Persistence of chlorfluazuron in cabbage under different agro‐climatic conditions of India and its risk assessment

A multilocational field trial was conducted at 4 locations in India—Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal—to determine the persistence in cabbage of chlorfluazuron applied twice at 75 and 150 g active ingredient ha−1. Cabbage head samples were collected from each replicated plot on 0 (2 h after spraying), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15 d after final insecticide application, including an untreated control. Chlorfluazuron residue in cabbage and field soil was estimated by high‐performance liquid chromatography using a photo diode array detector. The limit of determination and limit of quantification of the method were recorded as 0.05 and 0.10 μg g−1, respectively. Results revealed that chlorfluazuron dissipated linearly with progress of time, following first‐order kinetics. The mean (± standard deviation) half‐life value of chlorfluazuron in cabbage was found to be 7.18 ± 0.71 d, considering different locations and treatments. The residue was below the level of quantification in the harvested cabbage and soil samples. Harvesting cabbage in the experimental location, at least on day 7, after 2 applications of chlorfluazuron at the recommended dose, may not pose any ill effect for Indian adults. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3028–3033. © 2017 SETAC