Metribuzin Persistence in Soil

Abstract

The persistence of metribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-(methylthio)-as-triazine-5(4H)-one] in several soils from the lower alluvial floodplain of the Mississippi River was studied in the greenhouse and laboratory using bioassay and gas chromatographic methods of residue detection. Bioassay results indicated that metribuzin phytotoxicity was lost in several soil types within a few weeks of application. Longevity of phytotoxicity depended upon soil type. However soil type had little effect on the rate of metribuzin degradation measured chemically. Gas chromatographic techniques indicated that metribuzin degradation followed first-order kinetics with half-life values ranging from 17 to 28 days in six soils under greenhouse conditions. Incubation studies indicated that metribuzin was degraded more rapidly in nonautoclaved field soil and in soil enriched with glucose than in soil that had been air dry for 1 yr or had been autoclaved. Degradation was more rapid at 30 C than at 20 C. Microbiological activity apparently is important in the degradation of metribuzin in soil.