Environmental behaviour and translocation of imidacloprid in eggplant, cabbage and mustard

The recently registered insecticide, imidacloprid, was applied to three vegetable crops at 20 and 40 g AI ha−1. The persistence of the parent insecticide and its translocation, along with the quantification of the metabolites formed on these crops are presented. The parent insecticide dissipated with a half-life of 3–5 days and persisted longest on mustard leaves. The detectable limit of the HPLC method was 0.01 µg g−1. The metabolites 1-(6-chloropyridin-3-yl-methyl)imidazolidin-2-one and 6-chloronicotinic acid were found to be translocated by day 10 in eggplant, cabbage leaves and mustard leaves but not in cabbage curd. The MRL of imidacloprid is not documented by the FAO/WHO on these crops and comparison of the MPI with the TMRC, calculated on the residue data generated in this study, establishes the safety of the schedule. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry