Development of a QuEChERS-LCMS/MS method for simultaneous estimation of tebuconazole and chlormequat chloride in wheat crop

Tebuconazole (TBZ) and Chlormequat chloride (CCC) combination has been established as highly effective in reducing plant height of lodging prone wheat varieties. In this work, a novel analytical method employing the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) cleanup technique and LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy) was developed for simultaneous estimation of TBZ and CCC in wheat grains and harvest stage plant leaves. A total of 10 mL of acetonitrile and 50 mg of primary secondary amine (PSA) sorbent was consumed in the optimized QuEChERS process for leaves and grain samples. The LC-MS/MS analysis was performed using a C-18 column operating under electrospray ionization in positive mode. The QuEChERS approach achieved extraction recoveries in the acceptable range of 70%-120%, for both the compounds and was validated in terms of accuracy, precision, sensitivity and linearity. Persistence study was conducted using Lihocin (CCC 50% SL), Folicur (TBZ 25.9% EC) and their combination tank mix (Lihocin + Folicur-50% SL + 25.9% EC) applied as foliar spray twice in wheat crop (tester tall variety C-306). The results demonstrated that the developed QuEChERS-LCMS/MS is rapid and confirmatory for simultaneous quantification of both the test analytes in wheat crop.