Residues and dissipation kinetics of triazole fungicides difenoconazole and propiconazole in wheat and soil in Chinese fields

An analytical method for simultaneously determining the residues of difenoconazole and propiconazole in wheat straw, wheat grain and soil was developed. Mean recoveries and relative standard deviations in all samples ranged 86.2-101.3% and 3.1-12.1% for propiconazole and difenoconazole. The half-lives of difenoconazole and propiconazole were 3.6-5.5 days and 5.1-6.9 days in wheat straws, and 4.9-5.8 days and 6.1-8.4 days in soil, respectively. The residues in wheat grain were found to be <0.01 mg/kg, based on the application rate (135 g a.i./ha) and the pre-harvest interval (PHI = 28 days) recommended by the manufacturer. The results suggest that the use of difenoconazole and propiconazole on wheat is considered to be safe under the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in the Chinese fields, and the main factors for pesticide residue in crops are application times, rates and pre-harvest intervals.