| Thrust Areas | Research programme |
| Development of sustainable pesticide residue management strategies in food crops
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· To conduct supervised field trials to evaluate the persistence/residues of pesticides on crops in different agro-climatic conditions following good agricultural practices (GAP) · To monitor pesticide residues in various food commodities at harvest · To evaluate pesticide residues in environmental samples (soil, water) · To study the dissipation kinetics of pesticides in crops, soil and water |
| Determination of pre-harvest intervals (PHI), Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), and label claims expansions of pesticides on food crops under different agro-climates | The persistence/residue/monitoring data is utilized to
· Establish safe waiting periods/ pre-harvest intervals (PHI) between pesticide application and harvest of the produce · Determine Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) · Approval/expansion of label claim |
| Development of simple, sensitive and cost effective analytical methods for analysis of pesticide residues in different components of the environment.
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· To develop and validate simple, sensitive and cost effective analytical methodology for quantification of multi pesticide residues and their degradation products in different components of the environment for existing and new chemistry molecules |
| Human resource and skill development
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· To upgrade the knowledge and skills of the researchers in the field of trace level pesticide residue analysis |
| Repository of national residue data | · To maintain national level pesticide residue database for accurate assessment of residue trends of pesticides in food and feed crops
· To share the information with policy makers and regulatory authorities |
| Generation of quality data as per international guidelines | · NABL accreditation of research laboratories as per ISO/IEC 17025 guidelines
· Regular participation in Proficiency Testing (PT) Programmes as per ISO/IEC 17043 guidelines to ensure generation of quality data |
| Decontamination of pesticide residues in raw agricultural commodities | · To dislodge pesticide residues through washing, processing (peeling, blanching, cooking) and other treatments |
| Collaboration with national and international organizations | Research Collaboration with
· CIB&RC –For label claim approval of pesticides and other pesticide regulatory issues · FSSAI –For fixation of national MRLs and other food safety issues · FAO/WHO/Codex- fixation of Codex MRLs (CXLs) through National Codex Contact Point (NCCP), India · Pesticide residue testing laboratories located in ICAR Institutes/ State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)/ Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)/ Council of Scientific and Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)/ Export Inspection Council (EIC)/ State Governments/ Cooperatives to generate national level pesticide residuemonitoring data |