A study on residue levels of fungicides and insecticides applied according to the program of raspberry protection

Abstract

This paper presents surveys on residue levels of fungicides and insecticides applied according to the raspberry protection program. The field trials were conducted in 2013–2014 on a plantation of raspberry of the Laszka variety dessert raspberry very popular in Poland. Laboratory samples were collected starting from a day of the first fruit picking to the end of harvest. The highest mean residue levels were found for boscalid and pyraclostrobin (2.395 mg/kg and 0.732 mg/kg, respectively), in both cases they were at a level of about 24% of their maximum residue levels (MRLs); and for cypermethrin (0.235 mg/kg; i.e. close to 50% of its MRL). The long-term dietary intakes of those substances by Polish adult consumers were also at low levels of 0.52, 0.22, and 0.04% of acceptable daily intake (ADI), respectively. Therefore, the results obtained indicated that even on day zero of picking ripe raspberries, the pesticide residues not only were well below their corresponding MRLs, but also their daily intakes did not even approach 1% of the ADI. In 2013, pesticide residues in ripe fruit evolved according to a pattern different than in a subsequent year; while in 2014 they changed at a constant exponential rate.