Field study of pesticide leaching in a Himatangi sand (Manawatu) and in a Kiripaka bouldery clay loam (Northland). 1. Results
Murray E. Close A , Robert Lee B , Gujja N. Magesan B F , Michael K. Stewart C , George Skuse D and Gabor Bekesi E GA Corresponding author. Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29-181, Christchurch, New Zealand. Email: murray.close@esr.cri.nz
B Landcare Research NZ Ltd, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, New Zealand.
C Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO Box 30-368, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
D Northland Regional Council Private Bag 9021, Whangarei, New Zealand.
E Horizons MW, Private Bag 11025, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
F Present address: Forest Research, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, New Zealand.
G Present address: Otago Regional Council, Private Bag 1954, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Australian Journal of Soil Research 43(4) 457-469 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR04039
Submitted: 26 March 2004 Accepted: 5 January 2005 Published: 30 June 2005
Abstract
Five pesticides, atrazine, diazinon, hexazinone, procymidone, and terbuthylazine, were applied to a Kiripaka bouldery clay loam located near Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand, and a Himatangi sand located near Palmerston North, Manawatu, along with bromide and deuterated water as tracers. Their transport and persistence were monitored for 18 months using soil sampling down to a maximum of 1 m and 8 suction cups at each site located between 0.2 and 1.5 m down the profile. There was rapid leaching of the tracers as well as hexazinone at both sites. Procymidone was much less mobile than the tracers but was very persistent, with significant amounts still present in the profile after 18 months. Atrazine, terbuthylazine, and diazinon had relatively low persistence, mainly due to rapid degradation, and possibly volatilisation for diazinon, with < 10% remaining after 6 months at both sites. There was evidence of preferential flow at the Northland site, which is consistent with the highly structured soil profile and intense rainfall that occurred at the site in the month following pesticide application. Batch sorption experiments measured lower Koc values for the topsoil samples than generally observed in the literature for all 5 pesticides. This indicates that these pesticides will be much more mobile in the Northland Kiripaka soil and slightly more mobile in the Manawatu Himatangi soil than would be expected from the literature values.
Additional keywords: atrazine, diazinon, hexazinone, procymidone, terbuthylazine, bromide, deuterated water.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Jim Pram, Maungatapere, Northland, and Rob Chrystall, Himatangi, Manawatu, for allowing the use of their land for the research trials. We thank Danny Thornburrow, Rhonda Fraser, Janine Ryburn, Wim Rijkse, Hugh Wilde, Alex McGill, and David Hunter (Landcare Research), and Greg Stanton and Mark Flintoft (ESR) for assistance with the field work. The research was funded by contracts CO3X0203 (ESR) and CO9X0017 (Landcare Research) from the Foundation for Science, Research and Technology (New Zealand).
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