Study on the behaviour of imazapyr in two Moroccan soils

Imazapyr owes its importance in Morocco to its success in controlling the perennial weed Solanumelaeagnifolium Cav., which infests the Tadla area. Persistence and mobility of imazapyr has been studied in two Moroccan soils from the Rabat area, with differing organic matter content (red and organic soils), under laboratory conditions at 75% of their field capacities and 25–28 °C. Residue analysis was performed on the basis of a bioassay test using lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.) as indicator species. The residual activity of imazapyr accounted for 69%, 25%, 50% and 62%, 46%, 66% of the initial activity for the red and organic soils at 1, 5 and 10 mg L^?1 respectively. The half-lives varied between 25 and 58 days for the red soil and 55 and 58 days for the organic soil. In the organic soil, imazapyr was highly mobile under the irrigation regime applied. Most of the activity was found in the first 3 × 75 mL of the effluents. A following biotest with the leached soil showed low remaining residual activity.