TRACK 4 • ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT Irrigation, Innovation, and the Environment POLYACRYLAMIDE (PAM) FOR IRRIGATION RUNOFF MANAGEMENT

Nearly two million U.S. irrigated acres safely use PAM for erosion control, water quality protection, and infiltration management, preventing 20 million tons of soil loss annually. Nutrients, pesticides, chemical oxygen demand, weed seeds, and pathogens in runoff from PAM-treated irrigation are greatly reduced. Typical annual PAM application amounts are < 10 kg ha-1. At these rates, infiltration is improved on medium to fine-textured soils. PAM applied at recommended rates has little or no effect on soil microflora and microfauna. Field research has shown that applications of up to 5.4 ton ha-1 active ingredient (a.i.) of PAM have only modest effects on soil microflora numbers and function and that PAM degrades at a rate of at least 9.8 % y- 1. Key points of PAM technology are presented