SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR IN HIGH WATER CONTENT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY AND TIME OF FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY

Abstract

Greenhouse farming is one of the most profitable forms of agriculture in Greece and in all areas of Europe. With the exception of pesticides that are widely used where residue levels are closely monitored either from the producers themselves or by the national authorities, the use of plant growth regulators (PGR) in plants grown in environmentally-controlled areas is also very common but not so closely controlled. In this study, a rapid and cost effective multiclass method is presented and validated for the simultaneous determination of various PGR, including 1-naphthylacetic acid, 2iP, 4-Chlorophenoxyacetic acid, 6-benzyladenine, forchlorfenuron, gibberellic acid, prohexadione, thidiazuron, 2.4-D, chlormequat, and mepiquat, in some of the most common greenhouse farming commodities (strawberries, as well as fruiting and brassica vegetables). The determination of the compounds was performed by two different mass spectrometry techniques, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and time of flight mass spectrometry, both equipped with electron spray ionization interface. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of Liquid Chromatography to view the free supplemental file.