Degradation of atrazine in mineral salts medium and soil using enrichment culture

Atrazine degrading enrichment culture was prepared by its repeated addition to an alluvial soil and its ability to degrade atrazine in mineral salts medium and soil was studied. Enrichment culture utilized atrazine as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen in mineral salts medium and degradation slowed down when sucrose and/or ammonium hydrogen phosphate were supplemented as additional source of carbon and nitrogen, respectively. Biuret was detected as the only metabolite of atrazine while deethylatrazine, deisopropyatrazine, hydroxyatrazine and cyanuric acid were never detected at any stage of degradation. Enrichment culture degraded atrazine in an alkaline alluvial soil while no degradation was observed in the acidic laterite soil. Enrichment culture was able to withstand high concentrations of atrazine (110 μg/g) in the alluvial soil as atrazine was completely degraded. Developed mixed culture has the ability to degrade atrazine and has potential application in decontamination of contaminated water and soil.     

Alginate immobilized enrichment culture for atrazine degradation in soil and water system

An atrazine degrading enrichment culture, a consortium of bacteria of genus Bacillus along with Pseudomonas and Burkholderia, was immobilized in sodium alginate and was used to study atrazine degradation in mineral salts medium (MSM), soil and wastewater effluent. Sodium alginate immobilized consortium, when stored at room temperature (24 ± 5°C), was effective in degrading atrazine in MSM up to 90 days of storage. The survival of bacteria in alginate beads, based on colony formation unit (CFU) counts, suggested survival up to 90 days and population counts decreased to 1/5^th on 120 days. Comparison of atrazine degrading ability of the freely suspended enrichment culture and immobilized culture suggested that the immobilized culture took longer time for complete degradation of atrazine as a lag phase of 2 days was observed in the MSM inoculated with alginate immobilized culture. The free cells resulted in complete degradation of atrazine within 6 days, while immobilized cells took 10 days for 100% atrazine degradation. Further, immobilized cultures were able to degrade atrazine in soil and wastewater effluent. Alginate beads were stable and effective in degrading atrazine till 3rd transfer and disintegrated thereafter. The study suggested that immobilized enrichment culture, due to its better storage and application, can be used to degrade atrazine in soil water system.     

Bioremediation model for atrazine contaminated agricultural soils using phytoremediation (using Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and a locally adapted microbial consortium

The objective of the present study was to examine a biological model under greenhouse conditions for the bioremediation of atrazine contaminated soils. The model consisted in a combination of phytoremediation (using Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and rhizopheric bio-augmentation using native Trichoderma sp., and Rhizobium sp. microorganisms that showed no inhibitory growth at 10,000 mg L^?1 of herbicide concentration. 33.3 mg of atrazine 50 g^?1 of soil of initial concentration was used and an initial inoculation of 1 × 10⁹ UFC mL^?1 of Rhizobium sp. and 1 × 10⁵ conidia mL^?1 of Trichoderma sp. were set. Four treatments were arranged: Bean + Trichoderma sp. (B+T); Bean + Rhizobium sp. (BR); Bean + Rhizobium sp. + Trichoderma sp. (B+R+T) and Bean (B). 25.51 mg of atrazine 50 g^?1 of soil (76.63%) was removed by the B+T treatment in 40 days (a = 0.050, Tukey). This last indicate that the proposed biological model and methodology developed is useful for atrazine contaminated bioremediation agricultural soils, which can contribute to reduce the effects of agrochemical abuse.     

Non-degradable triazine substrates of atrazine and cyanuric acid hydrothermally and in supercritical water under the UV-illuminated photocatalytic cooperation

Strong oxidation by titanium dioxide photocatalysis can occur by photodegradation of organic contaminants in air and water. Some endocrine disruptors such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (;;; ), 2,4-dichlorophenol (;;; ), nonylphenol (; ), bisphenol A (), diethyl phthalate (; ), etc. which can be neither biodegraded by bacteria nor degraded thermally can be degraded by TiO(2) photocatalytic treatment. However, incomplete photomineralization partly occurred, when TiO(2) photocatalytic degradation is employed for the treatment of certain endocrine disruptors. For example, no atrazine pesticide having triazine skeleton can be completely mineralized even by a photocatalytic procedure; the photodegradation of atrazine ultimately stops at the intermediate step of cyanuric acid, which cannot be photodegraded even after long illumination times ().In this study, the decomposition of atrazine and cyanuric acid was carried out with a device combining photocatalytic degradation in supercritical water (scH(2)O) or hydrothermal water (hyH(2)O). Atrazine and cyanuric acid can be degraded by the cooperation of either scH(2)O or hyH(2)O and UV illuminated TiO(2)-photocatalytic dispersed system under the fixed pressure of 23 MPa at 623 K or 683 K in a 120-ml Hastelloy batch reactor. The photocatalytic degradation method under high temperature and pressure has found appropriate for the photocatalytic oxidation of acetic acid and 2-chlorobiphenyl under continuous flow conditions at 160 degrees C and 20 atm (). In addition, the wet peroxide oxidation of PCBs by high temperature and pressure has been reported (). The main aims of this research are following. (i): the degradation of atrazine and cyanuric acid within the scH(2)O or hyH(2)O, (ii) the decomposition of atrazine and cyanuric acid catalyzed by TiO(2) particles under scH(2)O or hyH(2)O, and the synergistic effect for several reactions with TiO(2) and scH(2)O or hyH(2)O, and (iii) the mineralization yield of nitrogen and chlorine atoms concerning the chemical structures of atrazine or cyanuric acid (only nitrogen).     

Vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photolysis of water: Mineralization of atrazine

The versatility and efficiency of the VUV photolysis of water as an “Advanced Oxidation Procedure” for the light-induced oxidative degradation of atrazine as a pollutant of surface and ground waters is evaluated. The oxidation of atrazine using TiO₂ as a photocatalyst has been reported to produce almost stoichiometric amounts of cyanuric acid. Mineralization to CO₂, water and inorganic nitrogen containing ions occurred to a very low extent implying that cyanuric acid is resistant to further degradation under the chosen experimental conditions. Our present results show that in oxygen saturated solutions 50% of the initial atrazine is converted to cyanuric acid, whereas only 10% of the initial atrazine is isolated as cyanuric acid in argon saturated solutions. The results indicate that mineralization is more efficient in not strictly oxidative reaction media.     

Toxicity of atrazine and its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in a green microalga,Chlamydomonas mexicana

This study evaluated the toxicity of herbicide atrazine, along with its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in the green microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana. At low concentration (10 μg L^?1), atrazine had no profound effect on the microalga, while higher concentrations (25, 50, and 100 μg L^?1) imposed toxicity, leading to inhibition of cell growth and chlorophyll a accumulation by 22 %, 33 %, and 36 %, and 13 %, 24 %, and 27 %, respectively. Atrazine 96-h EC50 for C. mexicana was estimated to be 33 μg L^?1. Microalga showed a capability to accumulate atrazine in the cell and to biodegrade the cell-accumulated atrazine resulting in 14–36 % atrazine degradation at 10–100 μg L^?1. Increasing atrazine concentration decreased the total fatty acids (from 102 to 75 mg g^?1) and increased the unsaturated fatty acid content in the microalga. Carbohydrate content increased gradually with the increase in atrazine concentration up to 15 %. This study shows that C. mexicana has the capability to degrade atrazine and can be employed for the remediation of atrazine-contaminated streams.     

Evaluation of the capacity of the cyanobacterium Microcystis novacekii to remove atrazine from a culture medium

The bioaccumulation of atrazine and its toxicity were evaluated for the cyanobacterium Microcystis novacekii. Cyanobacterial cultures were grown in WC culture medium with atrazine at 50, 250 and 500 μg L^?1. After 96 hours of exposure, 27.2% of the atrazine had been removed from the culture supernatant. Spontaneous degradation was found to be insignificant (< 9% at 500 μg L^?1), indicating a high efficiency for the bioaccumulation of atrazine by M. novacekii. There were no atrazine metabolites detected in the culture medium at any of the doses studied. The acute toxicity (EC₅₀) of atrazine to the cyanobacterium was 4.2 mg L^?1 at 96 hours demonstrating the potential for M. novacekii to tolerate high concentrations of this herbicide in fresh water environments. The ability of M. novacekii to remove atrazine combined with its tolerance of the pesticide toxicity showed in this study makes it a potential biological resource for the restoration of contaminated surface waters. These findings support continued studies of the role of M. novacekii in the bioremediation of fresh water environments polluted by atrazine.     

Atrazine degradation by fungal co-culture enzyme extracts under different soil conditions

This investigation was undertaken to determine the atrazine degradation by fungal enzyme extracts (FEEs) in a clay-loam soil microcosm contaminated at field application rate (5 μg g^?1) and to study the influence of different soil microcosm conditions, including the effect of soil sterilization, water holding capacity, soil pH and type of FEEs used in atrazine degradation through a 2⁴ factorial experimental design. The Trametes maxima–Paecilomyces carneus co-culture extract contained more laccase activity and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content (laccase = 18956.0 U mg protein^?1, H₂O₂ = 6.2 mg L^?1) than the T. maxima monoculture extract (laccase = 12866.7 U mg protein^?1, H₂O₂ = 4.0 mg L^?1). Both extracts were able to degrade atrazine at 100%; however, the T. maxima monoculture extract (0.32 h) achieved a lower half-degradation time than its co-culture with P. carneus (1.2 h). The FEE type (p = 0.03) and soil pH (p = 0.01) significantly affected atrazine degradation. The best degradation rate was achieved by the T. maxima monoculture extract in an acid soil (pH = 4.86). This study demonstrated that both the monoculture extracts of the native strain T. maxima and its co-culture with P. carneus can efficiently and quickly degrade atrazine in clay-loam soils.     

Biodegradation of s-triazine herbicide atrazine by Enterobacter cloacae and Burkholderia cepacia sp. from long-term treated sugarcane-cultivated soils in Kenya

In this study soils from sugarcane-cultivated fields were screened for bacterial species capable of atrazine (6-chloro-N²-ethyl-N⁴-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) degradation due to long exposure of the soils to this herbicide. To enrich for atrazine degraders, Minimal Salt Medium containing atrazine as the sole N source and glucose as the C source was inoculated with soils impacted with this herbicide and incubated. Bacterial growth was monitored by measuring optical density. The degradation of atrazine was followed by measuring residual atrazine in liquid cultures over a given time period by high performance liquid chromatography. Bacterial strains isolated from the enrichment cultures were characterized by biochemical tests and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Two bacterial strains coded ISL 8 and ISL 15 isolated from two different fields were shown to have 94 and 96% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Burkholderia cepacia respectively. Another bacterial sp., ISL 14 was closely related to Enterobacter cloacae with a 96% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. There was not much difference between the extents of atrazine degradation by the enrichment cultures with communities (79–82% applied amount) from which pure strains were isolated and the pure strains themselves in liquid cultures that showed a degradation of 53–83% of applied amount. The study showed existence of bacterial strains in different sugarcane-cultivated fields which can use atrazine as a nitrogen source. The bacterial strains isolated can be used to enhance the degradation of atrazine in contaminated soils where atrazine is still considered to be recalcitrant.     

Fate of atrazine in switchgrass–soil column system

Atrazine, a broad-leaf herbicide, has been used widely to control weeds in corn and other crops for several decades and its extensive used has led to widespread contamination of soils and water bodies. Phytoremediation with switchgrass and other native prairie grasses is one strategy that has been suggested to lessen the impact of atrazine in the environment. The goal of this study is to characterize: (1) the uptake of atrazine into above-ground switchgrass biomass; and (2) the degradation and transformation of atrazine over time. A fate study was performed using mature switchgrass columns treated with an artificially-created agricultural runoff containing 16 ppm atrazine. Soil samples and above-ground biomass samples were taken from each column and analyzed for the presence of atrazine and its chlorinated metabolites. Levels of atrazine in both soil and plant material were detectable through the first 2 weeks of the experiment but were below the limit of detection by Day 21. Levels of deethylatrazine (DEA) and didealkylatrazine (DDA) were detected in soil and plant tissue intermittently over the course of the study, deisopropylatrazine (DIA) was not detected at any time point. A radiolabel study using [¹⁴C]atrazine was undertaken to observe uptake and degradation of atrazine with more sensitivity. Switchgrass columns were treated with a 4 ppm atrazine solution, and above-ground biomass samples were collected and analyzed using HPLC and liquid scintillation counting. Atrazine, DEA, and DIA were detected as soon as 1 d following treatment. Two other metabolites, DDA and cyanuric acid, were detected at later time points, while hydroxyatrazine was not detected at all. The percentage of atrazine was observed to decrease over the course of the study while the percentages of the metabolites increased. Switchgrass plants appeared to exhibit a threshold in regard to the amount of atrazine taken up by the plants; levels of atrazine in leaf material peaked between Days 3 and 4 in both studies.     

Treatment of atrazine by integrating photocatalytic and biological processes

This research examines the degradation of atrazine by photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) under different experimental conditions. Deisopropylatrazine, deethylatrazine and deethyldeisopropylatrazine were formed as major intermediates based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The reaction mixture was found to be toxic towards two bioassays, i.e. the Microtox and amphipods survival tests even when atrazine was completely degraded by PCO within 2 h under optimized conditions. The results indicate that adding H2O2 could significantly enhance the degradation of atrazine by PCO. Ammeline, ammelide and cyanuric acid (CA) became the major intermediates/products as detected by high performance liquid chromatography from 6th to the 40th h of PCO treatment. After 72 h PCO treatment, only CA was detectable in the reaction mixture. Further degradation of CA was carried out by a newly isolated CA-degrading bacterium, Sphingomonas capsulata. The photochemical pretreatment integrated with microbial degradation lead to the complete degradation and detoxification of atrazine.     

Wet peroxide degradation of atrazine

The high temperature (150-200 degrees C), high pressure (3.0-6.0 MPa) degradation of atrazine in aqueous solution has been studied. Under these extreme conditions atrazine steadily hydrolyses in the absence of oxidising agents. Additionally, oxygen partial pressure has been shown not to affect atrazine degradation rates. In no case mineralisation of the parent compound was observed. The addition of the free radical generator hydrogen peroxide to the reaction media significantly enhanced the depletion rate of atrazine. Moreover, partial mineralisation of the organics was observed when hydrogen peroxide was used. Again, oxygen presence did not influence the efficiency of the promoted reaction. Consecutive injections of hydrogen peroxide throughout the reaction period brought the total carbon content conversion to a maximum of 65-70% after 40 min of treatment (suggesting the total conversion of atrazine to cyanuric acid). Toxicity of the effluent measured in a luminometer decreased from 93% up to 23% of inhibition percentage. The process has been simulated by means of a semi-empirical model.     

Influence of microbial and synthetic surfactant on the biodegradation of atrazine

The present study reports the effect of surfactants (rhamnolipids and triton X-100) on biodegradation of atrazine herbicide by strain A6, belonging to the genus Acinetobacter. The strain A6 was able to degrade nearly 80 % of the 250-ppm atrazine after 6 days of growth. The bacterium degraded atrazine by de-alkylation process. Bacterial cell surface hydrophobicity as well as atrazine solubility increased in the presence of surfactant. However, addition of surfactant to the mineral salt media reduced the rate and extent of atrazine degradation by decreasing the bioavailability of herbicide. On the contrary, addition of surfactant to atrazine-contaminated soil increased the rate and extent of biodegradation by increasing the bioavailability of herbicide. As compared to triton X-100, rhamnolipids were more efficient in enhancing microbial degradation of atrazine as a significant amount of atrazine was removed from the soil by rhamnolipids. Surfactants added for the purpose of hastening microbial degradation may have an unintended inhibitory effect on herbicide degradation depending upon contiguous condition, thus highlighting the fact that surfactant must be judiciously used in bioremediation of herbicides.     

Residual tembotrione and atrazine in carrot

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is a vegetable crop that is grown throughout the year across various regions of Brazil in rotation or in succession to other cultures. Herbicide residual effect has emerged as a concern, because of the possibility of carryover. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tembotrione and atrazine residues – in mixture and isolated – on carrot planted in succession to corn. The experiment was designed in randomized blocks with five replications. Treatments consisted of tembotrione (50.4 g ha^?1), tembotrione (100.8 g ha^?1), tembotrione + atrazine (50.4 g ha^?1+ 2 L ha^?1), tembotrione + atrazine (100.8 g ha^?1+ 2 L ha^?1), and atrazine (2.00 L ha^?1) applied eight months before carrot seeding, plus a control treatment with no herbicide application. Investigated variables were shoot dry mass, productivity, and classification of carrot roots. The presence of atrazine and tembotrione decreased dry mass in the area, and only tembotrione reduced total root productivity. Thus, there is a carryover effect to tembotrione application that reduces the dry matter accumulation of shoot and total productivity, and an atrazine + tembotrione (100.8 g ha^?1) mixture reduces the total productivity after application of these herbicides to soil.     

Fate of atrazine in a soil under different agronomic management practices

Agricultural management affects the movement of atrazine in soil and leaching to groundwater. The objective of this study was to determine atrazine adsorption in a soil after 20 years of atrazine application under agronomic management practices differing in tillage practice (conventional and zero tillage), residue management (with and without residue retention) and crop rotation (wheat-maize rotation and maize monoculture). Atrazine sorption was determined using batch and column experiments. In the batch experiment, the highest distribution coefficient K_d (1.1 L kg^?1) at 0–10 cm soil depth was observed under zero tillage, crop rotation and residue retention (conservation agriculture). The key factor in adsorption was soil organic matter content and type. This was confirmed in the column experiment, in which the highest K_d values were observed in treatments with residue retention, under either zero or conventional tillage (0.81 and 0.68 L kg^?1, respectively). Under zero tillage, the fact that there was no soil movement helped to increase the K_d. The increased soil organic matter content with conservation agriculture may be more important than preferential flow due to higher pore connectivity in the same system. The soil's capacity to adsorb 2-hydroxyatrazine (HA), an important atrazine metabolite, was more important than its capacity to adsorb atrazine, and was similar under all four management practices (K_d ranged from 30 to 40 L kg^?1). The HA adsorption was attributed to the type and amount of clay in the soil, which is unaffected by agronomic management. Soils under conservation agriculture had higher atrazine retention potential than soils under conventional tillage, the system that predominates in the study area.     

Behavior of atrazine in soils of tropical zone

Abstract

Movement and degradation of ¹⁴C‐atrazine (2‐chloro 4‐(ethylamino)‐6‐(isopropylamino)‐s‐triazine, was studied in undisturbed soil columns (0.50m length × 0.10m diameter) of Gley Humic and Deep Red Latosol from a maize crop region of Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Atrazine residues were largely confined to the 0–20cm layers over a 12 month period Atrazine degraded to the dealkylated metabolites deisopropylatrazine and deethylatrazine, but the major metabolite was hydroxyatrazine, mainly in the Gley Humic soil. Activity detected in the leachate was equivalent to an atrazine concentration of 0.08 to 0.11μg/1.

The persistence of ¹⁴C‐atrazine in a maize‐bean crop rotation was evaluated in lysimeters, using Gley Humic and Deep Red Latosol soils. Uptake of the radiocarbon by maize plants after 14‐days growth was equivalent to a herbicide concentration of 3.9μg/g fresh tissue and was similar in both soils. High atrazine degradation to hydroxyatrazine was detected by tic of maize extracts. After maize harvest, when beans were sown the Gley Humic soil contained an atrazine concentration of 0.29 μg/g soil and the Deep Red Latosol, 0.13 μg/g soil in the 0–30 cm layer. Activity detected in bean plants corresponded to a herbicide concentration of 0.26 (Gley Humic soil) and 0.32μg/g fresh tissue (Deep Red Latossol) after 14 days growth and 0.43 (Gley Humic soil) and 0.50 μg/g fresh tissue (Deep Red Latossol) after 97 days growth. Traces of activity equivalent to 0.06 and 0.02μg/g fresh tissue were detected in bean seeds at harvest. Non‐extractable (bound) residues in the soils at 235 days accounted for 66.6 to 75% (Gley Humic soil and Deep Red Latossol) of the total residual activity.     

Photolysis of atrazine in aqueous solution: role of process variables and reactive oxygen species

Photochemical advanced oxidation processes have been considered for the treatment of water and wastewater containing the herbicide atrazine (ATZ), a possible human carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. In this study, we investigated the effects of the photon emission rate and initial concentration on ATZ photolysis at 254 nm, an issue not usually detailed in literature. Moreover, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is discussed. Photon emission rates in the range 0.87?×?10¹⁸–3.6?×?10¹⁸ photons L^?1 s^?1 and [ATZ]₀?=?5 and 20 mg L^?1 were used. The results showed more than 65 % of ATZ removal after 30 min. ATZ photolysis followed apparent first-order kinetics with k values and percent removals decreasing with increasing herbicide initial concentration. A fivefold linear increase in specific degradation rate constants with photon emission rate was observed. Also, regardless the presence of persistent degradation products, toxicity was efficiently removed after 60-min exposure to UV radiation. Experiments confirmed a noticeable contribution of singlet oxygen and radical species to atrazine degradation during photolysis. These results may help understand the behavior of atrazine in different UV-driven photochemical degradation treatment processes.     

Clearance of atrazine in soil describing xenobiotic behavior

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the “clearance concept” as a tool for describing the behavior of xenobiotic movement into and through soils. As an example, degradation of 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine (atrazine) with the formation of metabolites 2-chloro-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine (desethylatrazine) and 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-s-triazine (desisopropylatrazine) was investigated. Atrazine was sprayed post-emergently in doses of 0.125 or 0.5 g active ingredient/m² each on four test plots. Soil type was a sandy-loam, on which corn (Zea mays L.) was cultivated. Soil samples were taken as cores of 0.2 m depth 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after application of atrazine, and analyzed by HPLC. Soil concentrations of atrazine were highly correlated (r=0.993, p< 0.001) between the two applications of 0.125 g/m² and 0.5 g/m². Up to 50% of the atrazine was measured as metabolites during the whole vegetation period. Clearance of atrazine from soil was calculated as the total load of atrazine divided by the area under the soil atrazine concentration time curve. Soil atrazine clearance was calculated as 5.13 +/? SD 1.10 and 5.17 +/? SD 1.02 liter of soil per day for doses of 0.125 g/m² and 0.5 g/m², respectively (from a “soil unit” of 1 × 1 × 0.2 meter). The clearance concept might be a tool for risk assessment of xenobiotics.     

Degradation of atrazine by catalytic ozonation in the presence of iron scraps: performance,transformation pathway,and acute toxicity

Degradation of atrazine by catalytic ozonation in the presence of iron scraps (ZVI/O₃) was carried out. The key operational parameters (i.e., initial pH, ZVI dosage, and ozone dosage) were optimized by the batch experiments, respectively. This ZVI/O₃ system exhibited much higher degradation efficiency of atrazine than the single ozonation, ZVI, and traditional ZVI/O₂ systems. The result shows that the pseudo-first-order constant (0.0927?min^?1) and TOC removal rate (86.6%) obtained by the ZVI/O₃ process were much higher than those of the three control experiments. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that slight of γ-FeOOH and Fe₂O₃ were formed on the surface of iron scrap after ZVI/O₃ treatment. These corrosion products exhibit high catalytic ability for ozone decomposition, which could generate more hydroxyl radical (HO^?) to degrade atrazine. Six transformation intermediates were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis in ZVI/O₃ system, and the degradation pathway of atrazine was proposed. Toxicity tests based on the inhibition of the luminescence emitted by Photobacterium phosphoreum and Vibrio fischeri indicate the detoxification of atrazine by ZVI/O₃ system. Finally, reused experiments indicate the approving recyclability of iron scraps. Consequently, the ZVI/O₃ system could be as an effective and promising technology for pesticide wastewater treatment.     

Laboratory assessment of atrazine and fluometuron degradation in soils from a constructed wetland

Constructed wetlands offer promise for removal of nonpoint source contaminants such as herbicides from agricultural runoff. Laboratory studies assessed the potential of soils to degrade and sorb atrazine and fluometuron within a recently constructed wetland. The surface 3 cm of soil was sampled from two cells of a Mississippi Delta constructed wetland; one shallow area disturbed only hydrologically, and the second excavated to provide greater water-holding capacity. The excavated area was more acidic on average (pH 4.85 versus 5.21), but otherwise the physical properties and general microbial enzyme activities in the two areas were similar. Soils were treated with 84 and 68 microg kg(-1) soil (14)C-ring labeled atrazine and fluometuron, respectively, and incubated under either saturated (88% moisture, w:w) or flooded (1cm standing water) conditions. Soils were sampled over 32 days and extracted for herbicide and metabolite analysis. Under saturated conditions, fluometuron metabolized to desmethylfluometuron (DMF) with a half-life equal 25-27 days. However, under flooded conditions, the half-life of fluometuron was more than 175 days. Atrazine dissipated rapidly in saturated and flooded soil with a half-life of approximately 23 days, but only 10% of atrazine was mineralized to CO(2). The overall atrazine and fluometuron dissipation rates were similar between the two cells, but each area had a different pattern of metabolite accumulation. The major route of atrazine dissipation was incorporation of atrazine residues into methanol-nonextractable (soil-bound) components, with minimal extractable metabolite accumulation. A mixed-mode extractant (potassium phosphate:acetonitrile) recovered greater amounts of (14)C-residues from atrazine-treated soils, suggesting that hydrolysis of atrazine to hydroxylated metabolites was a major component of the bound residues. These studies indicate the potential for herbicide dissipation in wetland soils and a differential effect of flooding on the fate of these herbicides.