What are pesticide loss pathways?
The pesticide residue that remains after plant uptake is removed from the land surface by runoff, leaching, and by microbial and abiotic degradation. Abiotic transformation results from the processes like, oxidation, hydrolysis, and photolysis. When pesticides come in contact with soil, they are partitioned between organic matter of the soil and soil pore-water. Pesticides or pesticide constituents that have an affinity towards soil are lost through sedimentation loss in runoff and those which are water-affined are lost through leaching. Pesticide losses are largely result from rainfall events- intensity and frequency. Other factors affecting pesticide losses are rate and timing of application, soil types, and physical and chemical characteristics of pesticides (sorption to soil, solubility, and rate of degradation).
