Persistence of pyrazosulfuron in rice-field and laboratory soil under Indian tropical conditions

Design, synthesis and herbicidal activity of novel cyclohexanedione derivations containing pyrazole and pyridine groups as potential HPPD inhibitors

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.27; HPPD) is one of the important target enzymes in the development of herbicides. To discover novel HPPD inhibitors with unique molecular, 39 cyclohexanedione derivations containing pyrazole and pyridine groups were designed and synthesized. The preliminary herbicidal activity test results showed that some compounds had obvious inhibitory effects on monocotyledon and dicotyledonous weeds. The herbicidal spectrums of the highly active compounds were further determined, and the compound G31 exhibited the best inhibitory rate over 90% against Plantago depressa Willd and Capsella bursa-pastoris at the dosages of 75.0 and 37.5 g ai/ha, which is comparable to the control herbicide mesotrione. Moreover, compound G31 showed excellent crop safety, with less than or equal to 10% injury rates to corn, sorghum, soybean and cotton at a dosage of 225 g ai/ha. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed that the compound G31 could stably bind to Arabidopsis thaliana HPPD (AtHPPD). This study indicated that the compound G31 could be used as a lead molecular structure for the development of novel HPPD inhibitors, which provided an idea for the design of new herbicides with unique molecular scaffold.

Persistence and transformation of flucetosulfuron herbicide in soil as affected by biotic and abiotic factors

Effect of biotic and abiotic factors of soil on persistence and transformation of flucetosulfuron was studied in three soils from paddy growing zones of India. Herbicide residues in three soils dissipated with half-life ranging from 1.41 to 8.38 and 0.58 to 1.14 days under sterile and non-sterile conditions, respectively. Acidic pH and soil microbial activity contributed more toward the degradation of flucetosulfuron in soil. Under flooded soils, dissipation was bit slower than under field capacity moisture level. Five transformation products were identified with LC-MS/MS analysis. Ester hydrolysis and sulfonyl urea bridge cleavage seems to be the major transformation pathways for flucetosulfuron in soil.

Dissipation Dynamics and Residue of Four Herbicides in Paddy Fields Using HPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS

The dissipation dynamics and residue of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, bensulfuron-methyl, acetochlor, and butachlor in paddy fields at Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) condition were carefully investigated in this study. The four herbicides’ residues were determined based on a quick, easy, cheap, rugged, safe (QuEChERS) method coupled with HPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS. The limit of detection (LOD) for pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, bensulfuron-methyl, acetochlor, and butachlor in all matrices ranged from 0.04–1.0 ng. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the four herbicides ranged from 0.01–0.1 mg/kg. Moreover, the average recoveries of the four herbicides ranged from 78.9–108% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 15% at three different fortified levels for different matrices. The dissipation results indicated that the average half-lives (t_1/2) of the four herbicides in soil were in the range of 3.5–17.8 days, and more than 95% of the four herbicides dissipated within 5 days in water. Furthermore, the final residues of the four herbicides were all below the LOQ at harvest time. Such results highlight the dissipation dynamics and residue of the four herbicides in a rice cropping system and contribute to risk assessment as well as scientific guidance on the proper and safe application of herbicides in paddy fields.

Fungal degradation of an acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor pyrazosulfuron-ethyl in soil

Owing to reported phytotoxicity of some sulfonylurea class of herbicides in number of sensitive crops and higher persistence in soil, present study was conducted to isolate and identify pyrazosulfuron-ethyl degrading fungi from soil of rice field. Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus niger, were isolated and identified from rhizospere soil of rice field, as potent pyrazosulfuron-ethyl degrading fungi. Degradation of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl by P. chrysogenum and A. niger, yielded transformation products/metabolites which were identified and characterized by LC/MS/MS. The rate of dissipation of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl was found higher in soil of rice field and soil inoculated with P. chrysogenum. This showed important route of degradation of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl by microbes apart from chemical degradation.

Degradation behaviour of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl in water as affected by pH

Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, a new herbicide belonging to the sulfonylurea group, is used for weed control in rice crops growing in areas varying from acidic to alkaline soils. This study was undertaken to determine the degradation behaviour of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl in distilled water and buffer solutions at pH 4, 7 and 9. Degradation was pH-dependent and herbicide was least persistent in acidic pH followed by alkaline and neutral pH. The half-life of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl varied from 2.6 days (pH 4) to 19.4 days (pH 7) and half-life in distilled water was comparable to half-life at pH 7 buffer. HPLC analysis of different pH samples showed the formation of three metabolites viz., 5-(aminosulfonyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid; ethyl 5-(aminosulfonyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate and 2-amino-4,6-dimethoxy pyrimidine. The formation of pyrazosulfuron acid [5-([([(4,6-dimethoxy-2 pyrimidinyl)-amino]-carbonyl) amino]-sulfonyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid] was not observed at any pH. The study indicated that the herbicide was least stable under acidic conditions and the predominant degradation route of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl in water is hydrolysis of sulfonamide linkage.