Effects of no-tillage practice on atrazine loss on sloping cropland

Atrazine is an herbicide which is widely used in the cornfield to remove annual gramineous weeds and broad-leaved weeds. However, Atrazine and its degradation products have high toxicity to animals and human beings. The lost of Atrazine from farmland with runoff and sediment will cause serious environmental problems. This study was conducted by simulated rainfall experiment to evaluate the effects of no-tillage practice on Atrazine loss on sloping cropland. The results showed that no-tillage practice could significantly reduce runoff and Atrazine loss. As compared to conventional tillage, the runoff and Atrazine loss with no-tillage were decreased by 59.4% and 55.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, the results also showed that there was a negative correlation between slope gradient and the effects of no-tillage practice in preventing runoff and Atrazine loss. The effectiveness of no-tillage practice gradually decreased with the increasing slope gradient. © 2011 IEEE.