Kentucky State University
Analysis of Dimethazone and Trifluralin Herbicides in Soil Incorporated with Sewage Sludge
Institution
Kentucky State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
George Antonious
Abstract
The sharply escalating production costs associated with the increasing costs of energy and fertilizers to U.S. farmers and the problems of soil deterioration and erosion associated with intensive farming system have generated considerable interest in less expensive and more environmentally compatible production alternatives such as recycling wastes from several processing operations. The increased production of sewage sludge in the U.S. has led many municipalities to consider the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land as a means of sludge and nutrient recycling. We conducted a field experiment to study the impact of sewage sludge on the concentration of two herbicides, dimethazone and trifluralin, in soil under field conditions. Three soil management practices were used i) municipal sewage sludge obtained from Metropolitan Sewer District, Louisville, KY and mixed with yard waste compost and incorporated into native soil at 15 t acre-1 (on dry weight basis) with a plowing depth of 15 cm, ii) municipal sewage sludge was mixed with native soil at 15 t acre-1 with a plowing depth of 15 cm, and iii) a no-mulch (NM) control treatment (roto-tilled bare soil) was used for comparison purposes. The soil in the experimental area was sprayed with a mixture of two preemergent herbicides, dimethazone and trifluralin formulations. We concluded that the increased organic matter content of soil due to the addition of soil amendments (swage sludge and sewage sludge mixed with yard waste compost) increased the concentration of dimethazone and trifluralin retained in soil.
Analysis of Dimethazone and Trifluralin Herbicides in Soil Incorporated with Sewage Sludge
The sharply escalating production costs associated with the increasing costs of energy and fertilizers to U.S. farmers and the problems of soil deterioration and erosion associated with intensive farming system have generated considerable interest in less expensive and more environmentally compatible production alternatives such as recycling wastes from several processing operations. The increased production of sewage sludge in the U.S. has led many municipalities to consider the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land as a means of sludge and nutrient recycling. We conducted a field experiment to study the impact of sewage sludge on the concentration of two herbicides, dimethazone and trifluralin, in soil under field conditions. Three soil management practices were used i) municipal sewage sludge obtained from Metropolitan Sewer District, Louisville, KY and mixed with yard waste compost and incorporated into native soil at 15 t acre-1 (on dry weight basis) with a plowing depth of 15 cm, ii) municipal sewage sludge was mixed with native soil at 15 t acre-1 with a plowing depth of 15 cm, and iii) a no-mulch (NM) control treatment (roto-tilled bare soil) was used for comparison purposes. The soil in the experimental area was sprayed with a mixture of two preemergent herbicides, dimethazone and trifluralin formulations. We concluded that the increased organic matter content of soil due to the addition of soil amendments (swage sludge and sewage sludge mixed with yard waste compost) increased the concentration of dimethazone and trifluralin retained in soil.