Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Vegetated ditches as a management practice in irrigated alfalfa

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The organophosphate (OP) insecticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos have been frequently detected in the San Joaquin River, California, USA. Irrigation tail waters are a significant source of OP pesticides in the watershed. This study tested several management practices for reducing offsite movement of chlorpyrifos to surface water from flood irrigated alfalfa. Management practices evaluated include (1) a constructed, vegetated irrigation tailwater return ditch and (2) increased lag time between chlorpyrifos application and start of flood irrigation. Chlorpyrifos concentrations in whole-water samples of irrigation runoff were variable and ranged from 0.22 μg/l to a maximum of 1.67 μg/l. The median concentration reduction at the end of a 200 m vegetated ditch was 38% compared to 1% in an adjacent conventional tail water ditch. Runoff data collected represented first flush runoff from sets that were irrigated between 48 and 144 h after chlorpyrifos application. There was no consistent effect of irrigation lag time on chlorpyrifos concentration in tailwater for lag times of up to 144 h. Consequently these data indicate that delayed irrigation is not an effective management practice for reducing chlorpyrifos off-site movement to surface water in California flood irrigated alfalfa.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cooper, C. M., Moore, M. T., Bennet, E. R., Smith, S., Farris, J. L., & Milam, C. D., et al. (2004). Innovative uses of vegetated drainage ditches for reducing agricultural runoff. Water Science and Technology, 49(3), 117–123.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CVRWQCB (2005). Central valley regional water quality control board. Amendments to the water quality control plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins for control of diazinon and chlorpyrifos runoff into the Lower San Joaquin River. Final Staff Report. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb5/programs/tmdl/.

  • Dow AgroSciences LLC (2004). Specimen Label for Lorsban 4E. Revised 09-07-04. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ld02A000.pdf.

  • DPR (2004). California Department of Pesticide Regulation Surface Water Database. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/sw/surfdata.htm.

  • DPR (2005). California Department of Pesticide Regulation Pesticide Use Reports. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/purmain.htm.

  • EPA (1971). US EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Method 160.2. Residue, Non-Filterable (Gravimetric, Dried at 103–105). Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://web1.er.usgs.gov/nemi/method_summary.jsp?param_method_id = 5213.

  • EPA (1994). US EPA Method 8141A. Organophosphorus compounds by gas chromatography: capillary column technique. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.epa.gov/sw-846/pdfs/8141a.pdf.

  • Guo, L., Nordmark, C., Spurlock, F., Johnson, B., Li, L. Y., & Lee, M., et al. (2004). Characterizing dependence of pesticide load in surface water on precipitation and pesticide use for The Sacramento River Watershed. Environmental Science & Technology, 38, 3842–3852.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, M., Bennett, E. R., Cooper, C. M., Smith, S., Shields, F. D., & Milam, C. D., et al. (2001). Transport and fate of atrazine and lambda-cyhalothrin in an agricultural drainage ditch in the Mississippi Delta, USA. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 87, 309–314.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UC ANR (2006). Pest Management Guidelines: Alfalfa. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.

  • UC ANR Publication 3430. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/PMG/index.html.

  • USDA (1997). Soil Survey of Stanislaus County, CA, Western Part. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/mlra02/wstan.html.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Environmental Monitoring Branch, 1001 I Street, Box 4015, Sacramento, CA, 95814, USA

    Sheryl L. Gill, Frank C. Spurlock, Kean S. Goh & Carissa Ganapathy

Authors
  1. Sheryl L. Gill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Frank C. Spurlock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kean S. Goh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carissa Ganapathy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheryl L. Gill.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gill, S.L., Spurlock, F.C., Goh, K.S. et al. Vegetated ditches as a management practice in irrigated alfalfa. Environ Monit Assess 144, 261–267 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9988-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9988-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation