Fate of agricultural chemicals in soil, ground water and agricultural drainage water under farm conditions

This study was aimed at determining the long-term (1990-1993) fate of two commonly used herbicides, metolachlor and atrazine, and two pollutants of concern, nitrate and phosphorus, in tile drained, loam soil corn fields under CT and NT treatments. Chemical concentrations were determined in tile effluents and in soil and groundwater at various depths. Surface drainage water quality was also determined. Additional information required for model validation, such as water flow rates, water table elevations, precipitation, and various soil properties, was also obtained. Results from this field-scale study will complement other simultaneous studies at the detailed laboratory and plot scale, and less-detailed watershed scale, under the Great Lakes Action Plan of the Government of Canada.This report describes study methodology, findings, conclusions, new technologies and benefits, implications for the Great Lakes basin ecosystem, technology transfer potential, and needs for future research. Publications based on this study are also listed. Some analysis of samples and data is still in progress at the time of writing this report.