Knowledge of herbicide retention processes in soil is fundamental to predict leaching potential, degradation, and weed control efficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the processes of sorption and desorption of ametryn in four Brazilian soils: Red-Yellow Latosol (LVA), Red-Yellow humic Latosol (LVAh), Red Latosol (LV), and Yellow Latosol (LA), with different pH values. Thus, the method "Batch Equilibrium" was applied under controlled laboratory conditions, and analysis by high performance liquid chromatography using UV-Vis detector at 245 nm. Considering the values of the modified Freundlich constant (K'f), the following increasing sorption order of ametryn was verified: LV pH 6.06 <5.00 LV pH <6.30 LA pH <6.11 pH LVA <LVA 5.40 pH <6.24 pH LVAh <LVAh pH 4.8. It was concluded that the organic matter content characteristics and the pH of the soils affected ametryn sorption and desorption, and that soils with higher organic matter content showed the highest rates of sorption, besides smaller percentages of desorption, indicating the occurrence of hysteresis.
herbicide; soil; batch equilibrium; liquid chromatography; Freundlich isotherms
