Persistence of the fungicides thiabendazole, carbendazim and prochloraz-Mn in mushroom casing soil

The persistence of the fungicides thiabendazole, carbendazim and prochloraz-Mn in mushroom casing soil was determined following their application at rates commonly used in the UK mushroom industry. Following drench applications, the concentration of all active ingredients was always higher in the top half of the casing soil layer than in with the bottom half. When carbendazim and prochloraz-Mn were applied using half the recommended volume of water per unit area, there was a tendency for carbendazim concentrations to be even higher in the top half of the casing soil, compared with the standard treatment, while concentrations of prochloraz-Mn were similar, irrespective of the volume of water used. Carbendazim and prochloraz-Mn concentrations in the top half of the casing layer decreased to < or = 13 mg kg(-1) by day 28/29, following different applications, whereas the thiabendazole concentration was consistently high during the course of the crop, being < or = 83 mg kg(-1) at day 31. Fungicides that do not persist at high concentrations in mushroom casing soil for the duration of the crop may not give good control of mushroom pathogens, particularly if the fungicide concentration falls to a level which is close to the EC50 value.