Monitoring of multiclass pesticide residues in farmland soil from different districts of Haryana

The present study was aimed at monitoring of pesticides residues in soil samples from 18 districts of Haryana during 2012–2013. Soil samples were extracted using a liquid-solid extraction procedure using methanol as extracting solvent. Extracts were evaporated to almost dryness and reconstituted with n-hexane. Qualitative and quantitative estimation of pesticides residues was carried out by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Tested soil samples were found contaminated with phorate, malathion, chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin, butachlor, endosulphan-I, DDT isomers, Lambda cyhalothrin, fipronil, atrazine, pretilachlor, propiconazole, and triazophos. From a total of 116 soil samples, 90 samples were found contaminated with pesticides, while 57 samples among the positive samples were found contaminated with multiresidues. Soils samples from Sonipat, Sirsa, Faridabad, Kaithal, Kurukshtra, Rewari and Rohtak were found highly contaminated with pesticides residues, whereas, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani were least contaminated. All the contaminated samples from Faridabad, Sonipat, Meewat, Narnaul, Fatehabad, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Rohtak were found above maximum residue limits as per US Environmental Protection Agency.