Determination of Fungicide Residues in Field-Grown Strawberries following Different Fungicide Strategies against Gray Mold (Botrytis cinerea)

In a 2 year experiment, residues in field-grown strawberries were investigated from the fungicides fenhexamid, pyrimethanil, tolylfluanid, and kresoxim-methyl resulting from different strategies, as regards the dose, number, and time of fungicide applications. Kresoxim-methyl was only used the first year and in full or no dose to control powdery mildew. In the first year, the highest concentrations analyzed were 0.66 mg kg(-1) for pyrimethanil and 0.63 mg kg(-1) for fenhexamid resulting from the use of recommended dose rates and a preharvest interval (PHI) of 10 days, thus not exceeding the Danish maximum residue limit (MRL) of 1 mg kg(-1). Tolylfluanid was used no later than 21 days before harvest, which left residue contents in the berries of 0.48 mg kg(-1), a value well below the MRL of 5 mg kg(-1). In the second year, fungicide residues found in the samples were generally lower, 0.39 and 0.03 mg kg(-1) for pyrimethanil and fenhexamid, respectively. No residues of kresoxim-methyl were found in any of the samples from the field trials, indicating that kresoxim-methyl residues had declined to a level well below the detection limit within the 28 day period between the last application and the harvest.