Long-term persistence of various 14C-labeled pesticides in soils.

The fate of the 14C-labeled herbicides ethidimuron (ETD), methabenzthiazuron (MBT), and the fungicide anilazine (ANI) in soils was evaluated after long-term aging (9-17 years) in field based lysimeters subject to crop rotation. Analysis of residual 14C activity in the soils revealed 19% (ETD soil; 0-10 cm depth), 35% (MBT soil; 0-30), and 43% (ANI soil; 0-30) of the total initially applied. Accelerated solvent extraction yielded 90% (ETD soil), 26% (MBT soil), and 41% (ANI soil) of residual pesticide 14C activity in the samples. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed the parent compounds ETD and MBT, accounting for 3% and 2% of applied active ingredient in the soil layer, as well as dihydroxy-anilazine as the primary ANI metabolite. The results for ETD and MBT were matching with values obtained from samples of a 12 year old field plot experiment. The data demonstrate the long-term persistence of these pesticides in soils based on outdoor trials.

Studies on a new group of biodegradable surfactants for glyphosate.

The effectiveness of a homologous series of biodegradable rapeseed oil derivatives (triglyceride ethoxylates; Agnique RSO series containing an average of 5, 10, 30 and 60 units of ethylene oxide (EO) as adjuvants for foliage-applied, water-soluble, systemic active ingredients was evaluated employing glyphosate as an example. Previous experiments had revealed that the surfactants used are not phytotoxic at concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 g litre-1. The experiments were performed using Phaseolus vulgaris L and nine selected weed species, grown in a growth chamber at 25/20 (+/- 2) degrees C day/night temperature and 40/70 (+/- 10)% relative humidity. The surfactants were evaluated for enhancement of spray retention, and foliar penetration biological efficacy of glyphosate. Glyphosate was applied at a concentration of 43 mM. The surfactants were added at concentrations of 1 g litre-1. The commercial glyphosate 360 g AE litre-1 SL Roundup Ultra and unformulated glyphosate served as references. The surfactants used improved spray retention, foliar penetration and biological efficacy. Some of the formulations were comparable to the performance of Roundup Ultra in the aspects evaluated; some were even more effective in enhancing spray liquid retention and promoting glyphosate phytotoxicity in several plant species. In these studies Agnique RSO 60 generally was most effective.