Abstract
Pesticide residues in soil pose potential risks to ecosystems and human health, necessitating reliable and efficient analytical methods for their determination. This study developed and validated a modified QuEChERS-based extraction procedure combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the simultaneous analysis of eight commonly used pesticides in soil, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Key extraction parameters were optimised for soil matrices, focusing on solvent composition and primary-secondary amine (PSA) clean-up levels. Optimal performance was achieved with 1% acetic acid in acetonitrile and 25 mg PSA per 1 mL of extract. The method was validated according to European Commission SANTE guidelines, demonstrating good linearity (R² > 0.99), low limits of detection (3–8 µg/kg), acceptable recoveries (69–114%), and satisfactory repeatability (RSD < 13%). The validated procedure was successfully applied to agricultural soil samples from central Vietnam, where residues of pretilachlor, fluazifop-p-butyl, and trifloxystrobin were detected. The results confirm that the proposed method is reliable, cost-effective, and suitable for routine monitoring of pesticide residues in soil.
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