Exprimental assessment of pesticide leaching using undisturbed lysimeters*

Outdoor lysimeter experiments are integrated studies, which consider the comprehensive influence of environmental variables on the mobility and fate in soil of a chemical and its plant uptake, and give valid information on its potential for groundwater contamination. The interpretation of the studies has to consider: (a) that migration behaviour under environmental conditions does not correspond with 'ideal chromatographic behaviour' and (b) that lysimeter studies include the variables of field experiments and are not fully standardized. The results of lysimeter studies on chloethocarb and bentazone are discussed.