Effect of Soil pH on Degradation, Movement, and Plant Uptake of Chlorsulfuron

Abstract

The influence of soil pH on the uptake, degradation, and movement of chlorsulfuron {2-chloro-N-[[(4-methoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino] carbonyl] benzenesulfonamide} in soil was examined. Phytotoxicity decreased as pH increased in a silty clay loam with an adjusted pH range of 5.9 to 7.5. Fresh weights of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. ‘Funks G-499 GBR’] shoots grown in soil at pH 7.5 and containing 0.8 or 1.6 ppbw chlorsulfuron were not different from the controls while large differences occurred at pH 5.9. Uptake of 14C-chlorsulfuron by wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Centurk’) in a silty clay loam with a pH of 5.9 was 67 to 100% greater than at pH 7.5. Soil pH strongly influenced the degradation rate of chlorsulfuron in a laboratory incubation study. Chlorsulfuron half-life in a silty clay loam was 1.9 weeks at pH 5.6 and 10 weeks at pH 7.5. Soil thin-layer chromatography indicated a high leaching potential for chlorsulfuron, and mobility increased as soil pH was increased.