Pesticide residues surveillance of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in the south of Tunisia

Abstract

Phoeniciculture is one of the most important sectors in Tunisia. This palm date is currently in danger due to several constraints such as diseases and Pests. During many years, the suppression of insects relied on the use of chemical products. However, the use of pesticides has many disadvantages such as emergence of resistance towards many active ingredients and especially residues in crops. The objective of this work is to monitor pesticide residues in dates sampled from Tunisian oasis and to check compliance with existing regulations especially for European Community. The analysis of chromatograms related to seven samples of dates, taken from treated and non treated orchards from the south of Tunisia carried out by extraction procedure based on QuECHERS method followed by UHPLC-MS/MS chromatographic analysis showed that Fenazaquin was the only active ingredient that exceeded the Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) set by the European Union (LD = 0.1 µg.Kg-1). Results showed that the value of concentration of Fenazaquin show an increase from 0.0114 ppb.