Sunlight Photolysis of Safener Benoxacor and Herbicide Metolachlor as Mixtures on Simulated Soil Surfaces

Benoxacor is a safener paired with the high-use herbicide S-metolachlor. Commercial formulations containing both compounds are sprayed onto soil pre-emergence to enhance yields of corn. In this study, we evaluated the sunlight photolysis of metolachlor and benoxacor, individually and as mixtures, in three different reaction environments: in water and on two soil-simulating surfaces (quartz and kaolinite). When irradiated individually, benoxacor degraded at least 19 times faster than metolachlor in each reaction environment, consistent with its higher molar absorptivity within the solar spectrum than metolachlor. When metolachlor and benoxacor were irradiated as mixtures, benoxacor promoted metolachlor degradation on quartz and, to a lesser extent, in water, but not on kaolinite. On quartz, at a benoxacor/metolachlor molar ratio of 0.1:1, metolachlor degraded 1.8 times faster than in the absence of benoxacor; as the benoxacor/metolachlor ratio increased, metolachlor degradation rate also increased. The photolysis rate of benoxacor depended on its initial surface concentration and was promoted by metolachlor. Benoxacor photoproducts were capable of absorbing sunlight and serving as photosensitizers for metolachlor degradation. These results illustrate how a safener can influence the photochemistry of its coformulated herbicide and suggest that such mixture effects should be considered when evaluating the environmental fate of agrochemicals.