Shadecovers Affect Degradation of Carbaryl on Field-grown Pakchoi

Abstract

The effect of shade covers on degradation of insecticide, carbaryl on field-grown pakchoi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) was examined by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Carbaryl at a.i. 10.6 g·L-1 (1.42 oz/gal) was applied to the plants grown under five different shade treatments including control without any coverings. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Pesticide residue on leaf tissues was examined on dates of 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after pesticide application. On all sampling dates, pesticide residue was greater with treatments with higher shade percentage. Both linear and quadratic relationship of shade (independent variable) and the concentration of remained carbaryl (dependent variable) were significant (P < 0.05). The half-life of carbaryl on pakchoi leaves ranged from 2 days for control to 9 days for the heaviest shade (75%) treatment with rain protection.