Atrazine Movement in Soil Columns as Influenced by Starch-Encapsulation and Acrylic Polymer Additives

Abstract

Alternative herbicide formulations may have the potential to reduce atrazine leaching. This study was conducted to determine if starch-encapsulation produced using an extrusion process or several acrylic polymer additives reduced atrazine leaching in soil columns packed with Plainfield sand (98% sand and 0.7% organic matter). Three watering regimes were evaluated to determine the effects of water volume and rate of application on atrazine movement When 7.6 cm of water (0.44-pore volumes) was applied over 2 h, polymer treatments reduced atrazine movement from the soil surface by 9 to 21% compared to atrazine without the additives. With increased water volume and time, the effectiveness of several polymer treatments diminished. Acrysol ASE-108 and G110 polymers (mixed with atrazine at a 1:1 ratio) most effectively reduced atrazine leaching over all watering regimes. Starch encapsulation was more effective than any polymer additive in retarding atrazine movement Increasing the water volume from 7.6 to 15.2 cm (0.88-pore volumes) did not increase leaching of starch-encapsulated atrazine. Ninety-nine percent of the starch-encapsulated atrazine was retained in the top 5 cm of the column compared to only 18 and 13% of the dry flowable formulation (DF) when 0.44- and 0.88-pore volumes of water were applied over 2 and 4 h, respectively. When 0.88-pore volumes of water were applied over 12 d, 81% of the starch-encapsulated atrazine was retained in the upper 5 cm of the column compared to only 5% of the DF formulation of atrazine. This study indicates that starch encapsulation reduces atrazine movement to a greater extent than polymer additives and suggests that starch encapsulation may be an effective method of reducing atrazine leaching.