GIS based ArcPRZM-3 model for bentazon leaching towards groundwater

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Science
• Hydrology

Background:

• Pesticide application in agriculture poses environmental risks, particularly groundwater contamination.
• Mathematical models are crucial for understanding pesticide transport in soils.
• Existing models require user-friendly interfaces and integrated databases for practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate ArcPRZM-3, a user-friendly model for simulating pesticide leaching to groundwater.
• To integrate the Pesticide Root Zone Model version 3 (PRZM-3) with GIS capabilities.
• To provide visualized outputs for easier interpretation of simulation results.

Main Methods:

• Developed ArcPRZM-3 by integrating PRZM-3 with Visual Basic and GIS-based Avenue programming.
• Utilized user-friendly interfaces and databases for crops, soils, and pesticides.
• Simulated bentazon leaching at 37 sites in Arkansas, USA, over two years for soybean, sorghum, and rice.

Main Results:

• ArcPRZM-3 generated 19 ranks of bentazon leaching potential across diverse soil and crop combinations.
• Simulation results showed compatibility with field-monitored data in terms of relative ranking and trends.
• Identified macropore flow as a significant factor in pesticide-induced groundwater contamination.

Conclusions:

• ArcPRZM-3 offers a more efficient and effective tool for simulating pesticide leaching compared to PRZM-3.
• The model's user-friendly interface and visualization capabilities enhance its practical utility.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering macropore flow in assessing irrigation impacts on groundwater quality.