Fate of simazine in a drip-irrigatedVitis viniferavineyard

Abstract

To determine simazine movement and dissipation in a drip-irrigated Vitis vinifera vineyard under two irrigation schedules [ grower standard (GS) and current evaporation/transpiration (CET)], field experiments were conducted in a Hanford fine sandy loam, a soil type prone to leaching. In experiment 1, simazine was surface-applied in a 1.7-m swath down the vine row, and chloride was applied as a tracer. Total recovery of simazine was < 1.0% under the irrigation emitters 51 and 57 d after simazine application in 1997 and 1999, respectively. Simazine was not detected in the soil profile from 0 to 150 cm deep, 1.0 m from the emitters. A chloride tracer moved to a soil depth of 90 cm but not deeper. In experiment 2, simazine moved 75 cm under the emitters in 7 d but did not move deeper into the soil. Under the emitter, 28% of applied simazine was found 0 to 45 cm deep and 3% was > 45 cm deep. In experiment 3, which was conducted in the absence of irrigation, total recovery of simazine was 30% when sheltered from rain and 8% when exposed to rain. Rapid dissipation and proper irrigation management were key factors preventing deep percolation of simazine in these studies.