ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Determination of Operator Potential Risk Level
from Pesticide Applications in Hazelnut Orchards
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Plant Protection Program, Colemerik Vocational School, Hakkâri University, Hakkâri, Türkiye
2
Department of Agricultural Machinery Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture,
Çukurova University, Adana, Türkiye
Submission date: 2023-02-02
Final revision date: 2023-05-10
Acceptance date: 2023-05-20
Online publication date: 2024-10-21
Corresponding author
Muhammed Cemal Toraman
Department of Plant Protection Program, Colemerik Vocational School, Hakkâri University, Hakkâri, Türkiye
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Hazelnuts are grown throughout the Black Sea, where the soil is not suitable for other crops, and on
sharply sloping soils. Pesticides are used periodically, except for a few months of the year, against
diseases and pests encountered during hazelnut production. Mechanical back sprayers and hydraulic
sprayers with high pressure operated spray guns are widely used in spraying. The studies were designed
to determine the risk level that may occur during pesticide applications by measuring the amount
of pesticide reaching the operator and assistant in the struggle against diseases, pests, and weeds with
two different sprayers (mechanical and spray gun), which are widely used for pesticide applications
in hazelnut production areas in Ordu province. In the study, in order to determine the dermal exposure
level, the operator and his assistant were dressed in protective overalls, and filter papers were attached to
different parts of the body on the overalls. After spraying, the amount of residue on the filter papers was
measured with a spectrophotometer in the laboratory, and the pesticide exposure levels of the selected
target surfaces were determined. In the applications of the garden sprayer and back sprayer, 67–
41% of the lower part of the body and 34–59% of the upper part of the body were contaminated for
the operator, respectively. These rates were 50–46% of PDM in the lower part of the body and 50–54%
in the upper part of the operator’s assistant.