Environmental chemodynamic studies with terbufos (Counter) insecticide in soil under laboratory and field conditions.

The effect of temperature, soil moisture, soil type, adsorption, and formulation on terbufos persistence in soil was studied under laboratory conditions. Temperature appeared to be more important than moisture in influencing the dissipation rate of terbufos. More terbufos was recovered from a granular formulation than a technical formulation one month after incubation. Soil adsorption coefficient and calculated first order rate constant were well correlated. Terbufos was relatively immobile on soil thin layers and in field-located soil columns. Laboratory data agreed reasonably well with measurements of persistence in the field. Terbufos degradation kinetics were qualitatively analyzed and the toxicological significance of studying parent terbufos alone was discussed.