Pesticide residue levels in peppers grown in a greenhouse after multiple applications of pyridaben and tralomethrin.

Residue levels of pyridaben and tralomethrin were determined in peppers grown in an experimental greenhouse, during a 4 week period in which up to four successive treatments with both pesticides were applied. In all cases, plants were sprayed with a mixture of pyridaben and tralomethrin at application rates of active ingredients of 140 and 36 g/ha, respectively. Sampling was carried out at 1, 3, 7, 8, 10, or 14 days after each multiple application, simulating the typical harvesting practices in greenhouse plantations. Residue levels of pyridaben and tralomethrin were determined by using ethyl acetate extraction and GC-ECD. During the study, residue levels in the plantation ranged between 0.22 and 0.04 mg/kg for pyridaben and between 0.09 and 0.02 mg/kg for tralomethrin, with median values of 0.14 and 0.06 mg/kg, respectively. These values represent 28 and 600%, respectively, of the corresponding maximum reside limits currently established in Spain. The application of an intensive washing process to the pepper samples did not lead to a significant reduction of the residue level of either pesticide. Likewise, no significant differences were found between the residue levels in the "edible" and "inedible" parts of the peppers.