Degradation of ^(14)C-glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in three agricultural soils

Glyphosate （N-phosphonomethyl glycine） is the most used herbicide worldwide. The degradation of ^14C-labeled glyphosate was studied under controlled laboratory conditions in three different agricultural soils： a silt clay loam, a clay loam and a sandy loam soil. The kinetic and intensity of glyphosate degradation varied considerably over time within the same soil and among different types of soil. Our results demonstrated that the mineralization rate of glyphosate was high at the beginning of incubation and then decreased with time until the end of the experiment. The same kinetic was observed for the water extractable residues. The degradation of glyphosate was rapid in the soil with low adsorption capacity （clay loam soil） with a short half-life of 4 days. However, the persistence of glyphosate in high adsorption capacity soils increased, with half-live of 19 days for silt clay loam soil and 14.5 days for sandy loam soil. HPLC analyses showed that the main metabolite of glyphosate, arninomethylphosphonic acid （AMPA） was detected after three days of incubation in the extracts of all three soils. Our results suggested that the possibility of contamination of groundwater by glyphosate was high on a long-term period in soils with high adsorption capacity and low degrading activities and/or acid similar to sandy loam soil. This risk might be faster but less sustainable in soil with low adsorption capacity and high degrading activity like the clay loam soil. However, the release of non-extractable residues may increase the risk of contamination of groundwater regardless of the type of soil.

Glyphosate Dissipation in Different Soils Under No-Till and Conventional Tillage

Glyphosate is the most used herbicide in Argentina, accounting for 62% of the commercialized pesticides on the market. It is used as a weed controller in no-till systems, and it is also applied to various genetically modified crops ( e.g., soybean, corn, and cotton). Although it has a high solubility in water, it tends to adsorb and accumulate in agricultural soils. The main objectives of this work were to compare the dissipation of glyphosate and the accumulation of its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) over time in three soils from agricultural areas of Argentina under long-term management with no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) practices. There were no differences in dissipation between NT and CT, indicating that the glyphosate-degrading microflora was not modified by the different tillage managements. Moreover, tillage practices did not alter the general soil properties;therefore, glyphosate bioavailability was not affected by NT or CT practice. Forty percent of the applied glyphosate was degraded within the first three days in all soils, indicating a fast initial dissipation rate. However, the dissipation rate considerably decreased over time, and the degradation kinetics followed a bi-exponential (or two-compartment) kinetic model. No differences were found between tillage practices. Dissipation was not related to the microbial activity measured as soil respiration. The fast decrease in the concentration of glyphosate at the beginning of the dissipation study was not reflected in an increase in the concentration of AMPA. The estimated half-lives for glyphosate ranged between 9 and 38 d. However, glyphosate bioavailability decreases over time, as it is strongly adsorbed to the soil matrix. This increases its residence time, which may lead to its accumulation in agricultural soils.