Disposition of atrazine metabolites following uptake and degradation of atrazine in switchgrass.
Date
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Research Projects
Organizational Units
The Department of Entomology seeks to teach the study of insects, their life-cycles, and the practicalities in dealing with them, for use in the fields of business, industry, education, and public health. The study of entomology can be applied towards evolution and ecological sciences, and insects’ relationships with other organisms & humans, or towards an agricultural or horticultural focus, focusing more on pest-control and management.
History
The Department of Entomology was founded in 1975 as a result of the division of the Department of Zoology and Entomology.
Related Units
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- Department of Zoology and Entomology (predecessor, 1975)
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Abstract
Extensive use of the agricultural herbicide atrazine has led to contamination of numerous ground and surface water bodies. Research has shown that it can have a variety of negative impacts on numerous non-target organisms in the environment. Phytoremediation is one strategy that has been studied to remove atrazine contamination. This paper investigates the hypothesis that switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) can exude metabolites of atrazine after uptake and degradation, which has been suggested by prior research. Pots planted with switchgrass were treated with a 4 ppm solution of atrazine spiked with [14C]atrazine. After 4 days, switchgrass plants were transplanted to new pots with fresh sand. Four days later, the pots were sacrificed, and sand and plant samples were extracted. Plant and sand samples were analyzed for the presence of atrazine and its major metabolites. The percentage of radiotracer remaining as the parent atrazine was observed to decrease over the course of the study while the percentages of the metabolites were observed to increase. The presence of the metabolite cyanuric acid in a switchgrass phytoremediation system is reported for the first time.
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Phytoremediation on December 21, 2012; 16(1); 62-72, available online: http://www.tandf.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15226514.2012.759528.