Pesticide Residues in Vegetables Collected from Different Markets of Navsari District of India

A study was conducted during 2018-19 in Navsari district of Gujarat, India to investigate the presence of pesticide residues in vegetables viz. brinjal, cabbage, chilli, okra, and tomato. The analytical scope of pesticide residues comprised of Gas Chromatography (GC) and Liquid Chromatography (LC) amenable 111 pesticides. A total of 180 samples of five vegetables collected from six different talukas during pre and post-monsoon season of which 75 (41.67%) were positives samples, 25 (13.89%) samples with multiple pesticide residues, 20 (11.12%) samples with pesticide residues above MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) and 105 (58.34%) samples were found residues free. Among the studied talukas, maximum positive vegetable samples of pesticide residues were found in Navsari (22) followed by Jalalpore (16), Chikhli (13), Vansda (11), Gandevi (9) and Khergam (4). In case of vegetables, maximum positive samples to pesticide residues were found in chilli (31) followed by okra (18), cabbage (12), brinjal (7) and tomato (7). The study revealed that the vegetables producing farmers of the Navsari region of India were not following the standard pre-harvest intervals, proper instructions concerning the application of pesticides in appropriate concentration, time and type of pesticides used. It has also thought that there is a need for measures to be implemented towards educating farmers against harmful effects of using the pesticides that may not only harm the health of the human beings but also damage the environment.