Abstract                                                                         Back to Table of contents

The breakdown of lambda-cyhalothrin in cotton growing soil was studied in an indoor incubation experiment. Lambda-cyhalothrin was incubated at 30˚C in the dark in soil with different water contents. The degradation rate was similar at three water contents ranging from 30% to 90%. Degradation in shaken aqueous soil slurry was faster than in unsaturated soil, possibly due to the better redistribution of the lambda-cyhalothrin. The study indicated that degradation of this compound followed first-order kinetics and the half-life of this compound in different soil water contents was calculated to be in the range of 19-37 days. Degradation was apparently biological, as it was prevented by heat sterilisation and sodium azide. The isomerization of lambda-cyhalothrin also occurred in this experiment.

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