The objective of this study was to evaluate the removal of atrazine in runoff waters from areas cultivated with corn, utilizing 0, 5 and 10 m length vegetative filter strips. The runoff was generated by 4 simulated rains. The filter strips were cultivated with Brachiaria decumbens, which acts as an atrazine retention element. The 5 m length filter had 73,8% reduction of atrazine compared to control (without filter). The 10 m width filter had a reduction of 89,7%. These percentages of reduction were obtained due to an increase of water infiltration in the filter soil. The experiment demonstrated an efficient reduction of atrazine diluted in water, although the concentration did not suffer important reduction.
filter strip; runoff; atrazine
