Effect of Varying Soil Temperatures on the Degradation of Methabenzthiazuron,Isocarbamid and Metamitron

The ¹⁴C-labelled herbicidal active ingredients methabenzthiazuron, isocarbamid and metamitron were subjected to decomposition for 10 to 12 weeks in a degraded loess soil at 65% of maximum water holding capacity. To simulate the field situation, the standardised soil temperature of 0, 10 and 20°C were increased several times by 5 or 10°C, either daily or weekly. The rates of ¹⁴CO₂ evolution clearly showed the delay in degradation as a consequence of lowering the temperature or of the retarded microbial activity. For all 3 herbicidal compounds, a strongly reduced degradation was readily observed at 10°C, and at 0°C degradation stopped almost entirely. Daily temperature increases had only a weak stimulating influence. At the standardised temperature of 20°C, however, daily temperature increases, or temperature increases lasting for a longer period, by 5 or 10°C effected a marked increase in the rates of ¹⁴CO₂-evolution. On the other hand, the higher temperatures led to lower extractability of residual herbicide in the soil. In the case of isocarbamid and metamitron, about 90% of the extracted radioactivity still represented the unchanged active ingredient, whilst, in the case of methabenz-thiazuron, this fraction was between 97 and 100%.