Persistence of Pendimethalin in/on Wheat, Straw, Soil and Water.

Pendimethalin, a dinitroaniline group of organic herbicide compounds used as pre emergence weed control in wheat, onion and soyabean crops in India. The experiments were designed to study the harvest time residues of pendimethalin in wheat grain and straw its dissipation behaviour in soil and water. At harvest time, the residues of pendimethalin in wheat grain and straw were found to be below determination limit of 0.001 mg kg(-1) following single application of the herbicide at the rate of 1 (T1/single dose) and 2 (T2/double dose) kg a.i. ha(-1). Soil samples from the field were collected periodically and analysed by GC-ECD system. In soil, initial deposits of 4.069 and 10.473 mg kg(-1) of pendimethalin persisted up to 90 days and dissipation followed first order kinetics with half life period of 12.03 days in T1 and 13.00 days in T2. Residues of pendimethalin studied in water under laboratory conditions at 0.5 (T1) and 1.0 (T2) mg L(-1) levels persisted up to 90 days. Dissipation kinetics followed first order kinetics with half-life values of 12.70 and 13.78 days at single and double dose, respectively. Limit of determination in grain, straw and soil were 0.001 mg kg(-1) and in water was 0.001 mg L(-1). Application of the herbicide is considered quite safe from consumer and environmental point of view.