Vegetated filter strips (VFSs) established at the downslope edge of agricultural fields have long been recommended as a management practice to reduce sediment, nutrients, and pesticides in surface runoff before it enters water bodies. Recently VFSs have been mandated as label requirements for plant protection products in Europe and North America. Several simulation models have been developed to predict the amount of pesticide active ingredients and their metabolites removed from runoff flowing through these strips. Removal efficiency is a function of several parameters and must be predicted on an event basis. The predictions of four simulation models (APEX, PRZM-BUFF, REMM, and VFSMOD) were compared using three data sets. Conditions simulated included a range of soil properties, slopes, rainfall events, and pesticide characteristics. All four models predicted reductions of pesticides in the VSFs consistent with the observed reductions, with VFSMOD simulations in closest agreement with the measured data across the three data sets.
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