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Residue dynamics and dietary risks of diflufenican and flufenacet in wheat using field experiments and model
Nannan Pang1, Xinze Liu1, Peter Fantke2,3,4
1Lab of Pesticide Residues and Environmental Toxicology, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, PR China.
Background:
Pesticide usage and related food safety and human health concerns have received great attention worldwide. The phenyl ether and oxyacetamid herbicides diflufenican and flufenacet are widely used in wheat production in China and beyond to control grasses and broad-leaved weeds. We hence assessed their residue behaviors in wheat production and evaluated related dietary risks for humans.
Results:
Comparing field trials and an established method of QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with simulations using a dynamic plant uptake model gave consistent residue results in wheat for both diflufenican and flufenacet. Residue levels were consistently below their respective maximum residue limits in China. Dissipation half-lives for diflufenican were in the range 7.4-16 days in straw and 11-43 days in soil, whereas dissipation half-lives for flufenacet were on average somewhat shorter, at 1.7-3.3 days in straw and 9.8-38 days in soil. Combining residues with human intake estimates allows for assessing related dietary exposure and risk. Chronic and acute risk quotients for both pesticides indicated acceptable dietary risk for consuming wheat products with respect to using diflufenican and flufenacet at recommended doses.
Conclusion:
Combining field trials with simulations from a dynamic plant uptake model allows for an effective and efficient evaluation of pesticide residues and estimates of related dietary risks for humans. Our approach can be extended to assess additional pesticides, crops and regions to foster safer pesticide use practices. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
