Biocompost from sugar distillery effluent: effect on metribuzin degradation, sorption and mobility.

The article presents a study which examines the effect of biocompost from sugarcane distillery effluent on metribuzin degradation and mobility in a sandy loam soil in Northern India. The soil used has come from the experimental farm of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. The biocompost was gathered from Simbhaoli Sugar Mill Ltd. and the physicochemical characteristics of the biocompost included a pH of 7.6 and an organic carbon (OC) content of 31.0%. The study indicates that metribuzin was more persistent in biocompost-unamended flooded soil than in non-flooded soil. The study also shows that biocompost from sugarcane distillery effluent can be used effectively to lessen downward mobility of metribuzin in low-organic-matter sandy loam soil.