Pesticide volatilization from plants: improvement of the PEC model PELMO based on a boundary-layer concept

Calculation of pesticide volatilization from plants as an integral component of pesticide fate models is of utmost importance, especially as part of PEC (predicted environmental concentrations) models used in the registration procedures for pesticides. A mechanistic approach using a laminar air-boundary layer concept to predict volatilization from plant surfaces was compared to data obtained in a wind-tunnel study after simultaneous application of parathion-methyl, fenpropimorph, and quinoxyfen to winter wheat. Parathion-methyl was shown to have the highest volatilization during the wind-tunnel study of 10 days (29.2%). Volatilization of quinoxyfen was about 15.0%, revealing a higher volatilization tendency than fenpropimorph (6.0%), which is attributed to enhanced penetration of fenpropimorph counteracting volatilization. Predictions of the boundary-layer approach were markedly influenced by the selected values for the equivalent thickness of the boundary layer and rate coefficients, thus indicating that future improvements of the approach will require a deeper understanding of the kinetics of the underlying processes, e.g. phototransformation and penetration. The boundary-layer volatilization module was included in the European registration model PELMO, enabling simultaneous calculation of volatilization from plants and soil. Application of PELMO to experimental findings were the first comprehensive PEC model calculations to imply the relevant processes affecting the postapplication fate of pesticides.