Kinetic distribution of 14C-metsulfuron-methyl residues in paddy soils under different moisture conditions

Dissipation of the Herbicide Benzobicyclon Hydrolysate in a Model California Rice Field Soil

The herbicide benzobicyclon (BZB; 3-(2-chloro-4-(methylsulfonyl)benzoyl)-2-phenylthiobicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-en-4-one) has recently been approved for use on California rice fields by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Hydrolysis of BZB rapidly forms the active compound, benzobicyclon hydrolysate (BH), whose fate is currently not well understood. A model California rice soil was used to determine BH soil dissipation. The pK_a and aqueous solubility were also determined, as experimental values are not currently available. Sorption data indicate BH does not bind tightly, or irreversibly, with this soil. Flooding resulted in decreased BH loss, indicating anaerobic microbes are less likely to transform BH compared to aerobic microorganisms. Temperature increased dissipation, while autoclaving decreased BH loss. Overall, dissipation was slow regardless of treatment. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the exact routes of loss in soil, though BH is expected to dissipate slowly in flooded rice field soil.

Fate Characterization of Benzene Kresoxim-Methyl (a Strobilurin Fungicide) in Different Aerobic Soils

Benzene kresoxim-methyl (BKM) is a promising broad-spectrum strobilurin fungicide widely used to control fungal pathogens in crops. However, information on its environmental fate is limited. To broaden our understanding of this fungicide's kinetic fate in aerobic soils, we labeled BKM with C on its benzoate ring and used ultralow-level liquid scintillation counting coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Results show that degradation, mineralization, and bound residue (BR) formation of BKM was controlled by soil type and microbial community composition. Degradation of BKM followed first-order dynamics, and the half-lives () were 51.7, 30.8, and 26.8 d for clay, loamy, and saline soils, respectively. After 100 d, about 0.13, 4.35, and 5.94% of the initial C-BKM was mineralized, and 14.43, 19.90, and 28.81% was formed as BRs in the clay, loamy, and saline soils, respectively. About 60 to 85% of the C-BKM residue in soil was extractable; of this fraction, 30 to 50% was composed of incomplete degradation intermediates. Up to 40% of extractable C-BKM in soil was readily available. Our results suggest that BKM and its incomplete intermediates had a relatively long persistence in soil, which may lead to exposure for nontarget organisms. Soil microbes may play a dominant role in controlling the fate of BKM in soil as sterilization sharply decreased its mineralization rate from 4.35 to 0.03%, increased from 30.8 to 85.6 d, and decreased the BR fraction from 19.90 to 3.25%.

Identification of sulfonylurea biodegradation pathways enabled by a novel nicosulfuron-transforming strain Pseudomonas fluorescens SG-1: Toxicity assessment and effect of formulation

Nicosulfuron is a selective herbicide belonging to the sulfonylurea family, commonly used on maize culture. A bacterial strain SG-1 was isolated from an agricultural soil previously treated with nicosulfuron. This strain was identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens and is able to quantitatively dissipate 77.5% of nicosulfuron (1mM) at 28°C in the presence of glucose within the first day of incubation. Four metabolites were identified among which ASDM (2-(aminosulfonyl)-N,N-dimethyl-3-pyridinecarboxamide) and ADMP (2-amino-4,6-dimethoxypyrimidine) in substantial proportions, corresponding to the hydrolytic sulfonylurea cleavage. Two-phase dissipation kinetics of nicosulfuron by SG-1 were observed at the highest concentrations tested (0.5 and 1mM) due to biosorption. The extend and rate of formulated nicosulfuron transformation were considerably reduced compared to those with the pure active ingredient (appearance of a lag phase, 30% dissipation after 10days of incubation instead of 100% with the pure herbicide) but the same metabolites were observed. The toxicity of metabolites (standardized Microtox^® test) showed a 20-fold higher toxicity of ADMP than nicosulfuron. P. fluorescens strain SG-1 was also able to biotransform two other sulfonylureas (metsulfuron-methyl and tribenuron-methyl) with various novel pathways. These results provide new tools for a comprehensive picture of the sulfonylurea environmental fate and toxicity of nicosulfuron in the environment.

Degradation of Triazine-2-(14)C Metsulfuron-Methyl in Soil from an Oil Palm Plantation

Triazine-2-¹⁴C metsulfuron–methyl is a selective, systemic sulfonylurea herbicide. Degradation studies in soils are essential for the evaluation of the persistence of pesticides and their breakdown products. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the degradation of triazine-2-¹⁴C metsulfuron–methyl in soil under laboratory conditions. A High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) equipped with an UV detector and an on-line radio-chemical detector, plus a Supelco Discovery column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm), and PRP–1 column (305 x 7.0 mm, 10 μm) was used for the HPLC analysis. The radioactivity was determined by a Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) in scintillation fluid. The soil used was both sterilized and non-sterilized in order to observe the involvement of soil microbes. The estimated DT₅₀ and DT₉₀ values of metsulfuron-methyl in a non-sterile system were observed to be 13 and 44 days, whereas in sterilized soil, the DT₅₀ and DT₉₀ were 31 and 70 days, respectively. The principal degradation product after 60 days was CO₂. The higher cumulative amount of ¹⁴CO₂ in ¹⁴C- triazine in the non-sterilized soil compared to that in the sterile system suggests that biological degradation by soil micro-organisms significantly contributes to the dissipation of the compound. The major routes of degradation were O-demethylation, sulfonylurea bridge cleavage and the triazine “ring-opened.”

Sorption-desorption behavior of metsulfuron-methyl and sulfosulfuron in soils

Sorption of metsulfuron-methyl and sulfosulfuron were studied in five Indian soils using batch sorption method. Freundlich adsorption equation described the sorption of herbicides with K(f) (adsorption coefficient) values ranging between 0.21 and 1.88 (metsulfuron-methyl) and 0.37 and 1.17 (sulfosulfuron). Adsorption isotherms were L-type suggesting that the herbicides sorption decreased with increase in the initial concentration of the herbicide in the solution. The K(f) for metsulfuron-methyl showed good positive correlation with silt content (significant at p = 0.01) and strong negative correlation with the soil pH (significant at p = 0.05) while sorption of sulfosulfuron did not correlate with any of the soil parameter. Desorption of herbicides was concentration dependent and, in general, sulfosulfuron showed higher desorption than the metsulfuron-methyl. The study indicates that these herbicides are poorly sorbed in the Indian soil types and there may be a possibility of their leaching to lower soil profiles.

Influence of soil factors on the dissipation of a new pyrimidynyloxybenzoic herbicide ZJ0273

A novel pyrimidynyloxybenzoic herbicide (ZJ0273) uniformly labeled with (14)C on the benzoate ring was applied to soils under sterile and nonsterile conditions to understand the effect of soil microorganisms and selected properties on its dissipation and transformations to bound resides and (14)CO(2). A significant effect of soil microorganisms was found in an acidic soil, where sterilization significantly prolonged the half-dissipation time (DT(50)) of ZJ0273 from 15.57 to 34.31 days and decreased the total amount of mineralized (14)CO(2) from 19.91 to 0.43%. However, sterilization showed limited effect on the patterns of bound residue or extractable residue levels in soils having pH > or = 6.1. In addition, a significant suppression of high pH was found on the dissipation of extractable residues and formation of bound residues. The enhancement of bound residue formation by low soil pH was attributed to increased conversion of ZJ0273 to its intermediates, which were rapidly bound to soil organic matter.

Mineralization of metsulfuron-methyl in Chinese paddy soils

A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the mineralization of metsulfuron-methyl (MSM) in paddy soils in response to soil moisture, temperature and soil properties. The results indicated that MSM mineralization was relatively limited in the paddy soils when soil temperature was low. Only 2.2-6.0% of the applied (14)C mineralized after 84d of incubation at 15 degrees C. The mineralization of MSM was enhanced by increasing soil moisture and soil temperature. Soil moisture would have different impact on the response of MSM mineralization to variation in soil temperature. An increase of 10 degrees C accelerated the average rate of MSM mineralization by 2.3 times at 50% water-holding capacity (WHC) and 1.9 times at 40% WHC. Regression analysis showed that soil pH, organic carbon contents, microbial biomass carbon contents, and silt/clay fractions were the dominant factors affecting MSM mineralization, with pH as the most important factor. The relatively slow mineralization rate of MSM suggested long persistence of this herbicide in soil, thus increasing its potential ecological risk, especially when applied in alkaline soils and in cold areas.

Kinetics of extractable residue, bound residue and mineralization of a novel herbicide, ZJ0273, in aerobic soils

ZJ0273, propyl 4-(2-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy)benzylamino)benzoate, is a broad-spectrum herbicide being marketed for use on rape crops. However, environmental behavior and fate of ZJ0273 remained poorly understood. In this study, we used ZJ0273 labelled with (14)C on the C ring to understand the transformation of ZJ0273 in aerobic soils. Results showed a first-order dissipation pattern for the parent compound, with half-lives ranging from 17.2 to 53.7 d, suggesting a short to moderate persistence. The dissipation of the parent molecule was accompanied by formation of bound residues and mineralization. The transformation of ZJ0273 appeared to decrease with decreasing soil pH and organic matter content. Differences were often observed in the formation of bound residues, and mineralization among different soils. After 100 d of incubation, the total bound residue accounted for 17.4-28.8% of the total applied amount in the three soils, while cumulative mineralization to CO(2) reached 1.2% for an acidic soil, 7.7% for neutral and 9.9% for alkaline soil, suggesting that the herbicide in the neutral and alkaline soils met the non-accumulative criteria as stated in the directives by the Commission of the European Communities.