Pesticide Residues in Soils of different Agro-climatic Zones under Various Land Usage in Himachal Pradesh

The soils were collected from different fields with intensive crop production (Orchard intercropped with cereals and vegetable crops) and without cultivation (uncultivated), from four agroclimatic zones of Himachal Pradesh viz., 1) sub tropical sub montane and low hills 2) temperate sub-humid mid-hills 3) wet temperate and high hills 4) dry temperate high hills cold desert, and pesticide residue study was carried out in Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Entomology and Apiculture, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. More than 90 per cent soil samples analysed from different zones of the state have shown presence of various pesticide residues viz., DDT, HCH, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, pyrethroids, dicofol and chlorothalonil. The orchard soils intercropped with cereals also showed the presence of HCH, DDT, endosulfan and dicofol residues. It can be concluded that the most common insecticide residues in Himachal soils are DDT, HCH, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, dicofol, pyrethroids and chlorothalonil in the order of decreasing contamination.