Persistence of the insecticide Dimilin 45 ODC on conifer forest foliage in an Atlantic-climate ecosystem

The oil formulation of diflubenzuron (Dimilin 45 ODC) persisted for 10-12 weeks on the foliage of a conifer forest in an Atlantic-climate ecosystem. Within 22-30 days following treatment, 55-80% of the insecticide had been removed from the foliage. During this period, the concentration of diflubenzuron was higher than 370 ng g(-1). Aerial application at 56.3 g of Al ha(-1) resulted in deposition levels of the insecticide ranging from 867.5 to 1824.4 ng g(-1), depending upon forest characteristics. The results showed that aerial application is only a suitable technique for the treatment of forest areas with dense foliage and/or high tree density and no more than 15% of tree-free area. The only metabolite detected was 2,6-difluorobenzamide, and this persisted on foliage until the first rainfalls occurred. An empirical mathematical correlation was found to express the influence of meteorological variables--rainfall, solar radiation and temperature--on the persistence of the insecticide. These results suggested that degradation of diflubenzuron on foliage could be due to photodegradation. Some recommendations were made to optimize the deposition of the insecticide on foliage and to minimize its persistence and the off-site spray drift.