Determination of residual behavior of two fungicides in/on tomato and cucumber and their dietary intake risk assessment under open field conditions

Abstract

A commercial formulation of fluoxapiprolin (30 g/L) and fluopicolide (200 g/L) as a suspension concentrate (SC) is under registration for its use on tomato and cucumber in India. Both of these active ingredients are fungicides used to control a variety of fungal diseases in crops. The field trials were laid out in an open field at the experimental farm of the university following good agricultural practice (GAP) during the summer of 2021. The study aimed to estimate pesticide residues using a modified QuEChERS method in combination with advanced analytical techniques like liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The method showed excellent linearity (R² > 0.99) for fluoxapiprolin, fluopicolide and their metabolites in tomato, cucumber, and soil. The half-life value for fluoxapiprolin ranged between 5.86 and 7.05 days and for fluopicolide the half-life was between 1.62 and 1.98 days for tomato and cucumber, respectively. The recoveries ranged between 80 % and 120 % with a relative standard deviation <20 % for all the analytes. The dietary risk assessment was determined by using the hazard quotient and the HQs values were <1, proving its safety to the consumer.