Degradation and Downward Movement of Lindane in Soil Under Cultivated Field Conditions

S.K. Sahoo and B. Singh

Abstract

Transport of pesticides in soil is important because it determines the extent to which pesticides reach groundwater. Many investigators have studied in a qualitative manner the tendency of insecticides to move by leaching through the soil by developing a mathematical expression. Little attention has been given to the actual formulation of such a model particularly under cultivated field conditions. The investigations described in this paper presented quantitative data which has indicated the relative importance of the factors which must be considered in predicating pesticide movement under cultivable field conditions. The data on residues of lindane in soil under cropped conditions showed the highly persistence nature of the pesticide. The movement of lindane being a matter of inches rather than feet holds good with the present experimental findings though the experiment was carried out in a sandy loam soil with very little organic carbon and clay contents.