Abstract
INSECTICIDES are commonly used for control of soil insects, but little is known about the factors influencing insecticide activity in soil. In the few investigations reported, emphasis has been placed on insecticides in the chlorinated hydrocarbon group. It has been established that DDT, γ-BHC, and dieldrin are inactivated by dry clay soils1–3, and that under conditions of high relative humidity reactivation occurs3,4. Barlow and Hadaway3 have suggested that insecticide inactivation on dry mud surfaces results from the physical phenomenon of adsorption, and that reactivation under conditions of high relative humidity occurs because the insecticide particles are unable to compete with water for the adsorptive surfaces on the soil particles. Other investigators5–7 have noted that insecticides are also inactivated in soils high in organic matter. The mechanism of inactivation by the organic fraction is not clear, but Roberts7 recently concluded that dieldrin is adsorbed by the organic fraction of the soil. This communication summarizes preliminary results obtained in a comprehensive investigation, now in progress at this laboratory, to determine the influence of soil type and soil moisture on the activity of both chlorinated hydrocarbon and organophosphate insecticides applied to soil for insect control.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Hadaway, A. B., and Barlow, F., Nature, 167, 854 (1951).
Downs, W. C., Bordas, E., and Navarro, L., Science, 114, 259 (1951).
Barlow, F., and Hadaway, A. B., Bull. Entomol. Res., 46, 547 (1955).
Gerolt, P., Bull. World Health Org., 24, 577 (1961).
Edwards, C. A., Beck, S. D., and Liehtenstein, E. P., J. Econ. Entomol., 50, 622 (1957).
Fleming, W. E., Parker, L. B., Maines, W. W., Plasket, E. L., and McCabe, P. J., U.S. Dept. Agric. ARS Tec. Bull., 1266, 44 (1962).
Roberts, R. J., J. Econ. Entomol., 56, 781 (1963).
Harris, C. R., and Svec, H. J., Bull. Entomol. Res., 54, 805 (1963).
Lichtenstein, E. P., and Schulz, K. R., J. Econ. Entomol., 52, 118 (1959).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HARRIS, C. Influence of Soil Type and Soil Moisture on the Toxicity of Insecticides in Soils to Insects. Nature 202, 724 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/202724a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/202724a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.