Herbicide loss following application to a railway

Ramwell, Carmel; Heather, Andrew; Shepherd, Anthony J

doi:10.1002/ps.850

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…Due to the coarse texture and low organic matter content of railway embankments, there is much concern that application of herbicides to railways may lead to groundwater contamination. Several studies have investigated the leaching of pesticides from railway tracks and, with some exceptions, most of them indicate that the leaching potential is considerable and that concentrations in the groundwater beneath the track may significantly exceed the EU limit for drinking water of 0.1 µg l -1 if the application rate is too high (Torstensson, 1983;1985;Lode and Meyer, 1999;Schmidt et al, 1999;Börjesson et al, 2004;Ramwell et al, 2004;Torstensson and Börjesson, 2004;Torstensson et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolic and cometabolic degradation of herbicides in the fine material of railway ballast

Cederlund

Börjesson

Önneby

et al. 2007

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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Microbial degradation of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (diuron) and mineralization of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) were studied in soil samples taken from the ballast layers of three Swedish railway embankments. The degradation of diuron followed first-order kinetics and half-lives ranged between 122-365 days. The halflives correlated strongly with microbial biomass estimated by substrate-induced respiration (SIR; R = -0.85; p<0.05) and with the amount of organic matter measured as loss on ignition (R = -0.87; p<0.05). Accumulation of the metabolites DCPMU and DCPU was observed in all samples and these were only detectably degraded in the sample with the highest SIR. Addition of ground lucerne straw to the ballast samples stimulated microbial activity and led to increased formation of metabolites, but further transformation of DCPMU and DCPU was not enhanced. Mineralization of MCPA followed growth-linked kinetics and the time for 50% mineralization was 44.5 ± 7.1 days in samples of previously untreated ballast. In samples of ballast that had been previously treated with the herbicide formulation MCPA 750, the time for 50% mineralization was reduced to 13.7 ±11.3 days. The number of MCPA degraders, quantified using an MPN technique, was clearly increased but highly variable. An average yield of 0.18 cells pg -1 of MCPA was estimated from the kinetic data. The yield estimates correlated with the amount of nitrogen in the ballast, indicating that mineralization of MCPA was nitrogen-limited in the railway embankments studied. This has practical implications for weed control using herbicides on railways.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolic and cometabolic degradation of herbicides in the fine material of railway ballast

Cederlund

Börjesson

Önneby

et al. 2007

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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“…Railway track beds generally have low microbial activity and functional microbial diversity compared with most agricultural soils (Smith et al, 1981;Cederlund et al, 2008), and hence the dissipation of herbicides applied to railway tracks may diff er considerably from that on arable land (Torstensson et al, 2002;Börjesson et al, 2004;Cederlund et al, 2007). Several studies have indicated that herbicide use on railways contributes to surface water and groundwater contamination (Schweinsberg et al, 1999;Ramwell et al, 2004;Skark et al, 2004), and it seems prudent to evaluate the behavior of herbicides intended for railway use thoroughly before approval.…”

Section: Degradation and Leaching Of Fluroxypyr After Application To mentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation and Leaching of Fluroxypyr after Application to Railway Tracks

Cederlund

Börjesson

Jönsson³

et al. 2012

J. Environ. Qual.

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Fluroxypyr is an auxin-type herbicide used for postemergent control of broad-leaved weeds in agriculture and in nonagricultural environments such as railways. The overall aim of this study was to assess the potential environmental impact from fluroxypyr application to railway tracks and to elucidate some of the factors that control its environmental fate. In laboratory studies, we examined the degradation of fluroxypyr and the formation of its metabolites fluroxypyr-methoxypyridine (F-MP) and fluroxypyr-pyridinol (F-P) in soil from two Swedish railways. We also investigated the degradation and leaching of fluroxypyr in three different railway plots treated with fluroxypyr (360 g ae ha). The half-life of fluroxypyr in soil samples ranged between 28 and 78 d. An estimated mean 48.6 ± 20% of the fluroxypyr was converted into F-P and 8.0 ± 2% into F-MP. The main metabolite, F-P, was rapidly degraded, with an average half-life of 10 ± 5 d. However, F-MP was not degraded to a significant degree in any sample, resulting in slowly increasing concentrations throughout the experiment. This pattern of relatively rapid degradation of F-P and slow accumulation of F-MP was also observed in the field. The persistent nature of F-MP may be of concern if fluroxypyr is used repeatedly at the same location. Fluroxypyr was detected in the groundwater beneath the track at all three locations studied in concentrations exceeding the EU limit of 0.1 μg L for pesticides in drinking water, and F-P was detected in the groundwater at two of three locations. The most important factor controlling fluroxypyr degradation rate in soil was the soil water content, which modulated microbial activity and presumably also fluroxypyr availability to microorganisms. Our findings imply that fluroxypyr may not be a suitable herbicide for weed control on railway tracks.

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“…In many countries, weed control on railway tracks relies on glyphosate [1][2][3]. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide with systemic properties [4] and, therefore, shows good activity not only against annual, but also most perennial weeds, including weeds with deep roots that are commonly present on railway tracks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation and sorption of the herbicides 2,4-D and quizalofop-P-ethyl and their metabolites in soils from railway tracks

Buerge

Pavlova

Hanke

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Broad spectrum of activity and low risk of groundwater contamination are important arguments for the application of the herbicide glyphosate on railway tracks. Nevertheless, certain weeds are insufficiently controlled or develop resistance, and there is also an ongoing controversial discussion about possible carcinogenicity of glyphosate. Alternatives are thus strongly desired. 2,4-D and quizalofop-P-ethyl (QE) are two selective herbicides with a complementary spectrum of activity. When used in agriculture, the compounds and their metabolites pose low risk to groundwater. Uses on railway tracks are, however, more critical since degradation likely is slower and mobility higher than in agricultural soils. In this study, we investigated degradation and sorption of the two active substances as well as five metabolites in three soils collected from railway tracks and in a crushed sand, used for construction works.Results: In these railway materials, the compounds were indeed degraded slower than in agricultural soils (mean half-lives differed by a factor of 2-26) and mobility was higher (mean sorption coefficients differed by a factor of 3-19). Half-lives and sorption coefficients were also estimated by extrapolation of data from agricultural soils, considering the organic carbon content of railway soils and agricultural soils. Estimated values were more conservative than measured values, i.e., for herbicides, for which no measured parameters are available for railway soils, estimated values may be a viable alternative for a first tier groundwater assessment.Conclusions: Based on our experimental data, possible leaching to groundwater is predicted to be highest for 2,4-D and quizalofop-acid, the primary metabolite of QE, moderate for 2,4-dichlorophenol, the primary metabolite of 2,4-D, but low for QE. Secondary and tertiary metabolites were formed in only low quantities. For an advanced groundwater risk assessment, leaching studies, e.g., with lysimeters, would be a reasonable next step.

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Herbicide loss following application to a railway

Cited by 27 publications

References 5 publications

Metabolic and cometabolic degradation of herbicides in the fine material of railway ballast

Metabolic and cometabolic degradation of herbicides in the fine material of railway ballast

Degradation and Leaching of Fluroxypyr after Application to Railway Tracks

Degradation and sorption of the herbicides 2,4-D and quizalofop-P-ethyl and their metabolites in soils from railway tracks

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