Dissipation of Imidacloprid in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Dissipation of imidacloprid on tomato is reported under field conditions following three sprays at seven days interval and two doses i.e. 35 and 70 g a. i. ha⁻¹ during rabi 2015. Initial deposits of 0.08 and 0.23 μg g⁻¹ of imidacloprid in tomato fruits gradually dissipated to 0.02 and 0.05 μg g⁻¹ on the 15^th day at the standard and double the standard dose, respectively. The soil samples collected on the 15^th day after the third application revealed 0.05 and 0.18 μg g⁻¹ residues at the two doses, respectively. The half-lives (T_1/2) of imidacloprid on tomato fruits were 8.9 and 7.5 days for standard and double doses, respectively. Considering the maximum residue limit (MRL) of imidacloprid on tomato, 1.0 and 0.5 mg kg⁻¹ by FSSAI and Codex respectively, the residues were below MRL right from the date of application.