Pesticide residues in rice planted in South and Southwest China

In 2019 and 2020, 70 paddy and 70 brown rice samples were collected from South China and Southwest China, wherein the residues of 15 target pesticides were investigated. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was established for the simultaneous detection of 15 pesticides, which achieved good linear relationship with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.10-4.00 μg kg-1. The average recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSD) were satisfied for the pesticide residues detection. Analysis results showed that the detection rates of 15 typical pesticides in paddy and brown rice were 0%-12.9% and 0%-1.4%, respectively. None of the 15 pesticides exceed their maximum residue limit (MRL) stipulated by China. The pesticide with the highest detection rate and concentration was chlorpyrifos. This study can provide data support for the control of pesticide residues in rice and the realisation of the improving the efficiency of pesticide and fertiliser while reducing their application.