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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
08:49
Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
Reducing herbicides and veterinary antibiotics losses from agroecosystems using vegetative buffers
Chung-Ho Lin1, Robert N Lerch, Keith W Goyne
1Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. linchu@missouri.edu
Journal of Environmental Quality
|May 7, 2011
Summary
Vegetative buffer strips (VBSs) effectively reduce agrochemical runoff. Optimized VBS designs significantly lower herbicide and antibiotic transport, minimizing land loss for crop production.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Agricultural Science
- Soil Science
Background:
- Vegetative buffer strips (VBSs) are recommended for mitigating agrochemical transport in agricultural runoff.
- Limited data exists on how VBS design and species composition affect herbicide and veterinary antibiotic reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of different VBS designs in reducing herbicide and antibiotic transport in surface runoff from claypan soils.
- To develop predictive models for VBS implementation.
Main Methods:
- Experiment with three VBS designs (tall fescue, tall fescue with switchgrass barrier, native vegetation) and a control, replicated in triplicate.
- Rainfall simulation to generate runoff and assess agrochemical transport.
Main Results:
- All VBS designs reduced dissolved and sediment-bound atrazine, metolachlor, and glyphosate transport by 58-72%.
- 4-8m VBS reduced sulfamethazine transport by over 70%.
- Tall fescue VBS most effectively reduced tylosin and enrofloxacin transport (>75%).
Conclusions:
- Optimized VBS designs can significantly reduce agrochemical and antibiotic transport in surface runoff.
- VBS implementation can achieve desired reductions while minimizing land loss for crop production.
- Developed models can guide field-scale VBS design and implementation.
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