Spatial variability in 14C-herbicide degradation in surface and subsurface soils

The spatial variability in mineralization of atrazine, isoproturon and metamitron in soil and subsoil samples taken from a 135-ha catchment in north France was studied. Fifty-one samples from the top layer were taken to represent exhaustively the 31 agricultural fields and 21 soil types of the catchment. Sixteen additional samples were collected between depths of 0.7 and 10 m to represent the major geological materials encountered in the vadose zone of the catchment. All these samples were incubated with 14C-labelled atrazine under laboratory conditions at 28 degrees C. Fourteen selected surface samples which exhibited distinctly different behaviour for atrazine dissipation (including sorption and mineralization) were incubated with 14C-isoproturon and 14C-metamitron. Overall soil microbial activity and specific herbicide degradation activities were monitored during the incubations through measurements of total carbon dioxide and 14C-carbon dioxide respectively. At the end of the incubations, extractable and non-extractable (bound) residues remaining in soils were measured. Variability of herbicide dissipation half-life in soil surface samples was lower for atrazine and metamitron (CV < 12%) than for isoproturon (CV = 46%). The main contributor to the isoproturon dissipation variability was the variability of the extractable residues. For the other herbicides, spatial variability was mainly related to the variability of their mineralization. In all cases, herbicide mineralization half-lives showed higher variability than those of dissipation. Sorption or physicochemical soil properties could not explain atrazine and isoproturon degradation, whose main factors were probably directly related to the dynamics of the specific microbial degradation activity. In contrast, variability of metamitron degradation was significantly correlated to sorption coefficient (K(d)) through correlation with the sorptive soil components, organic matter and clay. Herbicide degradation decreased with depth as did the overall microbial activity. Atrazine mineralization activity was found down to a depth of 2.5 m; beyond that, it was negligible.     

Degradation of atrazine and isoproturon in surface and sub-surface soil materials undergoing different moisture and aeration conditions

The influence of different moisture and aeration conditions on the degradation of atrazine and isoproturon was investigated in environmental samples aseptically collected from surface and sub-surface zones of agricultural land. The materials were maintained at two moisture contents corresponding to just above field capacity or 90% of field capacity. Another two groups of samples were adjusted with water to above field capacity, and, at zero time, exposed to drying-rewetting cycles. Atrazine was more persistent (t(1/2) = 22-35 days) than isoproturon (t(1/2) = 5-17 days) in samples maintained at constant moisture conditions. The rate of degradation for both herbicides was higher in samples maintained at a moisture content of 90% of field capacity than in samples with higher moisture contents. The reduction in moisture content in samples undergoing desiccation from above field capacity to much lower than field capacity enhanced the degradation of isoproturon (t(1/2) = 9-12 days) but reduced the rate of atrazine degradation (t(1/2) = 23-35 days). This demonstrates the variability between different micro-organisms in their susceptibility to desiccation. Under anaerobic conditions generated in anaerobic jars, atrazine degraded much more rapidly than isoproturon in materials taken from three soil profiles (0-250 cm depth). It is suggested that some specific micro-organisms are able to survive and degrade herbicide under severe conditions of desiccation.     

在不同尺度下宁夏引黄灌区农田土壤养分空间变异分析

以宁夏引黄灌区农田土壤为研究对象,在10 m和1 m两种尺度上网格取样,共取耕层土壤样品（0~20 cm）223个,利用经典统计和地统计相结合的方法,对土壤全氮（TN）、全磷（TP）和pH的空间变异性进行研究。经典统计表明两种尺度下pH的变异系数（CV）均为0.02,属弱变异,其尺度效应不明显。随着采样尺度的减小,TN的CV减小,TP的CV增大,二者具有明显的尺度效应。地统计分析表明,两种尺度下TN、TP表现出中等或强烈的空间相关性,其空间分布受结构和随机因素的共同影响。受灌溉、施肥等随机因素影响,1 m尺度上的pH在空间上呈弱相关性。各向异性分析表明,两种尺度下3种土壤元素都有一定程度的各向异性,且在东北方向空间变异性较强。交互验证的结果表明,克里格插值的平均误差接近0,均方根误差接近1,可以准确反映两种尺度下土壤养分的空间分布状况,说明宁夏引黄灌区农田土壤养分存在一定的尺度效应和各向异性。     

高产棉田土壤碱性磷酸酶及脲酶空间变异特征分析

以10 m×10 m网格布点连续采集棉田3个生长期的土样,测定土壤碱性磷酸酶和脲酶活性,运用地统计方法建立其空间变异模型和等值线图,探讨棉田土壤在棉花生长的不同阶段,土壤碱性磷酸酶和脲酶活性在时间及空间上的变化特征。结果表明,3个时期的碱性磷酸酶和脲酶均属于中等变异性。土壤碱性磷酸酶和脲酶垂直空间变异性不同,棉花在3个生长期0～20 cm土层脲酶和碱性磷酸酶活性的变异系数均大于20～40 cm土层,而碱性磷酸酶的变异系数在垂直方向是底层大于上层。棉田土壤酶活性也存在时间变异规律,棉花生长发育至吐絮期,酶活性逐渐增加。在垂直空间分布上,3个时期土壤碱性磷酸酶和脲酶活性均随土壤深度的增加而降低。     

莠去津在土壤中的残留动态和淋溶动态

利用HPLC法对土壤中莠去津的残留动态、淋溶动态进行了研究。结果显示,莠去津以有效成分2.25 kg/hm2和4.50 kg/hm2的剂量施用时,在土壤中的半衰期分别为19.1 d和18.1 d,即其半衰期与莠去津的施用浓度无关,属于典型的一级动力学反应。在120 d的玉米生长期中,土壤中莠去津在不断降解代谢的同时,逐渐向深层土壤中淋溶,多数莠去津持留在表层土壤中。施用莠去津27 d后,高浓度处理小区莠去津的淋溶深度超过30 cm,深度为10~15 cm处的土壤在施用后27 d莠去津的浓度最大。同一土壤深度,莠去津在高浓度处理小区的残留量要远高于低浓度处理小区。这些结果显示,减小莠去津的用量可以减少莠去津在土壤中的移动,表明低剂量施用莠去津是保护地下水免受污染的一种有效措施。影响莠去津的淋溶作用的主要因素包括使用量和土壤的理化特性。     

Spatial variability in herbicide degradation in the subsurface environment of a groundwater protection zone

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial variability in degradation and mineralization of atrazine and isoproturon in subsurface samples taken from sandy loam soils overlying gravel terraces which form part of a groundwater protection zone. Percussion drilling was used to obtain samples from 11 boreholes (maximum depth 3 m). Unlabelled atrazine or isoproturon, and ring-14C-labelled atrazine or isoproturon were added to samples, incubated at 25 degrees C for up to 16 weeks, and analyzed for the residual herbicide or [14C]carbon dioxide. All samples showed the potential to degrade these herbicides, although the percentage degradation decreased by a factor of 2-3 from the surface soil to a depth of 3 m. This was associated with a decrease in organic matter content, but there was no change in the potential to mineralize acetate, indicating that specific changes in the catabolic ability of the microbial population occurred with depth. The capacity of samples to mineralize atrazine and isoproturon to carbon dioxide decreased markedly with depth, with no mineralization potential observed at a depth of 80 cm.     

Variation of pesticide sorption isotherm in soil at the catchment scale

The variation of the sorption isotherm of pesticides has seldom been explored at the catchment scale. Such a study was conducted at the scale of a 187-ha agricultural catchment for three herbicides: atrazine, isoproturon and metamitron. Partition coefficient (Kd) values were measured in batch experiments on 51 topsoil samples, and showed moderate variability at the catchment scale (coefficient of variation CV approximately 30%). Values of Kd ranged from 0.47 to 1.70 litre kg(-1) for atrazine, 0.47 to 1.81 for isoproturon, and 0.55 to 2.21 for metamitron. A clustering method was used to reduce the number of samples on which to measure sorption isotherms to 14. Sorption isotherms agreed with the Freundlich rather than the linear model. Kf parameters had CV values similar to those for Kd, with values ranging from 0.78 to 2.13 mg(1 - Nf) litre(Nf) kg(-1) for atrazine, 0.61 to 1.82 for isoproturon, and 0.69 and 2.58 for metamitron. Nf exponents showed little variation (CV < 5%). Nf values were between 0.86 and 0.98 for atrazine, 0.85 and 0.90 for isoproturon, and 0.82 and 0.87 for metamitron. More than 97% of the Kf catchment-scale variations could be explained by the variations of the soil organic carbon content.     

不同降雨历时梯田和坡耕地的土壤水分入渗特征

以黄土高原丘陵沟壑第三副区庄浪县为例,研究不同降雨历时条件下坡耕地和水平梯田土壤(黄绵土)水分入渗变化特征,应用Hydrus-1D模型对不同降雨条件下的土壤水分入渗进行定量模拟研究。结果表明:(1)与实测数据相比,Hydrus-1D模型模拟降雨后土壤水分的运移较合理。(2)地表层(0~40 cm)土壤含水量变异系数(CV)呈中等变异,即5 d的时间内梯田和坡耕地地表层的土壤含水量变化大,随着土层深度的增加变异系数减小,呈弱变异性。(3)在1.45 mm/min降雨强度下,在23 min时拔节期的小麦坡耕地产生径流,水平梯田在整个过程中没有产生径流。(4)降雨历时为10 min时,在土层深度为0~15 cm,梯田土壤含水量比坡耕地多0.13%~1.65%,在土层深度为30~200 cm,梯田和坡地都没有下渗。降雨历时为20min、30min时,在土层深度为0~20 cm,梯田的土壤含水量比坡耕地的分别多0.05%~2.22%、0.01%~2%。     

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.     

风速和秸秆覆盖对土壤水分蒸发影响的模拟试验研究

通过室内模拟试验方法,研究了不同风速(静风、0.5、1.5m/s)和秸秆覆盖量(0、4 120、8240kg/hm2)对土壤水分蒸发的影响.结果表明:(1)土壤水分蒸发受风速和秸秆覆盖的明显影响,当土壤含水量大于田间持水量的70%、覆盖量一定时(0、4120 kg/hm2)时,风速0 m/8与1.5 m/s之间的土壤日...     

Effects of soil moisture content on the availability of soil-applied herbicides to plants

The phytotoxicities of atrazine, simazine, linuron, lenacil and aziprotryne were increased as the moisture content of the soil increased. Results from studies with ¹⁴C-labelled atrazine suggested that these differences could be related to differences in concentrations of herbicide accumulated by the plants. Total uptake of atrazine was directly proportional to water uptake, but a comparison of the amounts taken up with those supplied by mass-flow in the transpiration stream suggested that some exclusion factor was operative. It was concluded that herbicide transport within the soil-plant system was the main factor affecting phytotoxicity under the different soil moisture regimes. The significance of the results to herbicide behaviour under field conditions is discussed.     

Simazine dynamics in a vineyard soil at Casablanca valley, Chile

Field dissipation, soil movement and laboratory leaching studies were performed to elucidate the effect of two rainfall amounts in the behaviour and environmental fate of simazine under climatic conditions at Casablanca Valley, Chile. Dissipation and soil movement were studied in a field vineyard with a sandy loam soil (Inceptisol; 74.08% sand; 14.87% silt and 11.04% clay). Simazine was applied to bare soil at 2.0 kg AI ha(-1), and its concentration was measured using immunoassay (ELISA) at 0, 10, 20, 40 and 90 days after application under two rainfall amounts, natural field conditions (39 mm) and modified conditions (39 + 180 mm). Simazine leaching was studied using soil core PVC lysimeters (0.9 m height; 0.22 m diameter). Field dissipation data were adjusted with a bi-exponential model. Half-life (DT(50)) values varied between 31.3 (+/-2.5) and 19.0 (+/-4.2) days under natural and modified conditions, respectively. Simazine K(d) varied from 0.42 to 2.15 (K(oc) 32.6-216.2) in the soil profile. Simazine was detected at a 90-cm soil depth in concentrations of 0.0085 (+/-0.0043) mg kg(-1) and 0.0321 (+/-0.001) mg kg(-1) under field and modified conditions, respectively. The maximum simazine leachate concentrations were 0.013 (+/-0.00084) mg litre(-1) (0.012% of total applied simazine) and 0.0084 (+/-0.00082) mg litre(-1) (0.11% of total applied simazine) for field and modified conditions respectively. These data indicate that water quantity has a significant effect on the DT(50) and the amount of simazine that moved through the soil profile, but not on the soil depth reached by this herbicide.     

黄土高原半干旱区降雨入渗试验研究

黄土高原地区地下水资源缺乏,降雨是土壤水的唯一补给来源。为研究降雨补给地下水过程,在黄土丘陵半干旱区的米脂试验站,对野外10 m土柱土壤水分进行了定位观测,分析自然降雨下土壤水分入渗深度和补给量。结果表明:自动监测显示单次降雨量为5.2 mm(小雨)时,11 h后入渗达到最大深度0.3 m,此深度以下几乎没有变化;单次降雨量为15.8 mm(中雨)时,4 d内影响深度可达0.6 m;单次降雨量为33.6 mm(大雨)时,8 d内1.2 m处土壤含水量增长明显,1.4 m以下没有变化。水分循环主要在0.8 m以内的蒸发带,该层土壤水分易被蒸发,0.8 m以下随着深度增加,土体含水率变化逐渐滞后,增幅逐渐减小。受多种因素影响,入渗过程持续时间不一。覆盖处理观测期土壤水分补给量显示:覆膜石子树枝裸地,补给量与降雨量呈线性关系,覆膜补给量上升最大。     

Availability of atrazine to plants in different soils

The concentrations of atrazine in the shoots of wheat plants growing in 12 different soils were directly proportional to the soil solution concentrations of herbicide estimated from slurry adsorption measurements. There was a marked discrepancy between the total uptake of herbicide and the amount theoretically supplied by mass-flow in response to transpiration. This discrepancy was less when plants were grown in nutrient solutions. In an experiment with one soil only, the half-life of atrazine was 22 days and when the solution concentration in this soil was corrected for this change, a much closer prediction of atrazine uptake could be obtained. The ways in which interactions between adsorption, breakdown and transpiration rates may affect herbicide toxicity under field conditions are discussed.     

长期耕作条件下小尺度农田土壤有机质空间变异性

采用10 m×10 m高密度网格采样的地统计学方法,进行了小尺度(10.24 hm2)土壤耕层(0~30 cm)有机质的空间分布特征量化研究。研究发现,取样区内土壤有机质空间分布表现出弱变异性,CV≤1.84%,但整体含量偏低,SOM≤1.04%;东西、南北、东南和西南四个方向上半方差函数的差异性表明,有机质空间分布具有异向性,基于各向同性假设和各向异性的半方差函数结构分析以及Kriging估计都能很好地反映取样区土壤有机质的空间变异性,但后者在估计结果精度和真实性方面要优于前者。     

Removal of Atrazine Contamination in Soil and Liquid Systems Using Bioaugmentation

Reported levels of atrazine in soils at pesticide mix-load sites can vary between 7·9×10^-5 mM and 1·9 mM . We report on a mixed microbial culture, capable of degrading concentrations of atrazine in excess of 1·9 mM . At initial concentrations of 0·046 M and 0·23 M , the mixed population degraded 78% and 21% of atrazine in soil (100 days), respectively. At the same initial concentrations in liquid cultures, 90% and 56% of the atrazine was degraded (80 days), respectively. Decreased degradation in soil samples may have resulted from atrazine sorption to soil surfaces or decreased contact between the population and the herbicide. In the 0·23 M system, we attribute incomplete degradation to phosphorous depletion. Data for carbon dioxide evolution was fitted to a three-half-order regression model, but we feel that there are limitations of the application of this model to atrazine degradation. The population uses the herbicide as a nitrogen source and little carbon is incorporated into biomass, as the energy status of carbons in the ring leads to their direct evolution as [¹⁴C]carbon dioxide. This situation contributes to an evolution pattern that, when fitted to the three-half-order model, results in underestimation of the biomass produced. Data from our study suggest that our mixed culture could be used for bioremediation of atrazine at concentrations up to and exceeding those currently reported for agrochemical mixing-loading facilities. © 1997 SCI.     

Spatio-temporal variations of soil water content and salinity around individual Tamarix ramosissima in a semi-arid saline region of the upper Yellow River,Northwest China

Ecological restoration by Tamarix plants on semi-arid saline lands affects the accumulation, distribution patterns and related mechanisms of soil water content and salinity. In this study, spatio-temporal variations of soil water content and salinity around natural individual Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. were invetigated in a semi-arid saline region of the upper Yellow River, Northwest China. Specifically, soil water content, electrical conductivity(EC_e), sodium adsorption ratio(SAR_e), and salt ions(including Na~+, K~+, Ca~(2+), Mg~(2+) and SO_4~(2–)) were measured at different soil depths and at different distances from the trunk of T. ramosissima in May, July, and September 2016. The soil water content at the 20–80 cm depth was significantly lower in July and September than in May, indicating that T. ramosissima plants absorb a large amount of water through the roots during the growing period, leading to the decreasing of soil water content in the deep soil layer. At the 0–20 cm depth, there was a salt island effect around individual T. ramosissima, and the EC_e differed significantly inside and outside the canopy of T. ramosissima in May and July. Salt bioaccumulation and stemflow were two major contributing factors to this difference. The SAR_e at the 0–20 cm depth was significantly different inside and outside the canopy of T. ramosissima in the three sampling months. The values of SAR_e at the 60–80 cm depth in May and July were significantly higher than those at the 0–60 cm depth and higher than that at the corresponding depth in September. The distribution of Na~+ in the soil was similar to that of the SAR_e, while the concentrations of K~+, Ca~(2+), and Mg~(2+) showed significant differences among the sampling months and soil depths. Both season and soil depth had highly significant effects on soil water content, EC_e and SAR_e, whereas distance from the trunk of T. ramosissima only significantly affected EC_e. Based on these results, we recommend co-planting of shallow-rooted salt-tolerant species near the Tamarix plants and avoiding planting herbaceous plants inside the canopy of T. ramosissima for afforestation in this semi-arid saline region. The results of this study may provide a reference for appropriate restoration in the semi-arid saline regions of the upper Yellow River.     

Biocrust-induced partitioning of soil water between grass and shrub in a desert steppe of Northwest China

Maintaining the stability of exotic sand-binding shrub has become a large challenge in arid and semi-arid grassland ecosystems in northern China. We investigated two kinds of shrublands with different BSCs (biological soil crusts) cover in desert steppe in Northwest China to characterize the water sources of shrub (Caragana intermedia Kuang et H. C. Fu) and grass (Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit.) by stable ¹⁸O isotopic. Our results showed that both shrublands were subject to persistent soil water deficiency from 2012 to 2017, the minimum soil depth with CV (coefficient of variation) <15% and SWC (soil water content) <6% was 1.4 m in shrubland with open areas lacking obvious BSC cover, and 0.8 m in shrubland covered by mature BSCs. For C. intermedia, a considerable proportion of water sources pointed to the surface soil. Water from BSCs contributed to averages 22.9% and 17.6% of the total for C. intermedia and A. scoparia, respectively. C. intermedia might use more water from BSCs in rainy season than dry season, in contrast to A. scoparia. The relationship between shrub (or grass) and soil water by δ¹⁸O shown significant differences in months, which partly verified the potential trends and relations covered by the high variability of the water source at seasonal scale. More fine roots at 0-5 cm soil layer could be found in the surface soil layer covered by BSCs (8000 cm/m³) than without BSCs (3200 cm/m³), which ensured the possibility of using the surface soil water by C. intermedia. The result implies that even under serious soil water deficiency, C. intermedia can use the surface soil water, leading to the coexistence between C. intermedia and A. scoparia. Different with the result from BSCs in desert areas, the natural withdrawal of artificial C. intermedia from desert steppe will be a long-term process, and the highly competitive relationship between shrubs and grasses also determines that its habitat will be maintained in serious drought state for a long time.     

无定河流域典型淤地坝水资源效应比较研究——以辛店沟、韭园沟和裴家峁为例

通过实地考察,应用无定河流域典型淤地坝土壤水分的实测记录和统计分析方法,对淤地坝的水资源效应进行了探讨。研究发现总体上淤地坝的土壤含水率韭园沟高于裴家峁沟高于辛店沟,支沟坝低于主沟坝,在一定的深度基本上会存在较明显的湿土层或干土层,土壤含水率在坝地中部变化比较平缓,在6m以内随着土层深度的增加,土壤水分含量基本上呈现增长趋势,在坝地中尾部某一深度会达到稳定状态。淤地坝蓄水减水效益非常明显,辛店沟、韭园沟和裴家峁流域坝系土体的总贮水量分别为5.14×104m3、63.67×104m3和15.21×104m3,蓄水效益分别为39.39%、20.94%和8.85%,减水效益分别为48.27%、44.06%和38.16%。辛店沟流域淤地坝约减少地表水资源9.87×104m3。三个流域所有淤地坝至少可以减少地表水资源88.75×104m3,对无定河径流量减少的贡献率为0.093%。淤地坝的这种土壤水分效应和蓄水减水效应是人为因素对水资源影响的一个重要表现。     

Simulation of the persistence of atrazine in soil at different sites in Portugal

The effects of soil temperature and soil moisture content on the rates of degradation of atrazine, were measured in the laboratory in soils from different sites in Portugal. Persistence of atrazine was measured in the same soils in the field during the spring and summer of 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987. Weather records from the different sites, measured during the periods of the field experi ments, were used in conjunction with appropriate constants derived from the laboratory data in a computer program to simulate persistence in the field. The model generally overestimated the ob served soil residues, particularly during the first 7–14 days after application. The fit from the model was good from day 14 to the end of the experiments.