Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #375080
Research Project: Sustainable Intensification of Crop and Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems at Multiple Scales

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Role of concentrated flow pathways on the movement of pesticides through agricultural fields and riparian buffer zones

Author
item CHANDLER, JOSEPH - Pennsylvania State University
item PREISENDANZ, HEATHER - Pennsylvania State University
item Veith, Tameria - Tamie
item Elkin, Kyle
item ELLIOTT, HERSCHEL - Pennsylvania State University
item WATSON, JOHN - Pennsylvania State University
item Kleinman, Peter

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2020
Publication Date: 7/1/2020
Citation: Chandler, J.W., Preisendanz, H.E., Veith, T.L., Elkin, K.R., Elliott, H.A., Watson, J.E., Kleinman, P.J. 2020. Role of concentrated flow pathways on the movement of pesticides through agricultural fields and riparian buffer zones.ASABE Paper No 2001630. St. Joseph, Minnesota. ASABE Annual International Meeting. https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202001630.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202001630

Interpretive Summary: No Interpretive Summary is required for this Proceeding. JLB.

Technical Abstract: Riparian buffers are an important component of watershed management strategies aimed at improving surface water quality. Under ideal conditions, they are well-documented to effectively mitigate nutrients and pesticides in agricultural runoff. However, previous studies have shown that the performance of vegetated buffers can be undermined by the development of concentrated flow pathways that bypass the vegetation, thereby limiting water quality benefits. To understand the occurrence and potential effects of concentrated flow pathways on pesticide transport from agricultural fields to nearby streams, soil samples (0-2 cm depth) were collected along surface runoff pathways from the field to the stream for nine sites in a Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) site in the ridge and valley physiographic region of Pennsylvania. At each site, samples were collected in areas where sheet flow was likely occurring and in concentrated flow pathways to identify the potential for concentrated flow pathways to act as sources or sinks of pesticides along the flow path. Samples were extracted for three pesticides of interest: atrazine, metolachlor, and imidacloprid. Two dominant patterns emerged, with concentrations found to be either mitigated or enhanced in concentrated flow pathways based on pesticide application to surrounding land use. Sites in the first category were row-cropped fields that received inputs of all three pesticides. Concentrations were highest in the non-concentrated flow areas in the field, suggesting that as pesticides are transported across the row-cropped fields, they are mitigated prior to reaching the stream. In contrast, sites in the second category included hay fields that had not been treated with any of the pesticides of interest. Concentrations were highest in the concentrated flow pathways, suggesting that concentrated flow pathways were bringing pesticides into the hay fields from upgradient row-crop fields. The results of this study highlight the importance of the land management factors and hydrologic connectivity that cause concentrated flow pathways to serve different functions (mitigation or enhancement) as runoff is conveyed from the field, to a buffer, and ultimately to an adjacent stream. Further, the results highlight the need for design and maintenance solutions addressing the erosion and sediment control issues that commonly undermine agricultural buffer effectiveness.