Residue Analysis and Determination of IMI Herbicides in Sunflower and Soil by GC-MS

Sunflower agriculture is an important subsector that plays a key role in the economy of Turkey, contributing 1.38 million tonnes. The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of imidazolinone (IMI) group herbicides in Thrace Region, Turkey. In particular, we aimed to determine the residue levels of imazamox, a herbicide used in sunflower production in Thrace Region, in soil, different parts of plant, and seed. Five herbicides were identified in sunflower samples using solid-liquid extraction with gas chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) on single-quadruple instruments in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The optimized conditions were found to be mobile-phase flow rate of 1 mL min(-1) and injection volume of 3 mu L in programmed temperature vaporization (PTV) solvent vent mode. The recovery of imazamox, imazaquin, imazethapyr, imazapyr, and imazapic from sunflower plant and soil was 89 and 99, 104 and 105, 92 and 93, 96 and 92, and 99 and 96%, respectively.