Abstract
Metsulfuron-methyl is a sulfonylurea herbicide, primarily with postemergence activity but also with occasional pre-emergent activity, used for control of weeds and woody plants on agricultural lands and natural areas. The active ingredient is popular in Alaska as Ally XP formulation; little is known about its high-latitude environmental behavior and potential adverse impacts on soil health in cold regions. Our study determined field degradation rates at two experimental farms in Alaska and assessed whether laboratory-incubated soil amended at 1× or 100× label rates would adversely impact microbial community diversity. DT50 was observed at 4.12–5.13 days, with the compound below 1 μg/kg detection limit at 90 days. Interestingly, this is faster than the reported range of field half-lives in the literature (7–42 days). Microbial community composition was not affected by MSM at both 1× and 100× rates. High-latitude regions exhibit extreme summer photoperiods that may exacerbate the MSM degradation/dissipation rate; we postulate that timing of application may have large impacts on MSM attenuation.
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Acknowledgments
We thank A. Butler, B. Wrigley, P. Kaspari, C. Mancuso, and staff at the Delta Junction and Matanuska experimental farms for their technical assistance.
Funding
Funding was provided by the Salcha-Delta Soil Water Conservation District through USDA-NRCS, the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) innovate award to P. Tomco, and the UAA Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (to K. Rodriguez-Baisi).
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Tomco, P.L., Seefeldt, S.S., Rodriguez-Baisi, K. et al. Sub-Arctic Field Degradation of Metsulfuron-Methyl in Two Alaskan Soils and Microbial Community Composition Effects. Water Air Soil Pollut 231, 157 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04528-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04528-8