Following foliar application of [
14C]thiabendazole togrowing wheat, soybean, and sugar beet plants,samples were taken 2 h post-treatment, at immature stages, and atnormal harvest. Significantlevels of [
14C]thiabendazole residues were found instraw and immature leaves (~10-22 ppm), butresidues were far lower in wheat grain, soybean seeds, and sugar beetroots (~0.12-0.88 ppm),demonstrating very limited translocation of thiabendazole-derivedresidues. Thiabendazole wasthe major component (
91%) of the total residues in early foliage.Samples harvested at later growthstages contained increased levels of polar (aqueous-soluble) andnonextractable residues anddiminished levels of organic-extractable residues. Most of theextractable radioactivity consistedof thiabendazole. The major transformation product ofthiabendazole found was benzimidazole,present mainly in conjugated form. Fractionation of nonextractableresidues in wheat strawdemonstrated some incorporation into tissue components.Keywords: Thiabendazole; fungicide; benzimidazole; benzimidazoleconjugates; residues; HPLC;GC/MS