Nm. Akhouri et al., SORPTION AND DEGRADATION OF ATRAZINE IN MIDDENS FORMED BY LUMBRICUS-TERRESTRIS, Soil biology & biochemistry, 29(3-4), 1997, pp. 663-666
Little information is available about the fate of herbicides in midden
s formed by Lumbricus terrestris. The midden and surrounding soil mate
rials from no-till and conventionally tilled fields were measured for
their ability to sorb and biodegrade atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)
-6-(isopropylamino)- s-triazine]. For samples from the conventional ti
llage system, atrazine sorption was similar in middens and in the surr
ounding soil, while under no-till atrazine sorption was higher in midd
ens than in the surrounding soil. Atrazine degradation under no-till w
as slower in the middens than in the surrounding soil, consistent with
a commonly observed inverse relationship of sorption and degradation.
Under conventional tillage, however, atrazine degradation was greater
in the middens than in the surrounding soil, despite little differenc
e in sorption between the two treatments. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Lt
d.