Herbicide Movement in Soils

The effect of agricultural chemicals on groundwater quality continues to be a major concern. Although point source contamination is recognized as a significant factor, the extent of herbicide leaching from normal field use is not clear. Since herbicides are used on approximately 98% of the corn and soybeans acres in Iowa, it is important to understand herbicide movement under normal conditions

Urban Integrated Pest Management Training for Retail Store Employees

A pilot training program in pest management and proper pesticide use was initiated in Illinois for retail and garden center employees by University of Illinois Extension. Primary instructors for the workshop included Integrated Pest Management and Horticulture educators. Because retail stores that sell pesticides are an important source of information for the homeowner, one method of transferring integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to the urban audience is to provide specialized training to retail store employees. In general, the current level of employee pest management training in retail stores that sell pesticides appears limited. This audience, however, seems very receptive to increasing the expertise of their employees, with the primary goal of improved customer service

Understanding Your Water Quality Analysis

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Herbicide and tracer movement in soil

Field movement of several herbicides, rhodamine WT, chloride, and bromide was measured by sampling field drainage tiles 1.2 m deep. Under natural rainfall conditions, alachlor (2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(methoxymethyl)acetamide) and metribuzin (4-amino-6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-(methylthio)-1,2,4-triazin-5(4H)-one) were detected in tile effluent samples 12 to 18 hours after a 30.7 mm rainstorm. Rainfall occurring 1 to 2 days after chemical application was primarily responsible for the elevated concentrations found. In a second experiment, a rainfall simulator was used to apply 50 to 80 mm of water to 8 plots, 24 hours after chemical application. Field drainage tiles were intensively sampled for 8 hours following the simulated rainstorm. Although tile flow rate and backfill material significantly affected solute breakthrough curves, alachlor, cyanazine (2- ( (4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl) amino) -2-methylpropanenitrile), rhodamine WT, chloride, and bromide were detected in tile effluent. The rapid breakthrough of both adsorbed and non-adsorbed solutes indicated that preferential flow is an important mechanism for the movement of surface-applied chemicals in a structured soil. Solute concentrations peaked within 130 minutes after the start of a simulated rainfall, but then decreased rapidly as matrix flow increased;Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the effect of a large, continuous macropore on chloride and herbicide movement. Packed soil columns were modified by removing a 6 mm diameter core from the center. The importance of a single macropore for water and solute movement was governed largely by the hydraulic conductivity of the surrounding soil matrix. Although higher initial breakthrough concentrations of chloride was measured in columns with a continuous macropore, total chloride recovered was less. In contrast, herbicides were only detected in drainage from soil columns containing a continuous macropore. In soil columns without a continuous macropore, no herbicides were found above the 0.4 ppb detection limit

Subsurface sampler

A subsurface sampler including a cylindrical casing with portholes to provide access below ground to sample potentially hazardous substances without contaminating investigative probes that are inserted into the interior cavity of the casing. The sampler has an inner sleeve that seals the portholes on the casing during the insertion operation. After the casing is inserted into the ground, the inner sleeve is rotated such that the windows on the sleeve and casing line up exposing the soil to a variety of investigative probes. A tab or wiper is attached to the inner sleeve to clear soil blocking the portholes in the casing and to cut through the smear zone immediately along side of the outer surface of the casing. Once the sampler casing is in the ground and portholes are open, a sampling probe is inserted into the interior cavity of the casing following a track or guide system. When soil characterization is complete, the portholes can be closed off by turning the inner sleeve and capping the casing for future analyses, or the interior cavity may be filled with grout. The sampler casing is not intended to be removed unless the area is excavated

A Web-Based Resource for Watershed Management in Illinois

The Illinois Watershed Management Clearinghouse (IWMC) Web Site provides access to information on watersheds and their management. The IWMC includes educational materials on a wide range of issues, ranging from urban storm water and best management practices to GIS support and watershed maps. IWMC links watershed groups to allow for sharing of information, materials, and technical tools. The site effectively leverages the resources of Illinois agencies into one organized site to better serve the state. IWMC has a large amount of information pertaining to most aspects of watershed management

Development of Educational Programs for Retail Stores That Sell Pesticides

Although homeowners usually purchase pesticides from home and garden centers, previous surveys have shown that store employees often do not receive adequate training in pest management and pesticide safety. Educational programs were conducted for retail store employees in Illinois. Topics included pest identification, integrated pest management, pesticide safety, pesticide toxicity, and emergency spill response. Evaluations suggested a high level of satisfaction with the training. Evaluation comments also indicated concern over the high turnover of seasonal employees, the wide range of employee understanding of pest management, and time constraints that may prohibit small retail stores from participating in educational programs

Slow-Release Formulation of Cowpea Mosaic Virus for In Situ Vaccine Delivery to Treat Ovarian Cancer.

The plant viral nanoparticle cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) is shown to be an effective immunotherapy for ovarian cancer when administered as in situ vaccine weekly, directly into the intraperitoneal (IP) space in mice with disseminated tumors. While the antitumor efficacy is promising, the required frequency of administration may pose challenges for clinical implementation. To overcome this, a slow release formulation is developed. CPMV and polyamidoamine generation 4 dendrimer form aggregates (CPMV-G4) based on electrostatic interactions and as a function of salt concentration, allowing for tailoring of aggregate size and release of CPMV. The antitumor efficacy of a single administration of CPMV-G4 is compared to weekly administration of soluble CPMV in a mouse model of peritoneal ovarian cancer and found to be as effective at reducing disease burden as more frequent administrations of soluble CPMV; a single injection of soluble CPMV, does not significantly slow cancer development. The ability of CPMV-G4 to control tumor growth following a single injection is likely due to the continued presence of CPMV in the IP space leading to prolonged immune stimulation. This enhanced retention of CPMV and its antitumor efficacy demonstrates the potential for viral-dendrimer hybrids to be used for delayed release applications

Corn nitrogen rate recommendation tools’ performance across eight US midwest corn belt states

Determining which corn (Zea mays L.) N fertilizer rate recommendation tools best predict crop N need would be valuable for maximizing profits and minimizing environmental consequences. Simultaneous comparisons of multiple tools across various environmental conditions have been limited. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the performance of publicly‐available N fertilizer recommendation tools across diverse soil and weather conditions for: (i) prescribing N rates for planting and split‐fertilizer applications, and (ii) economic and environmental effects. Corn N‐response trials using standardized methods were conducted at 49 sites, spanning eight US Midwest states and three growing seasons. Nitrogen applications included eight rates in 45 kg N ha−1 increments all at‐planting and matching rates with 45 kg N ha−1 at‐planting plus at the V9 development stage. Tool performances were compared to the economically optimal N rate (EONR). Over this large geographic region, only 10 of 31 recommendation tools (mainly soil nitrate tests) produced N rate recommendations that weakly correlated to EONR (P ≤ .10; r2 ≤ .20). With other metrics of performance, the Maximum Return to N (MRTN) soil nitrate tests, and canopy reflectance sensing came close to matching EONR. Economically, all tools but the Maize‐N crop growth model had similar returns compared to EONR. Environmentally, yield goal based tools resulted in the highest environmental costs. Results show that no tool was universally reliable over this study\u27s diverse growing environments, suggesting that additional tool development is needed to better represent N inputs and crop utilization at a larger regional level