Turkish Fruit Growers’ Perceptions on Pesticide Harm Not Reflected on Their Practices

A study conducted by researchers at Ege University and Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University in Turkey concluded that fruit producers in the country do not usually translate their level of awareness on the effects of pesticides into their practices.

The researchers analyzed responses from 3% of fruit growers in the Kemalpasa county in Turkey. The region is where fruit orchards and vineyards are found. The researchers determined that pesticide practices were influenced more by certain grower characteristics such as age, fruit-growing experience and education.

Among those interviewed who do not see pesticides as harmful, there are more producers that use the recommended dose and type of pesticide. However, majority of farmers still use more than the recommended amount of pesticide, or used pesticides which were not appropriate for the fruits trees. This shows that they are still not sufficiently informed on these subjects and there is a need to increase the knowledge of farmers, said the researchers. The paper published by Crop Protection, is accessible at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2006.08.006.