Abstract
It is important to evaluate leaching behavior in agricultural soils to prevent the pollution of groundwater by pesticides. We identified the distribution coefficients (Kd) of ten pesticides with different physicochemical properties and compared their leaching characteristics using wick lysimeters from three distinct soil types on Jeju Island. The Kd values varied by pesticide and soil, but were within the range of 1.2 to 4231 L kg−1. Based on the European standard (Kd < 10 L kg−1), six pesticides (alachlor, ethoprophos, carbofuran, napropamide, tebuconazole, and etridiazole) were mobile in at least one tested soil, and their soil organic carbon affinity was ≤ 5.811. This value differed greatly from the other pesticides (16.533 and higher). The solubility of the six mobile pesticides was ≥ 32 mg L−1, which substantially differed from the other pesticides (≤ 0.71 mg L−1). Thus, we conclude that our mobility assessment, which is based on Kd values, can be used to predict the leaching of pesticides in the volcanic ash soils of Jeju Island. The use of pesticides should be strictly controlled to reduce the possibility of groundwater contamination.
Highlights
Pesticides released into the soil undergo volatilization, absorption by plants, sorption, and decomposition within the soil
Since groundwater pollution caused by pesticides are mainly dependent on soil characteristics, understanding the leaching behavior of pesticides in soils is required to regulate the use of pesticides for preventing groundwater pollution in Jeju Island
The results suggested that the prediction of pesticide leaching at the laboratory lever using Groundwater Ubiquity Score (GUS) values might not be consistent with leaching of pesticides in the actual field
Summary
Pesticides released into the soil undergo volatilization, absorption by plants, sorption, and decomposition within the soil. Leaching occurs when pesticides that have not been adsorbed or decomposed during the process of moving through the soil, flow downwards into lower soil layers with percolating water. As the pesticides leached from the soil move through the rock layer, they are likely to cause groundwater pollution if relevant filtration processes are absent [1]. To prevent the pollution of groundwater by pesticides, evaluating their leaching behavior in agricultural soils is important. Due to the characteristics of the volcanic geographical features of the island, at least 40% of the rainfall flows into the groundwater [2]. Since groundwater pollution caused by pesticides are mainly dependent on soil characteristics, understanding the leaching behavior of pesticides in soils is required to regulate the use of pesticides for preventing groundwater pollution in Jeju Island
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