Distribution and degradation kinetics of cyhalodiamide in Chinese rice field environment

Abstract Cyhalodiamide is a novel agrochemical which is effective against Lepidoptera pests, including Cnaphalocrocis medinalis , Chilo suppressalis , Pieris rapae , Plutella xylostella , Helicoverpa armigera , etc. In the study, a fast and accurate analytical method was developed to detect cyhalodiamide in Chinese typical rice field environment by a modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe) method with UPLC-MS/MS (ultra-high performance chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). The mean recoveries of cyhalodiamide varied from 73.5% to 107.5%, with the RSDs from 1.2% to 10.7%. The limits of determination (LODs) were 0.0005 mg·kg − 1 , and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were from 0.002 to 0.01 mg·kg − 1 in all five matrices. This method was used to determine cyhalodiamide residues for studies of the distribution and degradation kinetics in rice field environment. The field trials results showed that cyhalodiamide was easily degradable and the half-lives were 4.2–13.6 d in rice straw, 8.77 d in paddy soil and 5.37–8.45 d in paddy water, respectively. The final residues of cyhalodiamide in brown rice were below 0.35 mg·kg − 1 . The used dosage of 33.75 g·hm − 2 with pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 21 d and the maximum residue limit (MRL) of cyhalodiamide in rice at 0.1 mg·kg − 1 were recommended, which would be safe to human health and environment. The developed analytical method will be useful to monitor cyhalodiamide residues and safety evaluation in rice environment.