Terrestrial field dissipation of diclosulam at four sites in the United States

The soil dissipation of diclosulam was studied using 14C-labeled and nonradiolabeled material in Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, and Illinois between 1994 and 1997. The test substance was preemergence broadcast applied at target rates of 35 and 37 g ai x ha(-1) for the 14C-labeled and the nonradiolabeled studies, respectively. The degradation of diclosulam was rapid with half-lives ranging from 13 to 43 days at the four sites. Rapid degradation rates and the increasing sorption to soil over time resulted in low persistence and mobility of this compound. Metabolite formation and dissipation in the field reflected observations of photolysis, hydrolysis, and aerobic soil metabolism studies in the laboratory. The rapid field dissipation rates, metabolite formation patterns, and sorption characteristics obtained in these field studies were consistent with the laboratory data generated for diclosulam, and reflect the multiple concurrent degradation mechanisms occurring in the field.