4. Dissipation of plant protection products after application

The dissipation of plant protection products begins as soon as they are applied to the soil. Two fundamental processes contribute to the disappearance of the parent substance from the site of application :

• Dispersion, which carries the product and any by-products away from the application site or soil volume;

• degradation, which transforms the initial molecule to a greater or lesser extent, even leading to mineralization.

Knowledge of the dissipation dynamics of a product after it has been applied at a...