Residue Analysis, Dissipation Kinetics and Risk Assessment of Tolfenpyrad and Emamectin Benzoate in Cauliflower and...

Chemical control remains a preferred choice among the farmers for pest management, with tolfenpyrad and emamectin benzoate popularly used in vegetable crops. To ensure consumer safety and assess the potential risks of these pesticides to human health, a field experiment was conducted for the estimation of residues of the combination product of tolfenpyrad and emamectin benzoate (Tolfenpyrad 18.75% + Emamectin Benzoate 0.94% W/W SC) in cauliflower and brinjal following SANTE (2021) guidelines. The extraction of residues was done using modified QuEChERS, and residues were estimated using Liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole processor. The average recovery of tolfenpyrad in cauliflower and brinjal was 86.17%-106.19% and 85.53%-106.16%, respectively, whereas the average recovery of emamectin benzoate in cauliflower was 92.33%-102.00% and in brinjal it was 93.36%-99.44%. The dissipation studies for tolfenpyrad revealed that the half-life at X and 1.25X was 0.94 and 1.25 days, and 1.96 and 1.92 days in cauliflower and brinjal, respectively. The half-life of emamectin benzoate in cauliflower and brinjal at X and 1.25X was 1.25 and 1.48 days, and 1.08 and 1.17, respectively. The pre-harvest interval (PHI) of emamectin benzoate in cauliflower and brinjal was 4.66-5.51 days and 8.68-10.64 days, respectively, which was less than the PHI of tolfenpyrad with values of 8.03-11.13 days and 12.85-13.07 days in cauliflower and brinjal, respectively. Dietary risk assessment revealed a Hazard quotient of less than 1, indicating negligible risk to human health when used according to the recommended dose and PHI.