In clay and clay loam soils, there may be no adsorption. Since it does not adsorb to soil particles, dalapon has a high degree of mobility in all soil types and leaching does occur. Biological breakdown, also referred to as biodegradation, is the main route of dalapon disappearance from soils. Dalapon is not detected below the first six-inch soil layer. Some bacteria use dalapon as an energy source.
Degradation depends on soil type, temperature, and moisture.
Higher temperatures and increased soil moisture speed up degradation. Soils that were buffered to a pH of 6.5 provided the best conditions for the adaptation of microbes and degradation of the herbicide. Dalapon can persist in the soil for two to eight weeks. Microbial degradation tends to be the most active form of its breakdown in water. It tends to build up in the areas of greatest plant metabolic activity such as developing seeds and meristems.