Reactions of diclosulam in a Rhodic Hapludox soil under no-till and conventional tillage systems

dThe aim of this study was to evaluate the dissipation, effects on microorganisms, and sorption/desorption of C-14-diclosulam in Rhodic Hapludox soil samples, cultivated for 10 years under no-till (NT) or conventional tillage (CT) systems. We carried out three individual experiments. In the dissipation and sorption/desorption experiments, diclosulam was applied to soil samples of both management systems. The microbial activity experiment tested diclosulam application and non-application on the soil samples. The degradation experiment was carried out in Bartha flasks, weekly evaluating herbicide mineralization by radiorespirometry. In a parallel evaluation, the herbicide and its metabolites were extracted in other flasks, and the remaining fraction in the soil (bound-residue fraction) was quantified after oxidation in a biological oxidizer. The microbial activity was evaluated by the C-14-glucose technique. In order to obtain the sorption/desorption isotherms, we employed five herbicide concentrations, with four desorptions each. Diclosulam dissipation in the soil was accelerated by the no-till system, due to a higher microbial activity as well as a higher bound-residue formation, compared to the conventional system. The herbicide extraction decreased with time, due to metabolization and the increase in the bound-residue formation. Diclosulam presented a low sorption rate, independently of the management system. Diclosulam application was no hindrance for microbial soil activity, but the management systems did interfere with the dissipation of diclosulam in the soil.