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Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Research and Graduate Studies, Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology, Kumasi, In Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of Master of Science (MSC. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE) October 2013

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Main Author: Prah, George
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2013
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author Prah, George
author_browse Prah, George
author_facet Prah, George
author_sort Prah, George
collection Thesis
description A Thesis Submitted to the School of Research and Graduate Studies, Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology, Kumasi, In Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of Master of Science (MSC. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE) October 2013
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id oai:ir.knust.edu.gh:123456789/5329
institution KNUST (Ghana)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:31:19.760Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from KNUSTSpace — Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Ghana)
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
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source_str KNUSTSpace — Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Ghana)
spelling oai:ir.knust.edu.gh:123456789/5329 Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana. Prah, George A Thesis Submitted to the School of Research and Graduate Studies, Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology, Kumasi, In Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of Master of Science (MSC. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE) October 2013 Insect pests control is a major challenge in vegetable (tomato) production. The use of various insecticides in the management of insect pests over the years has proven effective. However, the use of pesticides in tomato production comes with various environmental and health issues such as residual effects. The objective of this research was to ascertain the kind of insecticides being used by farmers to control insect-pests, the mode of application of insecticides and their effects on the quality and safety of tomato produced. The research also sought to determine the levels of organochlorine insecticides in tomatoes at the farm gate and on the market, and to compare the residue level in the various varieties with the international Maximum Residue Level (MRL). The concentrations of organochlorine insecticide residues in four tomato varieties from seven farming communities in Fanteakwa District (Ntanuam, Krobo Meyiwa, Oboroahoho, Ofosukrom, Apaah, Akoradarko and Dedeso) and three markets (Ahomahomaso, Begoro and Ehiamankyene) were determined using gas chromatography in May and June 2012. It was observed that 36.6% of the farmers interviewed used and combined hazardous insecticides on their fields with no idea of the active ingredients and their effects on human health and environment. Thus Confidor which is made to control insect pests of cocoa plants are often used by farmers to control insect pests on tomato fields. Laboratory analysis confirmed that insecticide residues were indeed present in the tomato. A total of twenty different organochlorine insecticides were detected in almost all the samples. The concentrations ranged between 0.0001 to 0.0091 mg/kg. DDT was one of the most abundant with high residual levels detected in all 10 (100 %) samples analyzed, having a concentration range 0.0014 to 0.0091 mg/kg and mean of 0.0058 mg/kg. The average levels of organochlorine residues in tomatoes sampled in this study were generally below EU MRLs. Therefore, tomatoes from Fanteakwa are safe for consumption. However, in view of the damaging effects on human health and the environment, regular monitoring and analysis of organochlorine residues in the study area is recommended. KNUST 2013-12-02T14:47:49Z 2023-04-20T02:15:56Z 2013-12-02T14:47:49Z 2023-04-20T02:15:56Z 2013-12-02 Thesis https://ir.knust.edu.gh/handle/123456789/5329 en application/pdf
spellingShingle Prah, George
Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.
title Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.
title_full Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.
title_fullStr Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.
title_full_unstemmed Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.
title_short Organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) at the farm gate and market. a case study of the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Region of Ghana.
title_sort organochlorine insecticide residue in fresh tomatoes lycopersicon esculentum at the farm gate and market a case study of the fanteakwa district of eastern region of ghana
url https://ir.knust.edu.gh/handle/123456789/5329
work_keys_str_mv AT prahgeorge organochlorineinsecticideresidueinfreshtomatoeslycopersiconesculentumatthefarmgateandmarketacasestudyofthefanteakwadistrictofeasternregionofghana