Pesticide residues in tomato fruits

Abstract

The intensive use of pesticide in tomato crops have been causing concern about a possible contamination of the final product. This work aimed at monitoring, for two years, in four farms located in a high technology area, the use of pesticides in irrigated tomato crops, quantifying the main active ingredient residues and evaluating the contamination level of the fruits. The components analised were: methamidophos, chlorpyrifos, captan, chlorothalonil, endosulfan, l-cyhalothrin and copper oxychloride. In order to evaluate the contamination level, a multiresidue method was validated. The residues found were from fungicides and insecticides used during the frutification and maturation stages of the crop: captan, 0.35 mg/kg, at Farm 2; chlorothalonil, 0.16 mg/kg and 0.95 mg/kg, at Farms 1 and 2, respectively; l-cyhalothrin, 0.03 mg/kg, at Farm 2; copper, 2.03 mg/kg, 3.75 mg/kg and 1.44 mg/kg, at Farms 1, 2 and 3, respectively, and 0.95 mg/kg, 1.70 mg/kg and 2.31 mg/kg, at Farm 4. Residues of organophosphorous components applied mainly during the vegetative growing were not found. There was no contamination in the tomatos. The residues to be monitored are those from the pesticides used in the crop maturation stage.