Residues of vinclozolin and procymidone after treatment of greenhouse grown lettuce, tomato and cucumber

Residues of the fungicides vinclozolin and procymidone, used to control the Botrytis cinerea disease, were studied in greenhouse grown lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Residue concentrations differed between the species of treated vegetables, and depended mostly on time of picking (harvest), size of fruits and mode of chemical application. The differences in concentration between one and two applications became smaller with time after application. The greatest differences occurred in lettuce. The residue contents in cucumber fruits assigned both for industrial and home processing (pickling) were higher than the legal limit (3 mg/kg). As a result of washing cucumbers, 22–24% of the residue was eliminated, and by peeling them 79–85% of the vinclozolin and procymidone residues were eliminated. Therefore it is reasonable that one or two applications of these fungicides should be used, with a time lapse of 14 days, but only with cucumbers intended for salad consumption. Vinclozolin residues, when used as vaporisation tablets, were in all cases 35–65% lower compared with the wettable powder (WP) formulation; however, the rate of of residue decrease was much slower. When applied in the form of vaporable tablets, the vinclozolin residue concentration was lower in all the sampled fruits in comparison with the WP formulation. The concentration of fungicide residues detected in winter tomato fruits was higher than that of the spring crop. Irrespective of vegetable the detected levels of fungicide residues were lower in ripe and bigger fruits than in green and smaller ones.