AbstractBACKGROUND: Flumioxazin is a soil‐applied herbicide recommended for broadleaf weed control in soybeans and peanuts, and was recently introduced for vineyard weed management. Considering the limited information available in relation to flumioxazin field soil behaviour, the main objectives of this study were to determine the persistence, adsorption and movement of flumioxazin in soil in four Chilean vineyard production areas.RESULTS: DT50 values ranged from 10.6 ± 1.0 to 32.1 ± 3.1 days between localities, being correlated with rain events, time between herbicide application and first heavy rain event, and soil pH. Flumioxazin soil residue found at 90 days after application (DAA) varied from 9.6 to 24.9% of the initial amount applied, and depended on the total rainfall amount that occurred during the first 90 DAA. Herbicide leaching below 15 cm was approximately 45% of the flumioxazin detected at 90 DAA in the whole soil profile. Flumioxazin maximum leaching soil depth was 45 cm at all locations. Kd values varied from 2.54 to 6.51 mg L−1, depending on localities and soil profile depth, and correlated positively with organic carbon and clay content.CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that flumioxazin is a herbicide with low environmental risk owing to its short DT50, reduced soil residues 3 months after application and low effective dose. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry