Dissipation and Residues of the Herbicide Mesotrione in Maize and Soil in Open Field

The purpose of this article was to establish a simple residue analysis method for mesotrione in maize using high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The method was then used to study the dissipation and residues in maize seedling and soil. The half-lives of mesotrione in maize plants and soil were 1.37, 4.31 days in Beijing, and 0.97, 1.80 days in Shandong, respectively. The ultimate residues of mesotrione were undetected in soil, maize grain and stem at the harvest time, suggesting that mesotrione could be safely used in maize crops with an appropriate dosage and application.