Assessment of environmental impact: Dissipation of insecticides on chilli agroecosystem

The use of pesticides is inevitable in achieving food security. Pesticide residues in the food commodity create havoc on human beings' food safety. This study investigates the dissipation patterns, half-lives and safe harvesting time of five distinct insecticides, viz., imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid, flubendiamide and triazophos applied to chilli ecosystem by supervised field experiment with recommended and double the recommended dose along with untreated control. Analytical validation of the method was done by assessing the concentration specificity, linearity, recovery rates, detection limit and quantification limit to ensure the validity of the results. Results reveal variations in dissipation rates and half-lives, providing crucial insights for effective pest management in chilli cultivation. Imidacloprid exhibited rapid dissipation, reaching below detectable levels in five days with a half-life of 1.84 days. Thiamethoxam and acetamiprid followed suit, reaching below detectable levels in seven and five days, with half-lives of 1.62 and 1.28 days, respectively. Flubendiamide showed a longer persistence, taking seven days to dissipate, with a half-life of 1.77 days. While recording below detectable levels within 15 days, Triazophos exhibited a half-life of 2.71 days. These findings contribute to informed decision-making for sustainable pest management practices in chilli cultivation and a safe waiting period to ensure food safety.