Title
Flavonoid Stability and Biotransformation in Agricultural Soils: Effects of Hydroxylation, Methoxylation, and Glycosylation
Author
Abstract
Stricter pesticide regulations are increasing the demand for environmentally acceptable alternatives with flavonoids seen as promising candidates for use as biopesticides. However, the current limited understanding of the environmental fate of flavonoids in soils restricts their assessment as active pesticide ingredients. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted laboratory incubation experiments with LC-MS-based quantification to determine the half-lives of 18 structurally related flavonoids in three agricultural soils. Hydroxylated flavonoids were rapidly transformed (t1/2: 3–12 h), while methoxylated derivatives exhibited substantially longer half-lives, which increased with the number of methoxy groups (t1/2: 5–460 h). Glycosylated flavonoids were primarily transformed into their aglycones (t1/2: 0.5–5 h). Incubation experiments with autoclaved soil indicated that biotic processes primarily catalyzed the observed transformations. All trends were consistent across different soil types and pH values. This study provides a comprehensive overview of flavonoid stability in agricultural soils, enhancing our understanding of their potential as alternative pesticides.
Keywords
biopesticidesustainable agriculturestructure−stability relationshipsoil half-life
Object type
Language
English [eng]
Persistent identifier
Appeared in
Title
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Volume
73
Issue
23
ISSN
0021-8561
Issued
2025
From page
14245
To page
14252
Publication
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Version type
Date issued
2025
Access rights
Rights
Rights statement
© 2025 The Authors
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