
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Sparling, Graham 
A1  - Dragten, Robert 
A1  - Aislabie, Jackie 
A1  - Fraser, Rhonda 
T1  - Atrazine mineralisation in New Zealand topsoils and subsoils: influence of edaphic factors and numbers of atrazine-degrading microbes
JF  - Soil Research
JO  - Soil Res.
Y1  - 1998
VL  - 36
IS  - 4
SP  - 557
EP  - 570
KW  - microbial degradation, subsoil.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/S97065 
N2  - The mineralisation of 14C-ring-labelled atrazine to 14CO2 was measured in 3 contrasting New Zealand soils under controlled conditions of temperature and moisture. The numbers of atrazine-degrading organisms were measured by a most probable number technique. Decomposition rates were slow, with a maximum of 41% of atrazine being mineralised over 263 days. Mineralisation was generally very low in subsoils and was much reduced by low moisture content. However, one subsoil from 60&#8211;90 cm depth had unusually high numbers of atrazine-degrading microbes and showed mineralisation greater than or equivalent to the surface soil. Mineralisation was approximately doubled by a 10&#176;C rise in temperature over the range 16&#8211;28&#176;C. In general, the rate of atrazine mineralisation over 7&#8211;96 days could be predicted from the number of atrazine-degrading microbes and the cation exchange capacity of the soil (R2 = 0&#183;86). A large amount (54&#8211;77%) of 14C remained in the soil as non-extractable residues after 263 days, but only trace amounts of the added atrazine or the decomposition products de-ethyl atrazine and de-isopropyl atrazine were detected by extraction in organic solvent. 
ER  -

