Pesticides determination - the Ethephon
Pesticides are widely used both in the world and in our country and are of great economic importance. However, pesticides not only remain in the structure or surface of the plant they are given, but also spread to the environment in different ways. Depending on the properties of the pesticides used, they are transported not only to the area where they are used, but also to further distances by evaporation or carrying by winds, or by mixing with groundwater and surface waters with rains. The spread of pesticides to nature and their persistence where they are located varies depending on water, light, acidity level of the environment or soil characteristics, degradation very quickly or their persistence increases even longer.
Most pesticides harm humans, animals and natural conditions. In some studies to prevent this, many chemical products which are defined as persistent organic pollutants and which are widely used in agriculture are prohibited depending on certain conditions and the production of new chemicals of this nature is prohibited.
Hormone doped ethephon chemical is used to ensure that some fruits, such as fig, ripen before harvest time. Ethephon actually fakes fruit while darkening its fruit. This deteriorates the quality of the fruit. If this chemical is used for two consecutive periods, the shelf life of the products decreases and the tree branches dry out.
Hormones are organic substances that control the growth and development of plants and can be effective even if used at very low concentrations. Synthetic ones of hormones are produced because they are useful. These are generally regarded as plant growth regulators. Ethephon hormone is one of them. The harvest time of black figs is two and a half months, but if ethephon is used, it decreases to one and a half months.
In laboratories, pesticide determination in fruits and vegetables and ethephon usage determination studies are carried out. In addition, the standards prepared by organizations operating in our country and in foreign countries and the methods of analysis and test criteria accepted in the world are complied with.