The soils were collected from different orchard and uncultivated fields, from four agroclimatic zones of Himachal Pradesh viz., 1) sub tropical sub montane and low hills 2) temperate sub-humid mid-hills 3) wet temperate and high hills 4) dry temperate high hills cold desert, and pesticide residue study was carried out in Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Entomology and Apiculture, Dr. . Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. More than 90 per cent soil samples analysed from different zones of the state have shown presence of various pesticide residues viz., DDT, HCH, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, pyrethroids, dicofol and chlorothalonil. Apple orchard soils were found to contain highest ensdosulfan residues followed by HCH and DDT residues. In mango orchard soils dicofol was detected in addition to the apple soil contaminants. Further, the most common insecticide residues in Himachal soils are DDT, HCH, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, dicofol, pyrethroids and chlorothalonil in the order of decreasing contamination. | Soil pesticide residues in orchard based land use systems across different agro-climatic zones of himachal pradesh
