Evaluation of the Persistence and Leaching Behaviour of Thiram Fungicide in Soil, Water and Oil Palm Leaves.

The residual levels and persistence of thiram in the soil, water and oil palm seedling leaves were investigated under field conditions. The experimental plots were carried out on a clay loam soil and applied with three treatments namely; manufacturer's recommended dosage (25.6 g a.i. plot-1), manufacturer's double recommended dosage (51.2 g a.i. plot-1), and control (water) were applied. Thiram residues were detected in the soil from day 0 to day 3 in the range of 0.22-27.04 mg kg-1. Low concentrations of thiram were observed in the water and leave samples in the range of 0.27-2.52 mg L-1 and 1.34-12.28 mg kg-1, respectively. Results have shown that thiram has a rapid degradation and has less persistence due to climatic factors. These findings suggest that thiram is safe when applied at manufacturer's recommended dosage on oil palm seedlings due to low residual levels observed in soil and water bodies.