Determination of Pesticide Residues in Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Tubers Grown with Perfect Killer Insecticide, and their Effects on Growth Indices and Proximate Composition.

Author(s): Hannaniah Shenia Zephaniah, Yusufu Dawoye, Kingsley Audu, Stephen Olaide Aremu

Recent advancement in agriculture and the need for higher production to combat hunger and poverty has led to increased use of pesticides. Perfect killer insecticide is a highly used pesticide in some regions of Nigeria in yam production that is labeled to contain only chlorpyrifos (20%) as active component. Current studies have reported the accumulation of various pesticides in food products which have raised many health issues. In this study, seedlings of yam tubers (D. rotundata) were treated with perfect killer insecticide prior to planting. Growth parameters, chlorophylls content and proximate composition were determined. A total of eleven (11) residues were detected in the treated tubers while only three (3) were found in the control. The pesticide had no significant effect on chlorophylls. The results suggest that Perfect killer insecticide is a combination of different pesticides; and as such, consumption of crops grown with it is unsafe.

Pesticide, Perfect Killer, Insecticide, Residues, Active Components, Yam

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