New Bt eggplant reduces pesticide applications
Residues of insecticides used by eggplant farmers have serious consequences, but the new Bt eggplant has proven to cut pesticide spraying—eradicating deleterious effects to human health and the environment.
Farmers and member of their families who plant conventional eggplant varieties for many years have been exposed to harmful chemicals that pose serious health risks, a study conducted in a farming community in Pangasinan revealed.
The study “Insecticide Residues in Soil, Water, and Eggplant Fruits: The Case of Sta. Maria, Pangasinan” by Jinky Leilani Lu of the National Institutes of Health revealed the problems posed by insect infestation in farms which require the use of insecticides.
The health concerns or complaints of the interviewed farmers related to their application of agricultural pesticides or insecticides included experiencing itchiness of the skin (63.8 percent), redness of the eyes (29.3 percent), muscle pains (27.6 percent) and headaches (27.6 percent).
Other farmer-respondents reported experiencing headaches (40 percent), itchiness of the skin (30 percent) and burning sensation of the skin (30 percent).
While all the respondents reported getting (or feeling) sick immediately after applying pesticides to their eggplant crops, none of them sought any medical attention.
Eggplant is highly susceptible to pest damage even severely by the fruit-and-shoot borer (FSB) which has caused yield losses from 20 to 92 percent in the Philippines.
FSB is a pink, sesame seed-sized moth larva that feeds on eggplant stems and fruits from the inside out. It leaves dirty feces into the tunnels that it bores.
The study also aimed to detect and quantify residues in eggplant fruits.
Pesticide residues in plants may reach the consumers through ingestion of raw food.
Various surveys around the world found that 50 to 70 percent of vegetables are contaminated—posing serious health threats to consumers.
For the insecticide residues in fruit, a maximum of 20 percent of the eggplant samples, and sample farms tested positive for insecticide residues.