Impact of storage conditions on the degradation pattern of bensulfuron-methyl in plant tissue culture medium
摘要
Bensulfuron-methyl is an acetolactate synthase inhibitor-class herbicide used as a selection agent in plant transformation. When it is combined in semi-solid agar media, long term storage is correlated with reduced selection efficiency. In this study, we sought to develop quantitative methods to measure bensulfuron-methyl concentration in plant growth medium, then use it to determine whether specific storage conditions were accelerating the degradation of this herbicide. Using mass spectrometry, the bensulfuron-methyl levels were evaluated in media under combinations of light and temperature. The results of mass spectrometry detection of BSM supported by leaf area analysis of the tobacco seedling bioassay show that bensulfuron-methyl is not significantly decreased in abundance or efficacy by standard refrigerated walk-in storage conditions. However, bensulfuron-methyl levels did show significant reduction under high light intensity, extended photoperiod, and high temperature treatments. LC/MS could even detect residual concentrations of BSM in these conditions, illustrating the dynamic range of these methods to detect herbicide degradation in plant transformation media.