Residue of bensulfuron methyl in soil and rice following its pre- and post-emergence application

Abstract

Bensulfuron methyl (BSM) is applied in rice to control a wide range of weeds due to low application rate and high efficiency. A study was conducted to evaluate residues of BSM in soil and rice plant at different doses as pre- and post-emergence application in transplanted rice. The quick easy cheap effective rugged safe (QuEChERS) method was evaluated for BSM residue extraction from different matrices. The limit of detection and limit of quantification was 0.005 and 0.01 µg/g, respectively in soil and rice plant. The average BSM recovery of 91.1, 82.8, 84.5 and 88.7% was obtained from soil, rice straw, grain and husk, respectively. Though, BSM residue was detected (0.011 to 0.017 μg/g) in soil at high dose, it was below maximum residue limit (0.01 μg/g) in rice grain at both the doses of BSM. Hence, the study revealed that the BSM can be safely applied to rice at recommended doses for weed control.