ABSTRACT
The fate of pesticides in the environment is determined by many processes, which are functions of both the environmental conditions and the properties of the pesticides. All elements in the system, namely the water, the pesticides, and the soil, affect the transport processes. Water balance determines the potential leaching and runoff losses. An integral understanding of the fate of pesticides in the environment will allow us to monitor and/or assess the potential of ground water contamination from agricultural applications. Rainfall timing with respect to pesticide application is particularly important; pesticides in the runoff-active zone decline with time rapidly by processes of volatilization, photolysis, leaching, and decomposition. As adsorption measurements are generally tedious and sometimes difficult due to the low solubility of some pesticides in water, a considerable effort has been focused on indirect estimation techniques for predicting adsorption. The degradation aspects of a pesticide, combined with its water solubility, affect its potential of contaminating either surface or ground water.
