Degradation of the sulfonylurea herbicide LGC-42153 in flooded soil

LGC-42153, 2-fluoro-1-[3-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-ylcarbamoylsulfamoyl)pyridin-2-yl] propyl methoxyacetate, is a new sulfonylurea herbicide for use in rice. Its breakdown and metabolism was studied in soil under flooded conditions using two radioactive tracer compounds labelled at either the propyl group or the pyrimidine ring. The half-fife of LGC-42153 was approximately 3.0days. The mass balance over 120days ranged from 94.0 to 104.2% of applied radiocarbon, and no significant amount of volatiles or [C-14]carbon dioxide were observed. Solvent non-extractable radiocarbon reached about 11-14% of applied radiocarbon at 120days after treatment. The major metabolic reaction was the cleavage of the carboxyl ester bond to give 1-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)-3-[2-(1-hydroxy-2fluoropropyl)pyridine-3-sulfonyl]urea, which underwent hydrolysis of the sulfonylurea bridge giving 2-(1-hydroxy-2-fluoro)propyl-3-pyridinesulfonamide and 4,6-dimethoxy-2-aminopyrimidine. (C) 2003 Society of Chemical Industry.