Validation of an analytical method for 1,2,4-triazole in soil using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and monitoring of propiconazole degradation in a batch study.

1,2,4-triazole is one of the most important metabolites resulting from the degradation of a large class of pesticides, the triazole fungicides. These fungicides are widely used on fruits, vegetables and cereals. Two different analytical methods which are quick, cheap and easy to implement were developed and validated to monitor propiconazole and 1,2,4-triazole in soil using LC-MS/MS. The limits of quantification reached were 4.0 µg kg-1 for propiconazole and 1.1 µg kg-1 for 1,2,4-triazole. The recovery range was from 93 to 99% with a relative standard deviation <11.2% and from 83 to 97% with a RSD <7.8% for propiconazole and 1,2,4-triazole respectively. These methods: were used to monitor the degradation of propiconazole and the formation of 1,2,4-triazole in soil in a batch study lasting 28 days.

Vegephy: impact of vegetable oils used as extemporaneous additives on pesticide residues and their crop protection potential.

Within the framework of the VEGEPHY project set up to assess the effect of refined oils used as extemporaneous additives, both alone and in combination with oligosaccharides (guar, xanthan and carboxymethyl cellulose), on the quality of plant protection treatments for wheat, a study was conducted on the effect of combinations of additives on the level of pesticide residues in wheat plants and grain and their impact on treatment efficiency. The use of some of these additives gave efficiency results that were comparable with those obtained with additives that are currently used but are not bio-based. The use of refined oils as extemporaneous additives, both alone and combined with oligosaccharides, led to better penetration by the pesticide as well as longer persistence of its activity. The experiments were conducted with fungicides, herbicides, plant growth regulators and various types of formulation (EC, SC and WG). The results obtained were conclusive, but they did depend on the physico-chemical properties of the active substance. The risk of exceeding the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides was also evaluated. Even where the MRLs had not been not exceeded, the experiments showed that in some cases the treatment with these additives could lead to pesticide residues up to two times higher than those measured for the treatment without additives. It would be necessary, therefore, to reduce the treatment dose associated with the additive and/or have a long enough pre-harvest interval to avoid exceeding the MRLs. The use of green additives could be a useful and easy way to attain the European Union (EU) goal of reducing pesticide use by improving the retention of active substances on the plant and reducing the number of treatments.