The Relationship of Insecticide Solubility in Water to Toxicity in Soil

The toxicity of 11 insecticides, varying in solubility in water from 8000 ppm, was determined by using crickets, Acheta pennsylvanicus (Burmeister) (24–48h old) as test insects. LD50 values were determined for the insecticides applied by direct contact and by incorporation into Bondhead sandy loam containing 20 and 2.5% water. Analysis of the results indicated that, despite the diverse chemical structures of the compounds tested, there was a significant negative correlation between water solubilities of insecticides and their respective toxicities in soil, i.e., insecticide toxicity in soil decreased with increasing solubility of the insecticides in water.