Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version. If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options. IMPACT OF INITIAL SOIL WATER CONTENT, CROP RESIDUE COVER, AND POST–HERBICIDE IRRIGATION ON HERBICIDE RUNOFFPublished by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org Citation: Transactions of the ASAE. 45(6): 1817–1824. (doi: 10.13031/2013.11432) @2002Authors: S. K. Smith, T. G. Franti, S. D. Comfort Keywords: Runoff, Herbicide, Crop residue, Irrigation, Soil water content Herbicide loss in runoff is strongly influenced by rainfall immediately following herbicide application and by environmental conditions, such as crop residue cover and soil water content. A laboratory rainfall simulator was used to quantify the impact of initial soil water content (0.12 and 0.24 kg kg1), crop residue cover (10% and 30% surface cover), postherbicide irrigation (4 to 8 mm), and timing of first runoff event (1, 8, and 15 days) on atrazine and metolachlor runoff. Herbicides were applied (1.3 kg ha1 a.i. atrazine; 1.6 kg ha1 a.i. metolachlor) to the surface of selfcontained soil trays (0.55 0.28 m), and simulated rainfall was applied at 55 mm hr1. Herbicide concentration and mass loss in runoff were evaluated after 13, 25, 38, and 51 mm of rainfall, but treatment effects were independent of rainfall depth. Greater initial soil water content substantially increased herbicide concentration. When initial soil water content was 24% (versus 12%), 2 to 3 times more herbicide mass loss was observed when runoff occurred 1 and 8 days after herbicide application. After 51 mm of simulated rain, 30% crop residue cover resulted in 22% to 29% less water runoff and 35% to 50% less atrazine mass loss than 10% residue cover. Average herbicide concentrations were similar for both residue levels, indicating that differences in herbicide mass loss resulted from different water runoff volumes. The postherbicide irrigation (rainin) reduced atrazine mass loss by 33% on day 1, largely from reduced concentration, but no mass loss reduction was seen on days 8 and 15, when soil crusting is believed to have increased runoff volume. These results demonstrate the importance of soil water content during the first runoff following herbicide application and quantify how low antecedent moisture, greater crop residue cover, and a light postherbicide irrigation can reduce herbicide runoff. (Download PDF) (Export to EndNotes)
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