THE PREDICTION OF PESTICIDE-RESIDUES IN CROPS BY THE OPTIMUM USE OF EXISTING DATA

The commitment of large resources to the provision and evaluation of data on pesticide residues in/on crops makes it vital to optimise the value of existing extensive information. Variations in the many (sometimes uncontrollable) factors which determine pesticide deposits on crops and their subsequent dilution and disappearance make the consideration of pesticide residues and the estimation of maximum residues levels an inexact subject. A knowledge of these factors and their variability can reduce, or at least modify, the current regulatory requirements for expensive formal residues trials, which often have considerable limitations, both in their execution and in their interpretation. Information required for the successful prediction of pesticide deposits and residues at harvest is discussed and summarised in a recommended stepwise approach to the consideration of pesticide residues in crops. © 1990 De Gruyter