The main cash crop in Togo is cotton, with about 70% of agricultural exports. This crop is very dependent on the use of chemical inputs, in particular pesticides. Pesticides used in cotton farming in Togo include organochlorines, triazines, organophosphates and pyrethroids. We conducted a study on the impact of these pesticide use, in particular organochlorines and triazines, on cotton farming soils. We chose the Plateaux region (southern Togo) as the study area because of its high cotton production. Analysis was carried out on crop soil samples at the 0 - 20 cm horizon. Several pesticide residues were found: simazine (0.051 to 0.103 μg/Kg soil);atrazine (0.149 to 0.197 μg/Kg soil);lindane (0.259 to 0.672 μg/Kg soil);β-endosulfan (1.37 to 5.727 μg/Kg soil);dieldrin (0.063 to 1.16 μg/Kg soil);endrin (0.512 μg/Kg soil), Heptachlor (0.489 to 1.243 μg/Kg soil);Heptachlor epoxide (0.928 to 1.633 μg/Kg soil);[2,4'DDT] (0.257 μg/Kg soil);[4,4'DDE] (0.262 μg/Kg soil). These results show pesticide contamination of cotton farming soils.
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