Diuron Residues Research Articles

Residues of atrazine and diuron in rice straw, soils, and air post herbicide-contaminated straw biomass burning

This study investigates the environmental impact of burning herbicide-contaminated biomass, focusing on atrazine (ATZ) and diuron (DIU) sprayed on rice straw prior to burning. Samples of soil, biomass residues, total suspended particulate (TSP), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM10), and aerosols were collected and analyzed. Soil analysis before and after burning contaminated biomass showed significant changes, with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) initially constituting 79.2% and decreasing by 3.3 times post-burning. Atrazine-desethyl, sebuthylazine, and terbuthylazine were detected post-burning. In raw rice straw biomass, terbuthylazine dominated at 80.0%, but burning ATZ-contaminated biomass led to the detection of atrazine-desethyl and notable increases in sebuthylazine and terbuthylazine. Conversely, burning DIU-contaminated biomass resulted in a shift to 2,4-D dominance. Analysis of atmospheric components showed changes in TSP, PM10, and aerosol samples. Linuron in ambient TSP decreased by 1.6 times after burning ATZ-contaminated biomass, while atrazine increased by 2.9 times. Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), increased by approximately 9.9 to 13.9 times after burning ATZ-contaminated biomass. In PM10, BaA and BaP concentrations increased by approximately 11.4 and 19.0 times, respectively, after burning ATZ-contaminated biomass. This study sheds light on the environmental risks posed by burning herbicide-contaminated biomass, emphasizing the need for sustainable agricultural practices and effective waste management. The findings underscore the importance of regulatory measures to mitigate environmental contamination and protect human health.

Comprehensive toxicological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analysis of the biodegradation and adaptation mechanism by Achromobacter xylosoxidans SL-6 to diuron.

Biodegradation was considered a promising and environmentally friendly method for treating environmental pollution caused by diuron. However, the mechanisms of biodegradation of diuron required further research. In this study, the degradation process of diuron by Achromobacter xylosoxidans SL-6 was systematically investigated. The results suggested that the antioxidant system of strain SL-6 was activated by adding diuron, thereby alleviating their oxidative stress response. In addition, degradation product analysis showed that diuron in strain SL-6 was mainly degraded by urea bridge cleavage, dehalogenation, deamination, and ring opening, and finally cis, cis-muconic acid was generated. The combined analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics revealed the biodegradation and adaptation mechanism of strain SL-6 to diuron. Metabolomics analysis showed that after the strain SL-6 was exposed to diuron, metabolic pathways such as tricarboxylic acid cycle (cis, cis-muconic acid), glutathione metabolism (oxidized glutathione), and urea cycle (arginine) were reprogrammed in the cells. Furthermore, diuron could induce the production of membrane transport proteins in strain SL-6 cells and overexpress antioxidant enzyme genes, finally ultimately promoting the up-regulation of genes encoding amide hydrolases and dioxygenases, which was revealed by transcriptomics studies. This work enriched the biodegradation mechanism of phenylurea herbicides and provided guidance for the removal of diuron residues in the environment and promoting agriculture sustainable development.

Cucumber Bioassay and HPLC Analysis to Detect Diuron Residues in Remineralized Soils Following Canavalia ensiformis Cultivation as a Phytoremediator

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of rock powder in the phytoremediation of Inceptisol (sandy loam) and Oxisol (clay) contaminated with diuron. Canavalia ensiformis plants were grown in pots containing 7.5 kg of both soils, with doses of 0, 4, and 8 t ha−1 of rock powder. Diuron was applied in doses ranging from 875 to 3500 g of a.i. ha−1. The injury level was assessed at 42 days after emergence (DAE), and the morphological characteristics were assessed at 120 DAE. After phytoremediation, the soil was analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and by bioassay with cucumber (Cucumis sativus) to detect diuron. In Oxisol, no injury was observed, and the rock powder (4 t ha−1) benefited the growth of C. ensiformis regardless of the dose of diuron. In Inceptisol, the greatest reduction in growth occurred with 3500 g a.i. ha−1 of diuron and 8 t ha−1 of rock powder. Diuron was detected after 120 days in Inceptisol with 2625 g a.i. ha−1 without rock powder and 3500 g a.i. ha−1 with and without rock powder. The cucumber bioindicator in Inceptisol showed an increase in the level of injury as the dose of diuron increased. The rock powder favored the growth of C. ensiformis and was able to phytoremediate high concentrations of diuron, which supports the safe use of this herbicide for weed control, minimizing environmental impacts.

Highly-Selective Analytical Strategy for 90 Pesticides and Metabolites Residues in Fish and Shrimp Samples.

The analysis of pesticide residues in aquatic products is challenging due to low residue levels and the complex matrix interference. In this study, we developed a simple, fast method for the trace analysis of 90 pesticides and metabolites in aquatic products. The analytes covered a wide polarity range with log Kow (log octanol-water partition coefficient) ranging from -1.2 to 6.37. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and prawn (Penaeus chinensis) samples were chosen to validate the quantification method. The samples were extracted by 0.2% formic-acetonitrile, cleaned by solid-phase extraction (PRiME HLB), and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed good linearities for the analytes and were observed in the range of 0.05-50 μg/L. The recoveries of the method were within 50.4-118.6%, with the relative standard deviations being lower than 20%. The limits of quantifications (LOQs) of the method were in the range of 0.05-5.0 μg/kg, which were superior to values compared with other research. The developed method was applied to detect pesticide residues in prawn samples from eastern coastal areas of China. Three herbicide residues of diuron, prometryn, and atrazine were detected in prawn samples. The method was sensitive and efficient, which is of significance in expanding the screening scope and improving the quantitative analysis efficiency in aquatic products.

Assessment of Various Toxicity Endpoints in Duckweed (Lemna minor) at the Physiological, Biochemical, and Molecular Levels as a Measure of Diuron Stress.

Simple SummaryThe presence of diuron in a variety of environments has been reported worldwide to exert serious harm to human health and the ecosystem. HPLC and mass spectrometry are highly specific and sensitive methods for herbicide detection, but they have several drawbacks including complex sample preparation procedures, the need for expensive chemicals and equipment, and interference from secondary contaminants during analysis. In addition, these purely chemical approaches do not provide ecologically meaningful information on temporal changes in terms of exposure or the interactive effects of pollutants. In order to compensate for these limitations, biological assays have been used to assess pollutant-induced ecological risks. Lemna minor is an attractive experimental model organism that has been used for decades for the prospective risk assessment of pesticides. In the current study, we examined the effects of diuron on L. minor using different endpoints at the physiological (growth and photosynthetic efficiency), biochemical (pigment biosynthesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels), and molecular (gene transcription) levels. Our findings provide important insight into the relative sensitivity of different endpoints for diuron toxicity assessment. In addition, they shed light on the toxicity mechanisms of diuron in a model aquatic macrophyte species.The common, broad-spectrum herbicide diuron poses some risks to the environment due to its long persistence and high toxicity. Therefore, the effective monitoring of diuron residues will inform efforts to assess its impacts on ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the toxicity targets of diuron in the model aquatic macrophyte Lemna minor at the physiological (growth and photosynthetic efficiency), biochemical (pigment biosynthesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels), and molecular (rbcL transcript) levels. The toxicity of diuron was detectable after 48 h of exposure and the order of sensitivity of toxicity endpoints was gene transcription > maximum electron transport rate (ETRmax) > non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) > maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) > ROS > fresh weight > chlorophyll b > chlorophyll a > total frond area > carotenoids. Under diuron stress, pigment, ROS, and gene transcript levels increased while frond area, fresh weight, and photosynthesis (Fv/Fm and ETRmax) gradually decreased with the increasing duration of exposure. Notably, ROS levels, Fv/Fm, frond area, and fresh weight were highly correlated with diuron concentration. The growth endpoints (frond area and fresh weight) showed a strong negative correlation with ROS levels and a positive correlation with Fv/Fm and ETRmax. These findings shed light on the relative sensitivity of different endpoints for the assessment of diuron toxicity.

Degradation of diuron in water by electrochemical advanced oxidation in a microreactor: effects of anion contamination on degradation and toxicity

Diuron is a toxic herbicide that has contaminated underground and surface water and caused serious problems in many countries. Diuron residues in water can be treated using electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), and microreactor EAOPs can be developed into portable water treatment units for use in contaminated areas. Up to 91 % of diuron in 10 ppm solution could be degraded within 100 s of residence time in the microreactor. Nitrates and sulfates, which are anions commonly found in natural water, retard EAOP degradation of diuron by scavenging hydroxyl radicals and suppressing hydroxyl radical generation at the anode by adsorbing to the anode surface. The apparent first-order rate constant for diuron degradation is decreased from 2.69 × 10−2 s−1 in deionized water to 1.81 × 10−2 and 1.64 × 10−2 s−1, in water containing 50 mM nitrate and 50 mM sulfate, respectively. Sulfate does not alter the diuron degradation pathway, but nitrate forms reactive species that interact with diuron and its degradation intermediates. The concentrations of intermediates increase when the EAOP is made less effective by the presence of nitrate or sulfate, but the intermediates are less toxic than diuron. At a long residence time (e.g., 100 s), EAOP treatment decreases diuron toxicity more when the water is contaminated with nitrate or sulfate than when the water is pure, under the same conditions.

Photochemically-Induced Fluorescence (PIF) and UV-vis Absorption Determination of Diuron and Metalaxyl in Well Water, Kinetic of Photodegradation and Rate of Leach Ability in Soils

Aromatic pesticides are toxic substances for the environment and humans. In this study, the photodegradation kinetics, the rate of leach ability in soils and the analytical determination of diuron and metalaxyl residues in well water by liquid-liquid extraction procedure have been determined by UV-visible absorption and photochemically-induced fluorescence (PIF). We studied the photodegradation kinetics by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and a second-order kinetics with lifetime values of 6.0 and 0.5 hours was found in water for metalaxyl and diuron, respectively. Physicochemical parameters affecting the sensitivity of the PIF method, such as solvent, pH and UV irradiation time were investigated. PIF method was then performed in optimal analytical conditions. The limits of detection (LOD) ranging from 3.2 to 14 ng mL−1 were particularly low and the small relative standard deviation (RSD) (< 4 %), indicated a very good analytical sensitivity and a great repeatability of PIF method. Then, an investigation the pesticides leach ability was conducted in agricultural soil. We obtained rates of infiltration of 12.7 mm/min for diuron and 1.6 mm/min for metalaxyl. These results showed that both pesticides have high groundwater pollution potential. Finally, application to the analysis of these pesticides in spiked well water samples yielded satisfactory recovery values (87-108 %).

Preparation of core-shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticle for the rapid and selective enrichment of trace diuron from complicated matrices

A novel magnetic MIPs (DUMIPs) was prepared by surface molecular imprinting method using superparamagnetic core-shell nanoparticle (Fe3O4@SiO2) as the sacrificial support matrix, herbicide diuron as template, α-methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as the crosslinker, azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator, and acetonitrile as the porogen. Highly cross-linked porous surface and excellent magnetic property were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer, respectively. The adsorption capacity of DUMIPs was 8.1 mg g−1, 2.6-fold over its corresponding non-imprinted polymers (DUNIPs). The adsorption in DUMIPs was considered as multilayer adsorption and posed high affinity to diuron, due to the better fitting to Freundilich isotherm. Competitive recognition study demonstrated DUMIPs had highly selective binding diuron. DUMIPs, as an influential sorbent has been used for selective extraction of diuron from environmental samples (paddy field water, paddy soil and grain seedlings) and the elution was determined by high efficiency liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this analytical method, various factors affecting the extraction efficiency such as pH, sorbent dosage, utilization efficiency and volumes of eluent were simultaneously investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity of the method obtained is in the range of 0.02–10.0 mg L−1. The limit of detection is 0.012 mg L−1. In four spiked levels (0.04, 0.2, 1.0, and 4.0 mg kg−1), the recoveries of diuron in real samples are in the range of 83.56%–116.10% with relative standard deviations in the range of 1.21–6.81%. Importantly, compared to C18-SPE column, the MMIPs exhibited convenient separation by external magnetic field, strong clean-up capacity, and selective enrichment for diuron. Thus, the DUMIPs-based method is great potential for efficient sample preparation in the determination of trace amounts of diuron residues in complex matrices.

Effects of Dosage and Spraying Volume on Cotton Defoliants Efficacy: A Case Study Based on Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) consist of light and small UAVs with pesticide spraying equipment. The advantage of UAVs is using low-volume spray technology to replace the traditional large-volume mass locomotive spray technology. Defoliant spraying is a key link in the mechanized cotton harvest, as sufficient and uniform spraying can improve the defoliation quality and decrease the cotton trash content. However, cotton is planted at high density in Xinjiang, with leaves in two adjacent rows seriously overlapped, making the lower leaves poorly sprayed. Thus, the defoliation effect is poor, and the cotton quality is degraded. To improve the effect of defoliation and reduce the losses caused by boom sprayer rolling, the effect of defoliant dosage on defoliation, boll opening, absorption and decontamination in cotton leaves and the effect of spraying volume on absorption and decontamination in cotton leaves sprayed by UAVs are studied. The pooled results indicate that plant protection UAVs could be used for cotton defoliants spraying with a twice defoliant spraying strategy, and the defoliant dosage has no significant effect on seed cotton yield and fiber quality in Xinjiang. The residue of thidiazuron in cotton leaves reaches the maximum at four days after spraying, the residue of diuron in cotton leaves reaches the maximum at one day after second spraying. The thidiazuron and diuron residues are increased with spraying volume at rang of 17.6–29.0 L/ha. When the spraying volume is less than 17.6 L/ha, the residue of thidiazuron and diuron is reduced. The research results could provide a reference for further optimization of the spraying parameters of cotton defoliant by plant protection UAVs.

Kinetics of diuron under aerobic condition and residue analysis in sugarcane under subtropical field conditions

ABSTRACTThe phenylureas group includes persistent herbicides which are major pollutants to soil and water. Dissipation kinetics of diuron in different soils under sugarcane field conditions was investigated. Diuron was extracted with acetone and florisil solid phase extraction clean-up and characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography-UV. Diuron persisted for more than 100 days and dissipation followed monophasic first-order kinetics. Persistence was more in sandy loam compared to silty clay loam soil. Half-life of diuron in silty clay loam soil was 22.57 and 32.37 days and in sandy loam was 28.35 and 43.93 days at 2 and 4 kg ha−1applications, respectively. Average recovery in soil, bagasse, leaf-straw and juice ranged from 75.95% to 84.20%, 80.15% to 89.35%, 77.46% to 86.19% and 81.88% to 92.68%, respectively. The quantitation limits for soil, bagasse, leaf-straw and juice were 0.01, 0.03, 0.04 μg g−1 and 0.008 μg mL−1, respectively. Application of diuron inhibited growth of soil microbes initially but they recovered later. At harvest, diuron residues were below maximum residue limits in all samples. The study revealed that under subtropical conditions, diuron is safe for use in weed management and would not pose any residual/environmental problem and that sugarcane crop could be used safe for human/animal consumption.

Seepage patterns of Diuron in a ditch bed during a sequence of flood events

Although ditches limit surface water contamination, groundwater recharge through ditches in Mediterranean catchments may result in groundwater contamination. We analysed the dynamics of pesticide percolation in ditches by conducting an original lab experiment that mimicked the successive percolation processes that occur during a flood season. Nine successive percolation events were operated on an undisturbed soil column collected from a ditch bed. The infiltrating water was doped with 14C-Diuron at concentrations that were chosen to decrease between the events so as to correspond to values observed during actual flood events. The water and solute fluxes were monitored during each event, and the final extractable and non-extractable Diuron residues in the column were determined. Two main observations were made. First, a high leaching potential was observed through the ditch bed over a succession of infiltrating flood events, with 58.9% of the infiltrated Diuron and its metabolites leaching. Second, compared with the contamination of surface water circulating in the ditches, the contamination of seepage water exhibited smaller peak values and persisted much longer because of the desorption of Diuron residues stored in the ditch bed. Thus, ditches serve as buffering zones between surface and groundwater. However, compared with field plots, ditches appear to be a preferential location for the percolation of pesticides into groundwater at the catchment scale.

Simultaneous determination of phenylurea herbicides in yam by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection.

A method of capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection has been applied to detect three major phenylurea herbicides (monuron, monolinuron and diuron) simultaneously. The effects of yam sample preparation, injection voltage and time, detection potential, detection buffer concentration and pH, Ru(bpy)₃(2+) concentration, separation buffer type, separation buffer pH and concentration, separation voltage were investigated in detail. Under optimum conditions, a good baseline separation and highly sensitive detection for monuron, monolinuron and diuron were achieved. The ECL intensity (I) was in proportion to three analytes concentration (ρ) in the range of 0.1-10,000 μg/L for monuron (r≥0.9993), 0.1-18,000 μg/L for monolinuron (r≥0.9995) and 0.1-20,000 μg/L for diuron (r≥0.9997). The detection limits for monuron, monolinuron and diuron were 0.05, 0.04 and 0.01 μg/L (S/N=3), respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the analysis of monuron, monolinuron and diuron residues in yam simultaneously. The average recoveries are in the ranges of 90.0-99.2% with relative standard deviations less than 3.2%. The limits of detection of the proposed method were 0.010 μg/kg for monuron, 0.008 μg/kg for monolinuron and diuron in yam.

Evidence of the role of climate control and reversible aging processes in the fate of diuron in a Mediterranean topsoil

The availability of pesticides in the soil is one of the factors that determine their mobilization and transport in runoff and groundwaters. In this paper, we aim to better understand the change in pesticide availability with increasing residence time in the soil. The relative contributions of degradation and sorption to the overall fate of molecules were examined, as was the remobilization of residues from the topsoil in water. The experiment was undertaken in undisturbed soil micro-lysimeters under natural climatic conditions for 1 year. We applied 14C-diuron to the soil surface to trace its residues in water-extractable (W), methanol-only-extractable (MO) and non-extractable (N) fractions and in runoff waters. Mass-balance calculations were fitted to the observed data to determine the quantities degraded or transferred within and between each of the compartments studied. Losses of diuron residues in runoff declined exponentially from 473 to 4 µg l−1 in 1 year. After 80 days, sorption of diuron residues in the soil was significant, as was degradation in the W and MO pools. Losses in runoff were small because of sparse rainfall. The following 140 days corresponded to a humid period with increased degradation in both W and MO pools. A redistribution from the MO towards the W pool occurred, probably because of intense rainfall at that time, leading to an apparent desorption of diuron residues. This was the most important result, suggesting that ageing processes should not be considered irreversible over time. The last phase of change, which occurred during winter, was slow. Leaching processes appeared to be of minor importance for diuron, with the surface layer containing more than 84% of diuron residues.

Diuron mineralisation in a Mediterranean vineyard soil: impact of moisture content and temperature

The diuron-mineralising ability of the microbiota of a Mediterranean vineyard soil exposed each year to this herbicide was measured. The impact of soil moisture and temperature on this microbial activity was assessed. The soil microbiota was shown to mineralise diuron. This mineralising activity was positively correlated with soil moisture content, being negligible at 5% and more than 30% at 20% soil moisture content. According to a double Gaussian model applied to fit the dataset, the optimum temperature/soil moisture conditions were 27.9 degrees C/19.3% for maximum mineralisation rate and 21.9 degrees C/18.3% for maximum percentage mineralisation. The impact of temperature and soil moisture content variations on diuron mineralisation was estimated. A simulated drought period had a suppressive effect on subsequent diuron mineralisation. This drought effect was more marked when higher temperatures were used to dry (40 degrees C versus 28 degrees C) or incubate (28 degrees C versus 20 degrees C) the soil. The diuron kinetic parameters measured after drought conditions were no longer in accordance with those estimated by the Gaussian model. Although soil microbiota can adapt to diuron mineralisation, its activity is strongly dependent on climatic conditions. It suggests that diuron is not rapidly degraded under Mediterranean climate, and that arable Mediterranean soils are likely to accumulate diuron residues.

Cumulative and residual effects of de-oiled two-phase olive mill waste application to soil on diuron sorption, leaching, degradation, and persistence

Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of de-oiled two-phase olive mill waste (DTPOMW) amendments on the sorption–desorption, degradation, leaching, and persistence of the herbicide diuron in a representative olive grove soil. The soil was amended in the laboratory with DTPOMW at the rates of 5% and 10% (w/w), and in the field with 27 and 54 Mg ha −1 of DTPOMW for 7 years. Cumulative and residual effects were evaluated in the last year and 2 years after the last DTPOMW field application (2005 and 2007, respectively). The results showed that the adsorption of diuron to the soil significantly increased in the presence of DTPOMW in the laboratory and field-amended soils, and that humic acid content was mainly responsible for this increase. The DTPOMW soil application only significantly increased the half-life of diuron in the laboratory-amended soils, ranging from 8.6 d for the original soil to 51 d at the greater application rate. The DTPOMW amendments significantly reduced the downward mobility of diuron, and reduced the amount of herbicide leached in the laboratory and field-amended soils, and no residues of diuron were detected in the leacheate of the residual-amended columns. In the field study, DTPOMW addition increased the persistence of diuron in the upper 10 and 5 cm of the soils in the cumulative and residual years, respectively, decreasing the herbicide’s vertical movement through the amended soils with increasing DTPOMW rate. This study has shown that in olive grove soils DTPOMW amendment may be an effective management practice for controlling ground water contamination by diuron.

Leaching of Diuron, Linuron and their main metabolites in undisturbed field lysimeters

The increasing use of pesticides in Morocco raises the potential risk of groundwater contamination, notably in the Gharb area, which has a shallow groundwater table. Thus, the leaching of two phenyl-ureas, diuron and linuron and their metabolites through undisturbed soil columns was studied under outdoor conditions. The soil chosen is a loamy clay soil, representative of the Gharb agricultural area. After four irrigation events were applied from 31/03/2005 to 15/05/2005, leachates contained higher amounts of linuron (from 0.08% to 6.96% of applied linuron) than diuron (from 0% to 0.27%). The greater mobility of linuron might be related to its higher water solubility (64 mg · L− 1 compared with 42 mg · L− 1 for diuron) and smaller adsorption coefficient (Koc of 400 L · kg− 1, compared with 480 L · kg− 1 for diuron). Concerning their metabolites, greater amounts of, N′-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-N, (DCPMU) than N′-3,4-dichlorophenylurea (DCPU) were detected N-dimethylurea in the percolates, from 0% to 0.046% and from 0% to 0.008%, respectively. At the end of the monitoring period, more linuron residues than diuron residues were recovered in the soil profiles, 25.02% and 16.41%, respectively. The diuron residues were found mainly in the 0-20 cm soil layer, whereas linuron residues reached the 20-40 cm soil layer. Under such experimental conditions, linuron leaching, and thus its potential to contaminate groundwater, is greater than that of diuron.

Reproductive effects in male rats exposed to diuron

Diuron is a ureic herbicide considered to have very low toxicity. The present study evaluated several aspects of reproductive toxicity of diuron in adult male rats. Diuron was diluted in corn oil and administered by oral gavage to groups of 18–20 rats at doses of 0, 125 or 250 mg/kg per day for 30 days; the control group received only the corn oil vehicle. At the end of the treatment period, approximately half the animals from each group were assigned to one of two terminal assessment lines: (1) reproductive organ, liver and kidney weights; measurement of diuron concentrations in liver and kidney; plasma testosterone determinations; evaluation of daily sperm production per testis; sperm number and sperm transit time in the epididymis; or (2) sexual behavior assessment during cohabitation with a receptive female; fertility and pregnancy outcome after natural mating; testicular, epididymal, kidney and liver histopathology; sperm morphology. After 30 days of oral diuron treatment, there were no treatment-related changes in body weights, but dose-related diuron residues were detected in the liver of all treated rats and absolute and relative liver weights were increased in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the treated and control groups obtained in plasma testosterone concentrations, or in parameters of daily sperm production, sperm reserves in the epididymis, sperm morphology or measured components of male sexual behavior. On the other hand, the number of fetuses in the litters from diuron-treated rats was slightly smaller than litters from control rats. Therefore, although the results did not indicate that diuron exposure resulted in direct male reproductive toxicity in the rat, they suggest that additional studies should be undertaken to investigate the possible effects on fertility and reproductive performance.

Leaching of oryzalin and diuron through undisturbed vineyard soil columns under outdoor conditions

Field studies monitoring herbicide pollution in the vineyards of Burgundy (France) have revealed that drinking water reservoirs are contaminated with several pre-emergence herbicides. An assessment of the leaching of two such herbicides, diuron and oryzalin, was therefore performed using lysimeters, under outdoor conditions, from May 2001 to May 2002. Four vineyard soils from Vosne-Romanée (Burgundy) were chosen along a topolithosequence: a rendosol and three calcosols. After 673 mm of rainfall, greater amounts of diuron than oryzalin were measured in percolates: respectively 0.10–0.84% and 0.02–0.43% of applied herbicide, depending on soils. Measurements for diuron metabolites detected greater amounts of DCPMU than DCPU in the percolates: respectively 0.05–0.13% and 0–0.04% of the applied diuron. At the end of the monitoring period, more residues of diuron than oryzalin were recovered in the soil profiles: respectively 4.6–9% and 1.4–4.4%. The oryzalin residues were found mainly in the upper 10 cm of soil columns, whereas diuron residues were present in the whole core. The mobility of both oryzalin and diuron seems fairly well-related to soil organic carbon content; the mobility of diuron is also related to soil texture (sand and coarse material contents). Under such experimental conditions, this study confirms that diuron leaching, and therefore potential groundwater contamination, is greater than that of oryzalin.

Tissue Residues of Diuron in Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Exposed to the Algicide in Consecutive Years

AbstractIn 1999, the United States Environmental Protection Agency granted an emergency exemption under Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide. and Rodenticide Act authorizing the use of the algicide diuron [3‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,1‐dimethylurea] to manage cyanobacterial off‐flavors in channel catfish Ictalurus punctcatus. Catfish may remain in ponds for more than one growing season and may therefore be exposed to more than one set of diuron treatments. This study was conducted to determine whether diuron residues in fish carry over from one year to the next and, if so, whether the cumulative exposure causes residues to exceed the tolerance level of 2.0 mg/kg in fillets. Catfish in earthen ponds were exposed to the label‐specified treatment protocol of nine consecutive weekly applications of diuron at 0.01 mg/L in the fall of one year and again the following spring. Diuron concentrations in fillets were below limits of detection (0.05 mg/kg) in all fish (N = 18) prior to the initial diuron treatment series. Immediately after the ninth weekly diuron application in the fall. tissue diuron levels averaged 0.353 mg/kg (pooled SEM = 0.036; range = 0.078–0.724 mg/kg; N= 18). On the day before the second set of diuron treatments 6 mo later. diuron concentrations were below limits of detection in all fish sampled. Immediately after the second set of nine weekly diuron applications, tissue concentrations averaged 0.127 mg/kg (pooled SEM = 0.015; range = not detected to 0.191 mg/kg; N = 18). This study showed that diuron residues in channel catfish were depleted within 2 to 4 mo after exposure to the chemical and there was no carryover of residues in fish from one year to the next. Maximum residue levels in catfish fillets were less than half the tolerance level of 2.0 mg/ kg.

Evaluation of residual levels of benomyl, methyl parathion, diuron, and vamidothion in pineapple pulp and bagasse (Smooth cayenne).

The objective of this research was to study the residual levels of benomyl, methyl parathion, diuron, and vamidothion in pineapple bagasse and pulp. Benomyl (benlate), methyl parathion (Folidol 600), diuron (Krovar), and Vamidothion (Kilval 300) were applied pre-harvest to pineapples (smooth cayenne). After harvesting, the fruits were washed (100 ppm sodium hypochlorite) and the pulp was separated from the sub-products (peel, core, tops, and tails). The pulp was not submitted to any heat treatment. The sub-products and the juice expressed from them, were submitted to a blanching process (95 degrees C for 1 min). After separating the juice, the bagasse and pulp were analyzed for residues of diuron and benomyl by high performance liquid chromatography, and for residues of vamidothion and methyl parathion by gas chromatography using a TSD detector. No residues of benomyl, diuron, vamidothion, or methyl parathion were detected in the pulp within the quantification limits of the methods (0.1 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg, 0.005 mg/kg, and 0.005 mg/kg, respectively). Only methyl parathion (0.052 mg/kg) and vamidothion (0.021 mg/kg) were detected in the bagasse. The presence of these residues in the bagasse was probably due to the action of the wax found in the peel, which prevented the methyl parathion and vamidothion from dissolving in the juice. According to these results, the pulp was fit for human consumption, as far as pesticide residues were concerned, and the bagasse was fit for animal feed and similar applications, because the residual levels found were below the limits established for these compounds.