QuEChERS-based study on residue determination and dissipation of three herbicides in corn fields using HPLC-MS/MS

Abstract

A rapid, simple, and selective analytical method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of florasulam, fluroxypyr, and fluroxypyr-meptyl in corn grain, plant, and soil using the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) procedure coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method gave mean recoveries in the range of 80%–108%, with limits of quantification ranging from 2 to 10 µg kg−1. The half-lives of the three compounds were 1.3–1.3, 0.7–1.3, and 0.7–1.3 days in plants, and 1.1–2.1, 0.4–1.3, and 0.4–1.3 days in soil. The terminal residues in all the matrices were found to be less than the limits of quantification at the pre-harvest intervals of 53 and 78 days. These results not only gave insights about the analytes but also contributed to the safe use of the broad-spectrum herbicides and a reference for establishing the maximum residue limit of florasulam in corn in China.