Environment, pesticides moisture

Many factors affect the mechanisms and kinetics of sorption and transport processes. For instance, differences in the chemical stmcture and properties, ie, ionizahility, solubiUty in water, vapor pressure, and polarity, between pesticides affect their behavior in the environment through effects on sorption and transport processes. Differences in soil properties, ie, pH and percentage of organic carbon and clay contents, and soil conditions, ie, moisture content and landscape position climatic conditions, ie, temperature, precipitation, and radiation and cultural practices, ie, crop and tillage, can all modify the behavior of the pesticide in soils. Persistence of a pesticide in soil is a consequence of a complex interaction of processes. Because the persistence of a pesticide can govern its availabiUty and efficacy for pest control, as weU as its potential for adverse environmental impacts, knowledge of the basic processes is necessary if the benefits of the pesticide ate to be maximized. 

The pesticide container is essential in protecting the environment from the product, i.e. from leaks or spills caused by rough handling or pressure build-up in the container. The container must also protect the formulation from the environment, i.e. from moisture, or from air where the product is sensitive to oxygen. The container should not allow pressure on the product, which may result in caking. 

Generally, pesticide residues will occur in the top 6 in. of the soil, which is also the region of greatest activity of soil fauna and flora. Thus, pesticides deposited in the soil are subject to various influences that affect their persistence in the environment. These include (1) soil type, (2) nature of the pesticide, (3) soil moisture, (4) soil pH, (5) soil temperature, and (6) microbial degradation of pesticides. 

Cink J. H. and Coats J. R. (1993) Effect of concentration, temperature, and soil moisture on the degradation of chlorpyrifos in an urban Iowa soil. In Pesticides in Urban Environments Fate and Significance, ACS Symp. Ser. (eds. 

Kruger EL, Somasundaram L, Kanwar RS, Coats JR (1993) Persistence and degradation of [C-14] atrazine and [C-14] deisopropylatrazine as affected by soil depth and moisture conditions. Environ Toxicol Chem 12(11) 1959-1967 Somasundaram L, Coats JR (1989) Enhance Biodegradation of Pesticides in the Environment. In Racke AD, Coats JR (eds) Influence of pesticide metabolites on the development of enhanced biodegradation. American Chemical Society, Washington DC... 

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