| Abstract: | The degradation rates in soil of 1-benzyltriazole together with six analogues having substituents in the phenyl ring and two commercial triazole fungicides, PP450 and triadimefon, were determined at 15°C and 20 % soil water content. The order of degradation rates of the benzyltriazoles was H > 4-OCH3 > 4-F>4-Cl.4-≥tert-C4Hg3,4-diCl>3-CF3. Thus, in general, persistence was enhanced by electron-withdrawing substituents and by lipophilic groups that increased sorption by soil. Of the commercial fungicides, PP450 was degraded very slowly (half-life 578 days) while triadimefon was quickly converted (half-life 15 days) to the corresponding alcohol, triadimenol, which in turn was degraded very slowly. The effects of temperature and soil water content on rate of degradation were studied for 1-benzyltriazole and 1-(4-fluorobenzyl)triazole. The rate of degradation of 1-benzyltriazole was more sensitive to soil temperature and water content than was that of 1 -(4-fluorobenzyl)triazole. The influence of these results on the input data required by models which simulate persistence in field soil is discussed. |
