Analysis of Pesticide Impact on Agricultural Land in Punjab, India

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of pesticides on agricultural land in Punjab, India. It begins with an abstract highlighting the detrimental effects of pesticides, including health problems and environmental degradation. The background section traces the history of pesticide use in India, detailing consumption trends and regional variations, with a focus on Punjab. The report then outlines the study's objectives, which include establishing the specific effects of chemicals on agricultural land in the region. A literature review explores the role of agriculture in India's economy, the significance of pesticides in crop production, and the environmental and health hazards associated with their indiscriminate use. The methodology section describes the soil sampling process, study area (Muktsar), and the preparation of standard solutions for pesticide analysis using gas chromatography. The report also references the assignment brief which includes the requirements for a research proposal on maximizing flying-fox survival through heat stress events, quantifying the importance of understory vegetation, with details on the research question, background, methodology, and ethical considerations. The research aims to update the understanding of pesticide effects, considering current climatic conditions and proposing mitigation measures, ultimately contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and public health in Punjab.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND PLANNING
[AUTHOR NAME(S), FIRST M. LAST, OMIT TITLES
AND DEGREES]
[INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION(S)]

ABSTRACT
A part from the increasing number of the pesticides, the long term exposure to these chemicals
even at very low concentrations results into very serious problems of health. Some of the
commonly known health problems include disruption of the hormones, suppression of the
immune systems, reproductive abnormalities, diminished intelligence and finally cancer. The
reason is very obvious since the available data states that just 0.1% application of the pesticides
is enough to kill pests. The remaining 99.9% remains sleeping in the environment. This article
focuses on the impacts which pesticides or chemicals have on land which is used for agriculture
in Punjab, India. The article thus proposes the methods of minimizing the chemical hazards of
the pesticides with their controlled and regulated applications while emphasizing on the
importance of bio-pesticides. Integrated Pest Management in India for sustainable development
in the agricultural sector has been identified to be very important. The proposed study has the
potential to effectively fill the present gap in the present understanding of the effects chemicals
or pesticides on agricultural land in Punjab, INDIA". Although there have been relevant studies
which have been carried on the same subject in the same field, they are regarded to be outdated
considering that several factors or dimensions have since changed. Some of the factors which
have since changed include rainfall pattern among others which directly affect the properties of
the soil. This study will therefore be a unique one which is updated with the present climatic
conditions in Punjab in India. The results of this particular study will be expected to have
significant impacts on the mitigation measures on the impacts which pesticides or chemicals
have on land which is used for agriculture in Punjab,India.
BACKGROUND

In India, the application of the chemical pesticides dates back to 1948 although the production
started in the year 1952. This was boosted by the establishment of manufacturing plant called
BHC &DDT which is located near Calcutta. The consumption of the pesticide in India during the
period between 1954 to 2000 has indicated an increase from 434 MT to 46,195.16 MT (ul
Hassan et al 2014). The highest pesticide consuming crop in India is cotton which accounts for
36%. This is then followed by rice which is 20% . In terms of the regional balance, it is the state
of Andhra Pradesh whose consumption rate has remained to be at 23%. Punjab is ranked second
in this list with the percentage value of 21% (Syed et al 2013). According to the current
production data in India, over 150 pesticides types have been registered with the legal
applications. In Asia, India is the largest pesticides producer and it has been ranked 12th in the
whole world in terms of the pesticides applications (Mittal, Kaur & Vishwakarma 2014).
Although there are enormous benefits of pesticides applications in India, there has been an
indiscriminate as well as unregulated application of pesticides which has instead raised concerns
over the human health as well as the state of the environment. The records of India have shown
first case of the lethal loss of lives in the year 1958 which was in Kerala. This was a case of
consumption of wheat flour with parathion. It has been estimated that over 25 million of the
workers in the agricultural sectors in the countries which are still developing have been suffering
from the episode of poisoning every year. This particular series of the lethality has continued to
increase like for the incidences of Saran district, Bhopal MIC tragedy as well as Bihar in which
there was death of over 30 children after consuming monocrotophos. The monocrotophos is an
organic phosphorous fertilizer which is very lethal (Akhtar et al 2014).
OBJECTIVES

 To establish the effects of chemicals or pesticides on agricultural land in Punjab, India".
LITERATURE REVIEW
Agriculture has been regarded as the backbone or lynchpin as far as the economy of India is
concerned. The sector of agriculture is known to be responsible for over 18% contribution to the
GDP of the country. It has ensured that there is food security for the country with the population
of 1.27bn with the reducing land of the cultivation. In the course of meeting the objectives,
pesticides have played very significant roles in the agricultural activities in India (Ali et al 2014).
As one of the agrochemicals, pesticides are regarded as one of the invaluable inputs in the
sustenance of the production in agriculture. This is because there is usually substantial loss of the
crop yields due to the present of pests, weeds and other pathogens.
In the year 1966, there was introduction of the green revolution in India. This led to the increase
use of the chemicals in fact in more than one hundred times resulting into the environmental loss
as well as deterioration of the human health. There are international efforts which have been put
in place to ensure that there is safety application of the pesticides and other agricultural inputs as
reflected in the chapter 19 of the Agenda 21 (Sharma, Gill & Bedi 2015).
Similarly, it has been estimated that over 65% of the workforce in India derives their livelihood
from the agriculture. This implies that they are exposed to these chemical either directly or
indirectly. The use of pesticides rampantly has played havoc with the lives of the human beings
as well as the environment at large. Due to their high solubility rates, the chemicals seep and
persist in the environment making them to stay for a long time in the soil. They also have high
soil adsorption which is an additional .advantage to their long stay properties. Some of the
factors which have since changed include rainfall pattern among others which directly affect the

properties of the soil. This study will therefore be a unique one which is updated with the present
climatic conditions in Punjab in India.
The results of this particular study will be expected to have significant impacts on the mitigation
measures on the impacts which pesticides or chemicals have on land which is used for
agriculture in Punjab ,India. The proposed studies have the potential to effectively fill the present
gap in the present understanding of the impacts which pesticides or chemicals have on land
which is used for agriculture in Punjab,India (Bedi et al 2015). Although there have been
relevant studies which have been carried on the same subject in the same field, they are regarded
to be outdated considering that several factors or dimensions have since changed. Some of the
factors which have since changed include rainfall pattern among others which directly affect the
properties of the soil (Mumtaz et al 2015). This study will therefore be a unique one which is
updated with the present climatic conditions in Punjab in India. The results of this particular
study will be expected to have significant impacts on the mitigation measures on the impacts
which pesticides or chemicals have on land which is used for agriculture in Punjab, India
The pattern of usage of the pesticides
India is a tropical country; the pattern of the consumption is more skewed towards insecticides.
It is important to note that the pattern of the application of agro-chemical in India has never been
the same as for the case of other parts of the world. According to the statically data available, it
has been found out that over 76% of the pesticides used is insecticides. This is much higher than
44% which is globally accepted. The fungicides and the herbicides application are
correspondingly low (Khan, Mahmood, & Damalas 2015).

Similarly, it has been discovered that cotton account for more share in terms of the pesticide
application. The share represents more than 37%. The next crop which follows is 20% which is
share by the paddy. In India the two crops collectively account for 57% of the whole
consumption of pesticides. Wheat and pulses only contribute 4% with vegetables accounting for
9%. The rest of the plantation accounts for 7%.
Agrochemical Hazards
In the current set up, pesticides are regarded as common contaminants which are found on the
non-target organisms as well as biosphere in the urban landscape. These contaminants can
potentially affect animals and plants ranging from the beneficial microorganism in the soil as
well as insects, fish, non-target plants, birds, fish and other wildlife. There is enough evidence
that some of these chemicals are already posting threat to other forms of life including human
beings. The indiscriminate use of the pesticides has consequences including the impacts of
adverse health on the society in general as well as the vulnerable population which may
constitute the aged and children category. The commonly known health impacts of the pesticides
among human beings include the neurological effects (Bedi et al 2016).
There are research works which has been done in Punjab which have found alarming escalated
levels of the pesticides in the samples of the blood drawn from the villagers. This research was
done by the New Delhi based Centre for Environment and Science in general. This particular
research has acted as the show piece of the green revolution in the states within India. There is
need for India to take a very firm and corrective measures against the indiscriminate as well as
careless use of the pesticides (Khan et al 2013). The study in Punjab which involved analysis of
the randomly selected blood samples in certain villages including Jajjal, Mahi Nangal as well as

Balloh in the district of Bhatinda and Ropar district particularly in Dher indicated six to thirteen
percent in the cases of the pesticide traces. Some of the identified traces include HCH, DDT,
Aldrin, Chlorpyrifos, Endosulfan, Monocrotophos, Phosphamidon and Malathion. There are
rampant cases of cancer in Punjab villages as a result of the prolonged exposure to such
chemicals (Ahluwalia & Kaur 2018).
The study revealed the consequences of the prolonged exposure of the pesticide like immune
malfunction, liver malfunction, reproductive effects, and neurologic impairment. These were
considered to be inconclusive results. The study also revealed an excess mortality from
respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This could be attributed to psychosocial consequences of
contamination through accidental addition of chemicals. This particular research could not
however be considered to be conclusive as far as the impacts of the pesticides on the ecosystem
is concerned since it was having some limitations. The present research has supported the notion
that one of the common carcinogenic chemical to human being is dioxin. This particular research
will seek to uncover more information in relation to the pollution of land in Punjab in India
(Sharma et al 2014).
METHODOLOGY
Soil Samples collection
Different samples of soil will be collected in the region of Punjab particular in the crop growing
areas. The collection of the samples will be at a depth of 0-20cm. The samples will be dried,
crushed and finally sieved through the screen of 2mm.

Study Area
The soil samples were taken from the Muktsar which is found in the Malwa belt . This particular
area became the interest point of the study due to the fact that several health records have linked
the residents to cases of cancer.
Figure 1: Punjab Area of the Study (Sharma et al 2014)
Standard Solution preparation
There will be preparation of the stock standards solution for every pesticide in acetonitrile at
concentrations of 1000 mg L-1. The preparation of the working solution which has 10.0 mg L-1 of
all the pesticides will be done in a manner which reflects dilution factors. Such kind of the
standard solution will be stored in a freezer which has an approximate temperature of −20 °C.

There will be fitting of a Shimadzu GC-17A gas chromatograph with a detector of electron
capture which is commonly known as (ECD). It will be used alongside a manual injector. These
compounds were separated. There will be separation of the compounds on the principle of
Agilent Technologies using an HP-5 capillary column with 30m length with the internal diameter
being 0.25mm. A stationary phase consisting of 95% dimethylsiloxane and 5% diphenylsiloxane
at the thickness of the film of 0.1mm will be considered. Nitrogen will be used as a carrier gas
and at 1.2 mL min-1 flowrate. The suggested column temperature to be used will have the
following details:
 Initial temperature of 150 °C will be maintained for a period of 1 minute
 This will be followed by an increased value to 200 °C at 40 °C min-1 which will also be
maintained for a period of 2 minutes.
 This will then be followed by an increase to 210 °C at 5 °C min-1 being maintained for
about 3 minutes
 An increase to 220 °C at 3 °C min-1 and finally increase to 290 °C at 40 °C min-1 for
about 2 minutes.
In total, the analysis will be expected to run for about 16.5min. The temperatures of the detector
and the injector will be maintained at 300 and 2000C respectively. The split ratio which will be
used will be in the ratio of 1:5
ETHICS CLEARANCE
This particular research work is not like to breach any guidelines or boundaries of the ethics.
There is no likelihood of causing risks to animals or people apart from the soil organisms which
will be subjected to the study evaluation. This is because the testing of the level of accumulation

of the pesticides in the soil will involve active handling of the excavated soil samples. A lot of
efforts will be put in place to ensure that the level of interference to the biotic factors of the
ecosystem is reduced as minimal as possible during the sample extractions.
BUDGET
In order to ensure that the cost of the project is not escalated and the result of the study remains
reliable, there will be purchase of the required reagents and solvents from the licensed dealers.
Item List No. Name Cost
1 Trifluralin (99.3%, m/m) $ 34
2 Alachlor (99.0%, m/m) $5
3 lindane (99.8%, m/m) $11
4 methyl parathion (99.9%, m/m) $9
5 dieldrin (97.9%, m/m) $21
6 4,4’-DDT (98.8%, m/m $13
7 ethyl acetate $8
8 and n-hexane (Vetec, HPLC
grade)
$12
9 acetonitrile, $3
10 Milli-Q water (Millipore) $4
11 Pestle and Mortar $9
12 Shovel $22
13 Jembe $17
14 Collecting bags $19
15 Testing and Reagent bottles $23
Grand Total=$210
REFERENCES
Ahluwalia, M., & Kaur, A. (2018). Modulatory role of GSTT1 and GSTM1 in Punjabi
agricultural workers exposed to pesticides. Environmental Science and Pollution
Research, 25(12), 11981-11986..

Akhtar, M., Mahboob, S., Sultana, S., & Sultana, T. (2014). Pesticides in the River Ravi and its
tributaries between its stretches from Shahdara to Balloki Headworks, Punjab-
Pakistan. Water Environment Research, 86(1), 13-19.
Ali, U., Syed, J. H., Malik, R. N., Katsoyiannis, A., Li, J., Zhang, G., & Jones, K. C. (2014).
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in South Asian region: a review. Science of the Total
Environment, 476, 705-717.
Bedi, J. S., Gill, J. P. S., Aulakh, R. S., Kaur, P., Sharma, A., & Pooni, P. A. (2013). Pesticide
residues in human breast milk: risk assessment for infants from Punjab, India. Science of
the Total Environment, 463, 720-726.
Bedi, J. S., Gill, J. P. S., Kaur, P., Sharma, A., & Aulakh, R. S. (2015). Evaluation of pesticide
residues in human blood samples from Punjab (India). Veterinary world, 8(1), 66.
Bedi, J. S., Gill, J. S., Aulakh, R. S., & Kaur, P. (2016). Occurrence and spatial distribution of
pesticide residues in butter and ghee (clarified butter fat) in Punjab
(India). Environmental monitoring and assessment, 188(2), 100.
Khan, D. A., Ahad, K., Ansari, W. M., & Khan, H. (2013). Pesticide exposure and endocrine
dysfunction in the cotton crop agricultural workers of southern Punjab, Pakistan. Asia
Pacific Journal of Public Health, 25(2), 181-191.
Khan, M., Mahmood, H. Z., & Damalas, C. A. (2015). Pesticide use and risk perceptions among
farmers in the cotton belt of Punjab, Pakistan. Crop Protection, 67, 184-190.

Mittal, S., Kaur, G., & Vishwakarma, G. S. (2014). Effects of environmental pesticides on the
health of rural communities in the Malwa Region of Punjab, India: a review. Human and
Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 20(2), 366-387.
Mumtaz, M., Qadir, A., Mahmood, A., Mehmood, A., Malik, R. N., Li, J., ... & Zhang, G.
(2015). Human health risk assessment, congener specific analysis and spatial distribution
pattern of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) through rice crop from selected districts of
Punjab Province, Pakistan. Science of the Total Environment, 511, 354-361.
Sharma, A., Gill, J. P. S., & Bedi, J. S. (2015). Monitoring of pesticide residues in human blood
from Punjab, India. Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology, 94(5), 640-
646.
Sharma, A., Gill, J. P. S., Bedi, J. S., & Pooni, P. A. (2014). Monitoring of pesticide residues in
human breast milk from Punjab, India and its correlation with health associated
parameters. Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology, 93(4), 465-471.
Syed, J. H., Malik, R. N., Liu, D., Xu, Y., Wang, Y., Li, J., ... & Jones, K. C. (2013).
Organochlorine pesticides in air and soil and estimated air–soil exchange in Punjab,
Pakistan. Science of the total environment, 444, 491-497.
ul Hassan, A., Tabinda, A. B., Abbas, M., & Khan, A. M. (2014). Organochlorine and pyrethroid
pesticides analysis in dairy milk samples collected from cotton growing belt of Punjab,
Pakistan. Pak. J. Agri. Sci, 51(2), 331-335..