Reducing Pesticides Mobility From Soil Into Runoff Water.

In Kentucky agriculture, herbicides are applied according to guidelines. Their application period are usually coincides with seasonal rainfall. As a result, pesticide wash-off occurs, allowing pesticides to enter the Kentucky River watershed and impact surface water quality. The objectives of this investigation were to: i) assess the impact of recycled municipal sewage sludge and chicken manure on half-lives (T_1/2) values of pesticides in soil and ii) assess the impact of recycled waste on transport of pesticides from soil into runoff water arising from agricultural fields. Herbicides residues detected in soil were confirmed using gas chromatography (GC)/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) operated in total ion monitoring. Runoff water was collected and quantified using tipping-bucket apparatus. Considerable herbicide residues were detected in soil amended with chicken manure compared to native soil. We concluded that soil amendments could be used to intercept pesticide-contaminated runoff from agricultural fields, creating optimum conditions for sorption and biodegradation such that the amount of pesticides adjacent to water bodies is significantly reduced. This practice might provide a potential solution to pesticide contamination of surface and seepage water from farmlands.