Losses of terbuthylazine and alachlor from agricultural fields - Part I: Volatilization processes

The volatilisation processes of terbuthylazine and alachlor were investigat ed in a two year field-trial experiment. Air and soil samples were collecte d in order to understand the relationships between air and soil concentrati ons. The results showed that this process can be divided in two independent phases, leading to different losses of herbicides. Before reaching a parti tioning equilibrium in soil, volatilization rates of both pesticides ate ve ry high. Afterwards, volatilization losses are sharply reduced, and the two compounds demonstrate a different behaviour.