HEXAZINONE AND ITS METABOLITES IN BOREAL FOREST VEGETATION

Concentrations of hexazinone and two metabolites in vegetation were determined for 2 yr after broadcast application of a 10% granular formulation of hexazinone at 2 and 4 kg ai ha-1 rates in August 1986 in a boreal forest. Prewinter concentrations of hexazinone in stems of trembling aspen, Saskatoon berry, and willow ranged from 0.02 to 0.05 mug-1 dry wt at 64 d after treatment (DAT). Absorption of hexazinone accelerated during spring thaw (1987), and residues in foliage of several woody and herbaceous species peaked during May to July. Patterns of accumulation of hexazinone and its metabolites varied with the species. Foliar concentrations diminished significantly by the end of the first growing season in 1987 (372 DAT) and were undetectable or extremely low at the end of the second growing season in 1988 (707 DAT). Based on the highest residue concentrations detected in several plant species, it is estimated that wildlife would ingest a maximum of 16, 28, and 24 mg of hexazinone, metabolite A, and metabolite B, respectively, for every kg of dry matter consumed. Reported LD50 values suggest that application of hexazinone at the 4 kg ai ha-1 rate or less poses no toxicological threat to wildlife.