Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #122289
Title: MEASURING AND MODELING THE TRANSPORT OF PESTICIDES AND SOIL IN RUNOFF FROM FRESH-MARKET VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

Author
item Rice, Pamela
item Hapeman, Cathleen
item McConnell, Laura
item Sadeghi, Ali
item ISENSEE, ALLAN - RETIRED ARS
item Heighton Davies, Lynne
item Harman Fetcho, Jennifer
item Wauchope, Robert - Don

Submitted to: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/19/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Runoff from tomato production with polyethylene mulch has been implicated in the failure of commercial shell fish farms in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. This study was conducted to quantify the off-site movement of soil and pesticides with runoff from tomato plots containing polyethylene mulch and hairy vetch mulch. Seasonal losses of 2 to 4 times more water and at least 3 times as much sediment was observed from plots with polyethylene mulch. Chlorothalonil and endosulfan loads were 6 to 19 times greater from polyethylene plots. Runoff collected from polyethylene mulch plots contained greater loads of copper with 80% measured in the particulate-phase. Increased soil loss and off-site loading of pesticides measured in runoff from the polyethylene mulch suggests this management practice may have a greater impact on the environment. The Root Zone Water Quality Model was utilized to simulate the environmental impact of the two management practices.