ORBENCARB

Use

When 14C-orbencarb is applied to the soil surface, plants absorb the radioactivity and orbencarb is rapidly transformed to water-soluble metabolites in the plants. The major metabolites identified are 2-chlorobenzyl alcohol and 2-chlorobenzoic acid both in free and conjugated forms, 2-chlorobenzyl sulfonic acid and methyl 2-chlorobenzylsulfone. Hydroxylated metabolites at the phenyl ring and N-vinyl metabolite are found in soybean plants. Orbencarb degrades more rapidly in soils under upland conditions than in soils under flooded conditions. The major degradation products in the soils are orbencarb sulfoxide, monodesmethylorbencarb, methyl-2- chlorobenzylsulfoxide, methyl-2-chlorobenzylsulfone, and 2-chlorobenzylsulfonic acid.