Breakdown and Movement of 2,4-D in the Soil Under Field Conditions

Abstract

The fate of 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid] in the soil under winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Nugaines’) and fallow cropping schemes was studied under the field conditions of eastern Washington in 1973 and 1974 using formulated dimethylamine salt and isooctyl ester of 2,4-D. Soil samples taken 1 hour after herbicide application showed that amine-treated plots retained considerably more applied 2,4-D than ester-treated plots. The rapidity of 2,4-D breakdown decreased gradually with time, and at the end of 6 months, an average of 0.04 ppm of 2,4-D remained in the sampled soil profile regardless of formulation, application rate, or cropping scheme. Loss of 2,4-D from the soil surface in runoff occurred when the plots were irrigated heavily one day after the herbicide application. The herbicide was also leached into the soil profile by both irrigation and natural precipitation. Herbicide concentrations in the sampled portion of the upper soil profile decreased during the summer and then increased slightly in the fall.