Determination of halosulfuron-methyl residues and dissipation in wheat by QuEChERS and LC-MS/MS

Abstract

A sensitive and rapid analytical method based on QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) sample preparation and LC-MS/MS detection was developed for the analysis of halosulfuron-methyl residues in wheat. The recoveries of halosulfuron-methyl in both the wheat plant and grain ranged from 87% to 119% and from 75% to 97%, respectively, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 3–9%. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.005 mg kg⁻¹ for wheat plant and 0.001 mg kg⁻¹ for wheat grain. The half-life of halosulfuron-methyl in the wheat plant was 0.9–9.5 days. The terminal residue levels of halosulfuron-methyl in wheat grain were below 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ at harvest.

Keywords:

• halosulfuron-methyl
• wheat
• residues
• dissipation
• QuEChERS
• LC-MS/MS

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Steven Lehotay for help to proofread the manuscript, and Lin Wang, Puyu Li, and Minghui Li for their assistance in the laboratory.