A FIELD-STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF SOIL STRUCTURE AND IRRIGATION METHODON PREFERENTIAL FLOW OF PESTICIDES IN UNSATURATED SOIL

A large number of field plot experiments were performed to characterize the downward flow of three pesticides (atrazine, napropamide and prometryn) and a water tracer (chloride) under various soil water regimes and soil surface conditions. Each experiment consisted of the uniform application of a 0.4-cm pulse of a solution containing a mixture of the four chemicals to the surface of a 1.5 x 1.5-m plot. The plot was then irrigated with 12 cm of water and soil samples were collected and analyzed to a depth of 150 cm. In all, 64 different plots were employed to study individual as well as interactive effects of such variables as irrigation method (continuous or intermittent sprinkling or ponding), pesticide formulation method (technical grade dissolved in water, wettable powder, or emulsifiable concentrate), and tillage (undisturbed or tilled and repacked surface layer) on pesticide transport. While all three pesticides were expected to be retained in the top 10-20 cm, there was considerable movement below this zone. When averaged over all the treatments, 18.8% of the recovered mass of atrazine, 9.4% of the prometryn and 16.4% of the napropamide were found between 30- and 150-cm depth. Moreover, all pesticides were highly mobile in the surface 30 cm regardless of their adsorption coefficient. There were occurrences of extreme mobility or "preferential flow" of pesticide under every experimental condition except where the pesticides were applied in wettable powder form to plots which had their surface tilled and repacked. This finding implies that there may be fine preferential flow pathways through which solution may move but particulates may not.