Effect of soil properties on pure and formulated mesotrione adsorption onto vertisol (Limagne plane, Puy-de-Dôme, France)

The fate of ionisable pesticides in the environment is complex as it is importantly related to many soil properties: pH, mineralogy, organic matter content and other soil characteristics. The adsorption of a weak acid herbicide, mesotrione, was studied in detail on whole and peroxide-treated vertisol topsoil and also on its granulometric fractions (clay, silt, sand) to evaluate the role of mineralogy and different organic matter pools. The soil studied is alkaline silty loam with smectite as the main clay mineral. It contains 1.7% organic carbon, mostly stabilized as a complex with smectite. Humus is of fulvic type. Mesotrione adsorption occurs on both mineral and organic constituents. Adsorption is weak and mesotrione can be easily and totally desorbed. As shown with 13C NMR experiments, adsorption best correlates with the alkyl and carboxylic carbon content, and occurs on both bound and free organic matter. No difference of mesotrione sorption was observed with the formulation Callisto®.