Adsorption of carbofuran and movement on soil thin layers.

Abstract

Carbofuran is a widely used soil insecticide throughout the Midwest as a prophylactic treatment against corn rootworms. In Iowa and Illinois alone, approximately 3.5 million pounds of active ingredient were applied to the soil in 1979. 1 Since treated fields occur in both watershed and nonwatershed areas alike, it is desirable to describe the translocation potential of this insecticide. HELLING (1968) devised a mobility classification for agricultural chemicals based upon their movement on soil thin layers. Since carbofuran mobility has not been assessed by soil TLC, the objective of this study was to determine its movement using this method. Adsorption of carbofuran was also measured to elucidate the relationship between sorption and translocation.