Atrazine mineralisation in New Zealand topsoils and subsoils: influence of edaphic factors and numbers of atrazine-degrading microbes

Abstract

The mineralisation of ¹⁴C-ring-labelled atrazine to ¹⁴CO₂ was measured in 3 contrasting New Zealand soils under controlled conditions of temperature and moisture. The numbers of atrazine-degrading organisms were measured by a most probable number technique. Decomposition rates were slow, with a maximum of 41% of atrazine being mineralised over 263 days. Mineralisation was generally very low in subsoils and was much reduced by low moisture content. However, one subsoil from 60–90 cm depth had unusually high numbers of atrazine-degrading microbes and showed mineralisation greater than or equivalent to the surface soil. Mineralisation was approximately doubled by a 10°C rise in temperature over the range 16–28°C. In general, the rate of atrazine mineralisation over 7–96 days could be predicted from the number of atrazine-degrading microbes and the cation exchange capacity of the soil (R² = 0·86). A large amount (54–77%) of ¹⁴C remained in the soil as non-extractable residues after 263 days, but only trace amounts of the added atrazine or the decomposition products de-ethyl atrazine and de-isopropyl atrazine were detected by extraction in organic solvent.