Every
agricultural product has unique chemical and biological characteristics
that affect longevity in the field. This environmental persistence
determines many important usage variables, such as potential geographic
markets, cropping groups, formulation types, harvest intervals,
crop irrigation allowances, and the total active ingredient registered. It is well known that long lived compounds are more difficult
to work with and register through governmental agencies. Mitigation measures, such as reduced rates, extended pre-harvest
intervals, limits on the number of applications, or the use of buffer
zones in ecologically sensitive areas, are often used to protect
the environment.
Pacific Ag can assist with studies
that determine the specific environmental half-lives of active
ingredients. Our staff of trained field
biologists and technicians work in the field to supply laboratory
samples for soil and aquatic dissipation studies, crop and
rotational crop residue (RAC) trials, and air monitoring (flux) studies.
The equipment inventory includes
a tractor mounted soil sampling unit for sampling of cores up to
10 m in depth, a GLP unit for RAC studies including current software
for electronic notebook documentation, and ample GLP maintained cold
storage. Our staff includes scientists with published work
on pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. We give our clients a level of expertise
unavailable outside of a few major universities or key
agrichemical manufacturer’s laboratories.