: The main transformation product of sulcotrione is the cyclization product (CP), and CMBA is formed in smaller amounts. For the toxicological approach, the tested organisms were a bacterium, Vibrio fischeri (Bejerinck) Lehmann & Neumann, an alga, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Korshikov) Hindak, and a protozoan, Tetrahymena pyriformis (Ehrenberg) Lwoff. Sulcotrione is more harmful towards the alga, but CP is more toxic to the bacterium and the protozoan. It must be noted that the measured toxicities are nonetheless rather low. CONCLUSION: On irradiation, sulcotrione mainly gives the photocyclization product, which presents a higher toxicity than sulcotrione and CMBA. This cyclization product should thus be considered in sulcotrione environmental risk assessment. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Exposure of Vicia faba to sulcotrione pesticide induced genotoxicity

Potential genotoxicity of sulcotrione 2-(2-chloro-4-(methylsulfonyl)benzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione, a selective triketonic herbicide was evaluated on Vicia faba seedlings in hydroponic culture conditions. Sulcotrione (10⁻⁵, 10⁻⁴ and 2 × 10⁻⁴ M) treatments for 45 h, caused a dose dependent increase in micronuclei frequencies in root meristematic cells. Cytological analysis of root tips cells showed aneugenic effects of the sulcotrione on the plant root meristems. Sulcotrione induced chromosomal alterations at the lowest concentration used (10⁻⁵ M) when incubated for 42 h, indicating the potent mutagenic effect of this element. This is the first report for the genotoxicity of such a sulcotrione herbicide.     

Environmental fate of herbicides trifluralin, metazachlor, metamitron and sulcotrione compared with that of glyphosate, a substitute broad spectrum herbicide for different glyphosate-resistant crops

The introduction of crops resistant to the broad spectrum herbicide glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, may constitute an answer to increased contamination of the environment by herbicides, since it should reduce the total amount of herbicide needed and the number of active ingredients. However, there are few published data comparing the fate of glyphosate in the environment, particularly in soil, with that of substitute herbicides. The objective of this study is to compare the fate of glyphosate in three soils with that of four herbicides frequently used on crops that might be glyphosate resistant: trifluralin, alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine, and metazachlor, 2-chloro-N-(pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)acet-2',6'-xylidide for oilseed rape, metamitron, 4-amino-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-6-phenyl-1,2,4-triazin-5-one for sugarbeet and sulcotrione, 2-(2-chloro-4-mesylbenzoyl)cyclohexane-1,3-dione for maize. The distribution of herbicides between the volatilized, mineralized, extractable and non-extractable fractions was studied, along with the formation of their metabolites in laboratory experiments using 14C-labelled herbicides, over a period of 140 days. The main dissipation pathways were mineralization for glyphosate and sulcotrione, volatilization for trifluralin and non-extractable residues formation for metazachlor and metamitron. The five herbicides had low persistence. Glyphosate had the shortest half-life, which varied with soil type, whereas trifluralin had the longest. The half-lives of metazachlor and sulcotrione were comparable, whereas that of metamitron was highly variable. Glyphosate, metazachlor and sulcotrione were degraded into persistent metabolites. Low amounts of trifluralin and metamitron metabolites were observed. At 140 days after herbicide applications, the amounts of glyphosate and its metabolite residues in soils were the lowest in two soils, but not in the third soil, a loamy sand with low pH. The environmental advantage in using glyphosate due to its rapid degradation is counterbalanced by accumulation of aminomethylphosphonic acid specifically in the context of extensive use of glyphosate.     

Persistence and movement of ethofumesate in soil*

Persistence of ethofumesate [(±)2-ethoxy-2.3-dihydro-3,3-dimethylbenzofuran-5-yl-methansulphonate] in soil was associated with soil temperature. Ethofumesate applied at 4.5 kg/ha in November persisted about twice as long in soil as that applied the following March. In another field study, 88–91% of the herbicide had dissipated after 24 weeks in sandy loam soil, compared to 72–77% in loam soil when it was applied at rates of 2.2, 3.4, 4.5, and 9.0 kg/ha. The rate of degradation was independent of the initial rate of chemical applied. The time required for 50% of the herbicide to dissipate in sandy loam and loam soils was 7.7 and 12.6 weeks, respectively. The movement of ethofumesate in these two soils over a 24-weeks sampling period was confined mainly to the upper 7.5 cm of the soil profile.     

Involvement of soilborne Phytophthora species in Central European oak decline and the effect of site factors on the disease

A survey was made on the occurrence of soilborne Phytophthora species in 35 oak stands on a range of geologically different sites in Bavaria. The most widespread species were P. quercina , P. cambivora and P. citricola . Seven other Phytophthora species were isolated infrequently. The fine root systems of 106 healthy and 111 declining mature trees of Quercus robur and Q. petraea were intensively investigated. The results indicate that, depending on the site conditions, at least two different complex diseases are referred to under the name 'oak decline'. On sites with a mean soil pH (CaCl₂)  3·5 and sandy-loamy to clayey soil texture Phytophthora spp. were commonly isolated from rhizosphere soil, and highly significant correlations existed between crown transparency and various root parameters. Oaks with P. quercina or other Phytophthora spp. in their rhizosphere had markedly higher levels of fine root damage than oaks without Phytophthora spp., and were subject to a relative risk of severe crown symptoms of 2·1 and 2·8, respectively. In contrast, in stands with sandy to sandy-loamy soils and a mean soil pH  3·9, Phytophthora spp. were not found. In these stands, correlations between crown transparency and various root parameters were either less significant or not significant. It is concluded that Phytophthora species are strongly involved in oak decline on sandy-loamy to clayey sites with a mean soil-pH (CaCl₂)  3·5.     

The relative movement and persistence in soil of chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl and triasulfuron

Summary. Adsorption and degradation rates of triasulfuron in 8 different soils were negatively correlated with soil pH and were generally lower in subsoils than in soils from the plough layer. The half-life at 20°C varied from 33 days in a top soil at pH 5·8 to 120 days in a subsoil at pH 7·4. Adsorption distribution coefficients in these two soils were 0·55 and 0·19, respectively. Movement and persistence of residues of chlorsulfuron, triasulfuron and metsulfuron-methyl were compared in a field experiment prepared in spring 1987. Triasulfuron was less mobile in the soil than the other two compounds. Residues of all three herbicides were largely confined to the upper 40–50 cm soil 148 days after application. With an initial dose of 32 g ha⁻¹, residues in the surface soil layers were sufficient to affect growth of lettuce and sugar-beet sown approximately one year after application. Laboratory adsorption and degradation data were used with appropriate weather data in a computer model of herbicide transport in soil. The model gave good predictions of total soil residues during the first five months following application, and also predicted successfully the maximum depth of penetration of the herbicides into the soil during this period. However, more herbicide was retained close to the soil surface than was predicted by the model. The model predicted extensive movement of the herbicides in the soil during winter but did not predict that residues sufficient to affect crop growth could be present in the upper 15–20 cm soil after one year.     

Persistence of imazamethabenz-methyl in soils after autumn and spring applications to wheat

Imazathabenz-methyl dissipated rapidly in sandy and sandy loam field soils in Nova Scotia. Canada, seeded to wheat ( Triticum aestivam L.).The time to 50% loss of herbicide residues in the 0-10 cm soil zone was about 3-4 weeks after October applications and about 2.5 weeks after June ones. After October applications, there was further loss of >60% of the remaining parent herbicide during the winter and early spring despite periods of prolonged snow cover and freezing, or near freezing, soil temperatures. After October applications, imazamethabenz-methyl residues in May-collected samples from the 10-20 and 20-30 cm soil zones ranged from 40% to 80% and from 15% to 40%, respectively of those extracted from the 0-10 cm zone over four sites. Precipitation in the month after October applications ranged from 105 to 180 mm. which suggests leaching may play an important role in dissipation at times of the year when precipitation greatly exceeds evapotranspiration. Levels of the phytoioxic free acid ranged from 15% to 35% of the parent herbicide in selected samples. These residues had no effect on spring wheat replacement crops. The effect of the herbicide on replacement crops may also be influenced by the soil pH. A laboratory study demonstrated that as soil pH increased from 4.1 to 6.5. degradation of imazamethabenz-methyl increased with a corresponding increase in free acid formation.     

Soil metabolism of flupyrsulfuron in winter wheat crops

The sulfonylurea herbicide flupyrsulfuron was applied post‐emergence in March at the rate of 10 g a.i. ha^?1 on winter wheat crops. In the 0–8 cm surface soil layer of the crops grown on sandy loam and loam soils, the flupyrsulfuron half‐life was 64 and 40 days respectively. Flupyrsulfuron and its metabolites were not detected during both crops or 1 month after crop harvest in the 8–15 and 15–20 cm soil layers. Soil degradation of flupyrsulfuron successively generated the cyclization products 1‐(4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine‐2‐yl)‐2,4‐diketo‐7‐trifluoromethyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydropyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine 2 and N‐(4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine‐2‐yl)‐N‐(3‐methoxycarbonyl‐6‐trifluoromethylpyridine‐2‐yl)‐amine 3 , which were the main metabolites of flupyrsulfuron in soil. Hydrolysis of 3 successively generated N‐(4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine‐2‐yl)‐N‐(3‐car‐ boxylic acid‐6‐trifluoromethylpyridine‐2‐yl)‐amine 4 and N‐(4‐methoxy‐6‐hydroxypyrimidine‐2‐yl)‐N‐(3‐carboxylic acid‐6‐trifluoromethylpyridine‐2‐yl)‐amine 5 . Low and temporary concentrations of 2‐sulfonamido‐3‐carbomethoxy‐6‐trifluoromethyl‐pyridine 6 and 2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine 7 were observed. Bioassays with sugarbeet as test plants indicated that 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 had herbicide activities corresponding to 100%, 80%, 75%, 75%, 75% and 15% of that of flupyrsulfuron respectively. The metabolites thus extended the herbicidal protection given by flupyrsulfuron and explain the high herbicidal protection given by the low dose of flupyrsulfuron applied. One month after the harvest of the winter wheat, no more significant residue of flupyrsulfuron or of its metabolites was detected in soil.     

Adjustment of soil-surface pH and comparison with conventional fungicide treatments for control of lettuce drop (Sclerotinia minor)

The use of soil-surface applications of finely powdered calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) to inhibit Sclerotinia minor sclerotial germination and infection at the collar region of lettuce plants is described. In the laboratory, a pH > 8·0 reduced sclerotial germination of the three S. minor isolates tested. In the glasshouse, surface applications of 2–10 t Ca(OH)₂ ha⁻¹ raised the pH of the top 1–2 cm of a duplex sandy loam soil above 8·5 for at least 8 weeks without affecting soil pH within the transplant root zone. There was a linear relationship between the rate of Ca(OH)₂ applied and disease control, with complete disease suppression at 10 t Ca(OH)₂ ha⁻¹. In field trials on two soil types (duplex sandy loam, pH 6·0; and red ferrosol, pH 6·9), a rate of 2·5 t Ca(OH)₂ ha⁻¹, maintained soil-surface pH above 8·5 for 1–3 weeks and provided up to 58% reduction in lettuce drop. Application of polyvinyl alcohol (a soil-conditioning polymer) over the Ca(OH)₂ layer appeared to reduce Ca(OH)₂ loss by wind, but did not improve retention of raised soil-surface pH or disease suppression. Ca(OH)₂ treatment gave similar disease control to the industry standard treatment of a procymidone-based fungicide seedling drench. A combined treatment of Ca(OH)₂ and fungicide drench gave greater control than either individual treatment, and equivalent control to fungicide drench and three procymidone foliar sprays, offering integrated management options. The use of soil-surface-applied Ca(OH)₂ with fungicides, rotation and drip irrigation offers an opportunity for enhanced and sustainable control of lettuce drop.     

Effects of nutrient solution pH on the survival and transmission of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis in hydroponically grown tomatoes

The effect of pH on the survival of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis and its transmission via roots of tomato in hydroponic culture was studied in laboratory and greenhouse experiments. In a laboratory experiment, C . m. ssp. michiganensis could not survive for 24 h in nutrient solutions with a pH of 4·0 or 4·5, while 1, 14, 51 and 62% of inoculum survived at pH 5·0, 5·5, 6·0 and 6·5, respectively. When tomato plants were inoculated with C . m. ssp. michiganensis through wounds on the stems, the bacteria moved downward from the inoculation site to the roots and infectious bacteria were released from the roots into the nutrient solution. Of two pH regimes tested in greenhouse nutrient-film technique (NFT) culture, the C . m. ssp. michiganensis population was significantly lower in pH 5·0 than in pH 6·5 in most sampling data. In treatments in which C . m. ssp. michiganensis was introduced by transplanting two root-inoculated plants, significantly more plants developed canker at pH 6·5 (34 out of 48 plants) than at pH 5·0 (11 out of 48 plants). When the bacterium was introduced by transplanting two stem-inoculated plants at pH 6·5, seven out of 24 plants developed canker. The potential of pH manipulation in controlling tomato bacterial canker in hydroponic culture is discussed.     

Effect of environmental factors on herbicidal activity of diphenamid

Diphenamid (N,N-dimethyl-2,2-diphenylacetamide) in an aqueous solution in plastic bottles was partially detoxified when exposed to sunlight for 1 week. Varying spray volumes from 300 to 1,800 I/ha did not have an appreciable effect on the phytotoxicity of diphenamid, sprayed on a coarse or fine soil surface. The marked dissipation of diphenamid which occurred from the soil surface was attributed to photodecomposition and volatilization. Diphenamid phytotoxicity was greater when the first irrigation after spraying was applied in four increments of 100 m³/ha or two increments of 200 m¹/ha than when it was applied in a single 400 m¹/h watering; the latter caused more leaching of the herbicide. The diphenamid fraction leached out of a 4-cm soil layer increased as the organic matter content in the soil decreased, from 25% in peat (22.3% o.m.) to >88% in sandy loam (0.9% o.m.). The herbicidal activity remaining after leaching was lower in sandy loam and in peat than in soil with medium organic matter content (11.6% and 6.2%). Diphenamid degradation rate in soil at 50% field capacity moisture level, increased when temperature was increased from 10° to 30°C. After 4 months of incubation at 10°C, 40-50% of the original herbicide was detoxified, while at 20° and 30°C the loss exceeded 90%. Within the range of day-temperatures of 10° to 40°C in soil and of 10° to 35°C in nutrient solution, diphenamid phytotoxicity to tomato seedlings increased with temperature.     

Soil catalysed hydrolysis of fluroxypyr-methylheptyl ester

Summary. Fluroxypyr-MHE (methylheptyl ester) was hydrolysed to fluroxypyr in soil/water suspensions at rates several thousand times that in distilled, deionized water at similar pH and temperature: the pH 7, 25°C half-life in water was 454days, compared to 2, 5, and 5·5 hours in 1 : 100 soil/water suspensions of a Barnes loam, Catlin silt loam, and Mhoon clay. The catalysed hydrolysis did not occur in decanted, aqueous supernatants of centrifuged Barnes soil suspensions, nor in Barnes soil/water suspensions which had been autoclaved. In soils incubated (26·1°C) at field moist conditions, only 1 to 2% of the fluroxypyr-MHE had not hydrolysed after three days. An extracellular enzyme was suggested as the catalyst.     

Persistence of methazole activity in soil

Methazole [2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazolidine-3,5-dione] was applied post-emergence at 2-1 kg/ha to crops of onion (Allium cepa L.) grown on a sandy loam and the activity present in the surface 0–5 cm of soil assessed by bioassay. In spring-sown crops, activity at harvest varied from 25 to 78% of the initial acitivity in different years; losses were restricted by low temperature and low rainfall. In autumn-sown crops, little loss occurred during winter and most of the activity remained in the surface 0-5 cm. The results emphasize the need for caution in choice and timing of following crops.     

Effect of method of Imperata cylindrica management on maize grain yield in the derived savanna of south-western Nigeria

Field studies were conducted in 1991 and 1992 on a sandy loam soil in the derived savanna zone of south-western Nigeria to assess the effect of the underground organs of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel on maize grain yield. Total dry matter of I. cylindrica in abandoned arable land averaged 16 t ha⁻¹ and rhizomes contributed 56% of this. Rhizome removal from soil before planting maize significantly increased maize yield relative to hoe tillage or slashing of I. cylindrica shoots before planting maize. Digging up rhizomes before planting maize and weeding the crop twice gave a yield reduction of only 23% compared with weed-free crops with rhizomes removed. Grain yield reduction was 51% in plots where rhizomes were only fragmented by hoe tillage and the crop was weeded twice. Grain yield was 62% less when maize was grown in slashed plots with intact rhizomes that were weeded four times (farmers' practice). Slashing without additional weeding resulted in crop failure in maize.     

Biological activity, availability and duration of phytotoxicity for imazamox in four different soils of central Italy

Greenhouse bioassays were carried out from 1999 to 2002 on several types of soils of central Italy to assess the carry‐over risk of imazamox residues to non‐target crops. No observable effect levels (NOELs) were determined on quartz sand; sugar beet showed the highest sensitivity to imazamox (NOEL 0.4–0.8 ng a.i. mL^?1 of substrate), followed by spinach, oilseed rape, fennel, cauliflower and lettuce (NOELs from 1 to 5 ng a.i. mL^?1 of substrate). Wheat, sunflower, grain sorghum and maize were not very sensitive to this herbicide. Imazamox availability was greatest on sandy soils and decreased in soils with high clay or organic carbon content, where herbicide efficiency was less than 50%, with respect to non‐sorptive media. The decline of herbicide efficiency was quick in sandy soils, where herbicide efficiency dropped to 50% in less than 3 days. In clay‐loam or organic soils, 50% relative efficiency was reached in 15–33 days. Such results suggest that imazamox sprayed at normal field application rates can pose slight risks of carry‐over of residues, which may damage very sensitive species (sugar beet, oilseed rape and spinach) in sandy soils. In these cases, safe recropping intervals of 1–3 months are required, so current label guidelines for imazamox are adequate to protect rotational vegetable crops in central Italy.     

Behaviour of sulcotrione and mesotrione in two soils

The behaviour of sulcotrione, a recently introduced triketone herbicide, in various soil types was studied under laboratory conditions. In particular, degradation and sorption processes were examined on Ghent and Perpignan soils. Kinetics showed that the degradation of sulcotrione was influenced by biotic and/or abiotic factors. Half-lives ranged between 45 and 65 days. Among the degradation compounds identified were 1,3-cyclohexanedione (CHD) and 2-chloro-4-mesyl benzoic acid (CMBA), previously described as hydrolysis products, and, under special conditions, a derivative of phenylheptanoic acid (PHD). This new degradation product suggested that sulcotrione could follow two possible pathways in the soil, as in water. During the sorption study, a moderate retention of sulcotrione and CMBA relative to CHD and PHD, which were highly adsorbed whatever the soil type, was reported. Experiments carried out under the same conditions for sulcotrione and mesotrione, another triketone herbicide recommended in maize culture, made it possible to compare the two triketones and to conclude that they exhibited relatively similar behaviour in the soil, i.e. that their leaching potential needs to be properly addressed and risks evaluated. Copyright (c) 2007 Society of Chemical Industry.     

Evaluation of a simulation model for prediction of herbicide movement and persistence in soil

The movement and persistence of residues of propyzamide, linuron, isoxaben and R-40244 were measured in a sandy loam soil in field experiments prepared in spring and autumn. None of the herbicides moved to depths greater than 12 cm in the soil during the winter period, following application in autumn, and none moved more than 6 cm in the soil, following application in spring. The general order of persistence of total soil residues was isoxaben > linuron = R-40244 > propyzamide. Appropriate constants to describe the moisture and temperature dependence of degradation were derived from laboratory incubation experiments and used with measurements of the strengths of adsorption of the different herbicides by the soil, in a computer model of herbicide movement. The model, in general, gave good predictions of total soil residues, but overestimated herbicide movement, particularly in winter. Measurements of herbicide desorption from the soil at intervals, during a laboratory incubation experiment, demonstrated an apparent increase in the strength of adsorption with time. When appropriate allowance was made for these changes in adsorption in the computer model, improved predictions of the vertical distribution of the herbicide residues were obtained.