Persistence behaviour of fungicide tebuconazole in a viticulture application.

Dissipation pattern and risk assessment of tebuconazole in grapes was studied following two application rates (250 and 500 mL ha(-1)) under tropical humid climatic condition of West Bengal during 2009-2010. Residues of tebuconazole were confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The average recoveries were found 87.53 % and 89.67 % for grapes and cropped soil respectively. Following the first order kinetics the fungicide dissipates in grapes with a half-life (T1/2) value ranges between 2.62 and 2.86 days irrespective of seasons and doses. No residues of tebuconazole were detected in harvest grapes and soil samples which refers that, tebuconazole does not possess any background contamination property in grapes. So it may be concluded from the study that tebuconazole does not possess any toxicological property when applied at the recommended dose.

Persistence behaviour of milbemectin in/on tea under North-East Indian climatic condition.

A multi-location field trial was conducted under North-East Indian climatic condition viz. Siliguri and Dooars, West Bengal, India during Monsoon 2005 to evaluate the dissipation pattern of Milbemectin formulation (Milbeknock 1% EC) in/on tea field at two application rates (5 and 10 g a.i. ha(-1)). The quantitative analysis was performed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection at 460 nm. Following the first order kinetics the acaricide dissipates with half-life (T(1/2)) value ranges between 4.93-5.28 days and 6.84-10.76 days in made tea samples of Siliguri and Dooars field, respectively.

Persistence behaviour of fungicide mixture (benalaxyl-M 4% + mancozeb 65%) WP in grapes.

Benalaxyl-M [methyl N-phenylacetyl-N-2, 6-xylyl-DL-alaninate] is a newly introduced phenyl-amide fungicide whereas Mancozeb is one of the member of ethylenebisdiothiocarbamate (EBDC) fungicide. Benalaxyl-M in combination with Mancozeb effectively controls downy mildew of grapes. A two season field trial was conducted under West Bengal climatic condition during 2009-2010 to evaluate the dissipation pattern of fungicide mixture (Benalaxyl-M 4 % + Mancozeb 65 %) WP in grapes at two application rates (2,750 g and 5,500 g ha(-1)). The quantitative analysis was performed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer for Benalaxyl-M and Mancozeb residues respectively. Following the first order kinetics the fungicide Benalaxyl-M dissipates in grapes with half-life (T(1/2)) value ranges between 2.59 and 2.79 days irrespective of seasons and doses. The dissipation pattern of Mancozeb also follows first order kinetics with half-life (T(1/2)) value ranges between 3.86 and 4.93 days irrespective of seasons and doses.

Development of a Modified QuEChERS Method Coupled with LC-MS/MS for Determination of Spinetoram Residue in Soybean (Glycine max) and Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).

An analytical method for the quantitative determination of the insecticide spinetoram in cotton and soybean was established and validated using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Spinetoram is the mixture of two spinosyns, 3'-O-ethyl-5,6-dihydro spinosyn J and 3'-O-ethyl spinosyn L. The method involves extraction with ethyl acetate followed by dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) clean-up with primary secondary amine (PSA), C18 and graphitised carbon black (GCB). The final quantitation of spinetoram was done by using LC-MS/MS with positive electrospray ionization. The method was reproducible (Horwitz ratio (HorRat) < 0.5 at 25 ng g−1) and validated by the analysis of samples spiked at 25, 50 and 100 ng g−1 in soybean, cotton and soil. The recoveries of spinosyns were found to be more than 85% when spiked at different levels. The identities of spinosyns were confirmed by using the ion ratio. A field dissipation study was conducted in soybean and cotton to find out the environmental fate of spinetoram, and samples were analysed following the proposed analytical method. Both isomers were found to be dissipated quickly. The pre-harvest interval of spinetoram was calculated in different substrates.

Photodegradation of Flucetosulfuron, a Sulfonylurea-Based Herbicide in the Aqueous Media Is Influenced by Ultraviolet Irradiation.

Photodegradation (photolysis) causes the breakdown of organic pesticides molecules by direct or indirect solar radiation energy. Flucetosulfuron herbicide often encounters water bodies. For this reason, it is important to know the behavior of the compound under these stressed conditions. In this context, photodegradation of flucetosulfuron, a sulfonylurea-based herbicide, has been assessed in aqueous media in the presence of photocatalyst TiO2 and photosensitizers (i.e., H2O2, humic acid, and KNO3) under the influence of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The influence of different water systems was also assessed during the photodegradation study. The photodegradation followed the first-order reaction kinetics in each case. The metabolites after photolysis were isolated in pure form by column chromatographic method and characterized using the different spectral data (i.e., XRD, IR, NMR, UV-VIS, and mass spectrometry). The structures of these metabolites were identified based on the spectral data and the plausible photodegradation pathways of flucetosulfuron were suggested. Based on the findings, photocatalyst TiO2 with the presence of ultraviolet irradiation was found effective for the photodegradation of toxic flucetosulfuron residues under aqueous conditions.