Monitoring of pesticide residues in apples, lettuce and potato of the Slovene origin, 2001–04

Abstract

Apples, lettuce and potatoes (404 samples) produced in the Republic of Slovenia were analysed for pesticide residues at the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, in 2001–04. Sampling from eight agricultural production areas was performed at market producers at the harvesting of products or in storehouses after the pre-harvest interval of plant protection products used. Samples exceeding the maximum residue levels were the following: three apple samples (2.0%) containing 0.33–2.24 mg kg⁻¹ (phosalone and tolylfluanid), three lettuce samples (3.1%) containing 0.14–6.36 mg kg⁻¹ (dimethoate, dithiocarbamates and metalaxyl) and 36 potato samples (23.1%) containing 0.06–0.51 mg kg⁻¹ (dithiocarbamates). Residues of two or more active substances were found in 73 apple samples (48.3%), of which the maximum residue limit (MRL) was exceeded by three samples (2.0%) with the values ranging from 0.33 to 2.24 mg kg⁻¹, and nine lettuce samples (9.3%), for which the MRL was exceeded by three samples (3.1%) with values from 0.14 to 6.36 mg kg⁻¹. In potato samples, only residues of dithiocarbamates or no residues at all were found. Residues of the dithiocarbamate group were the most frequently found, i.e. in 66 apple samples (43.7%), 30 lettuce samples (30.9%) and 38 potato samples (24.4%).

Keywords:

• Monitoring
• pesticides
• plant protection products

Acknowledgements

The authors thank those who contributed to the work: Mateja Fortuna and co-workers at the Central Laboratories of Agricultural Institute of Slovenia. For financial support we thank Phytosanitary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, MAFF.