Uptake, Translocation, and Biotransformation of Neonicotinoid Imidaclothiz in Hydroponic Vegetables: Implications for Potential Intake Risks

Abstract

Imidaclothiz is a novel and systemic neonicotinoid pesticide with excellent insecticidal efficacy. However, knowledge of its uptake, translocation, and biotransformation within plants is still largely unknown, restricting work on its accurate and comprehensive risk assessment. Here, we systematically investigated the behavior of imidaclothiz in three plant−water systems via hydroponic experiments. The results showed that imidaclothiz was readily taken up by plant roots and translocated upward, resulting in relative enrichment in leaves. The recoveries of imidaclothiz in plant−water systems decreased with increasing exposure time, and approximately 31.8−45.6% mass loss was measured at the end of exposure. Ultimately, imidaclothiz yielded five products in celery leaves, three products in lettuce leaves, and two products in radish leaves. Multiple metabolic reactions including hydroxylation, hydrolysis of nitrate ester, and methylation occurred within plants. This is the first report on the fate of imidaclothiz within plants and suggests increasing concerns about the risk assessment of imidaclothiz.

Uptake, Translocation, and Subcellular Distribution of Oxathiapiprolin and Famoxadone in Tomato Plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller)

“…The uptake, translocation, and accumulation of fungicides from the nutrition solution by the tomato roots, stems, and leaves were evaluated using the root concentration factor (RCF) and translocation factor (TF) using the following equations. 28 = C C RCF / root water…”

“…Similarly, Ju et al successfully evaluated the uptake of azoxystrobin by wheat using a partition-limited model, whereby a difference of less than 47.0% was obtained . Yu et al also simulated the uptake of triadimefon by wheat under soil conditions using a partition-limited model with differences ranging from 0.33 to 59.30% . These studies demonstrate that the partition-limited model is a valuable tool for predicting the pesticide uptake and distribution in plants.…”

“…The uptake, translocation, and accumulation of fungicides from the nutrition solution by the tomato roots, stems, and leaves were evaluated using the root concentration factor (RCF) and translocation factor (TF) using the following equations where C root , C stem , C leaf , and C water are the concentrations of the fungicides (mg/kg) in the tomato roots, stems, leaves, and nutrition solutions, respectively.…”

“…30 Yu et al also simulated the uptake of triadimefon by wheat under soil conditions using a partitionlimited model with differences ranging from 0.33 to 59.30%. 28 These studies demonstrate that the partition-limited model is a valuable tool for predicting the pesticide uptake and distribution in plants. However, these reports investigated the applicability of the model when a single pesticide was applied and did not consider that other pollutants may affect the uptake balance of a certain pollutant by plants.…”

Nanocarrier-Loaded Imidaclothiz Promotes Plant Uptake and Decreases Pesticide Residue

“…The AVM can be detected in stems and all leaves of rice plants treated with nanocarrier-loaded AVM, whereas rare AVM was detected only in treated leaves for AVM alone, revealing the enhanced transportation [ 46 ]. Similarly to the same class of imidacloprid, due to its high water solubility and good transportation in plants, imidaclothiz can be taken up by plant roots and translocated upward, leading to relative enrichment in leaves [ 47 ]. In the current study, the imidaclothiz contents in tobacco plants treated with imidaclothiz were 0.23, 0.45 and 0.89 mg/kg at 1, 6 and 12 h after the imidaclothiz immersion, and those increased to 0.74, 1.80 and 2.62 mg/kg with the help of SPc ( Figure 3 B and Figure S2 ).…”