Assessment of the Hydrolysis of Pydiflumetofen and Its Degradation Characteristics in Agricultural Soils

Abstract

Pydiflumetofen is a potent fungicide that effectively inhibits pathogenic fungal growth by regulating succinate dehydrogenase activity. It effectively prevents and treats various fungal diseases, including leaf spot, powdery mildew, grey mold, bakanae, scab, and sheath blight. Pydiflumetofen’s hydrolytic and degradation properties were investigated indoors in four distinct soil types (phaeozems, lixisols, ferrosols, and plinthosols) to assess its risks in aquatic and soil environments. The effect of soil physicochemical properties and external environmental conditions on its degradation was also explored. Hydrolysis experiments found that pydiflumetofen’s hydrolysis rate decreased with increasing concentration, regardless of the initial concentration. Furthermore, an increasing temperature significantly enhances the hydrolysis rate, with neutral conditions having higher degradation rates than acidic and alkaline conditions. Pydiflumetofen showed a degradation half-life of 10.79–24.82 days and a degradation rate of 0.0276–0.0642 in different soils. Phaeozems soils had the fastest degradation, while ferrosols soils had the slowest. Sterilization significantly reduced its soil degradation rate and extended its half-life, which confirmed that microorganisms were the primary cause. Therefore, when using pydiflumetofen in agricultural production activities, the characteristics of water bodies, soil, and environmental factors must be considered, while minimizing the emissions and environmental impact.