JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA

MAVINAKERE, HASSAN

INVESTIGATORY PROJECT WORK

2023-24

TOPIC: INSECTICIDES ON FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Submitted to, Submitted by,
Yoganand H C Nayana D L
PGT Chemistry XII PCMB
JNV Hassan JNV Hassan

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that NAYANA D L of class XII of JNV,

Mavinakere ,Hassan, bearing roll number

has completed his investigatory project “ INSECTICIDES ON

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES”. She has successfully completed
the project in the Chemistry laboratory & prepared this
project report after the research work.

This project may be considered as partial fulfilment of

AISSCE 2023-2024 conducted by the Central Board Of
Secondary Education, Delhi.

Sign of External Examiner Internal Examiner

Principal

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 Index

Sl. No Content Page No

1 Acknowledgement 4

2 Introduction 5-6

3 Experiment 7

4 Observation 8

5 Conclusion 9

6 Result 10

8 Bibliography 11

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 A C K N O WL E D G E M E N T
I feel proud to present my Investigatory project in Chemistry on the
topic “ INSECTICIDES ON FRUITS AND VEGETABLES”.

This project wouldn’t have been feasible without the proper and
rigorous guidance of my Chemistry teacher Mr. Yoganand H C, PGT
Chemistry, who guided me throughout this project in every possible
way. An investigatory project involves various difficult lab
experiments which have to be carried out by the student to obtain
the observations and conclude the report on a meaningful note.
These experiments are very critical and in the case of failure, may
result in disastrous consequences.

Further, I would like to thank Lab instructor Mr. Murulidhar G J and

Lab Asst. Mr. Subesh K M for guiding me on a step by step basis and
ensuring that I completed all my experiments with ease.
I also register my sense of gratitude to our Principal Mr. K Parthiban
for his immense encouragement that has made this project
successful.

Rigorous hard work has been put in this project to ensure that it
proves to be the best. I hope that this project will prove to be a
breeding ground for the next generation of students and will guide
them in every possible way.

Nayana D L

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 INTRODUCTION

Since before 20BC, humans have utilized pesticides to

protect their crops. The first known pesticide was
elemental sulphur dusting used about 4500 years ago in
ancient Mesopotamia. By the 15th century, toxic chemicals
such as arsenic, mercury and lead were being used as
insecticides The 19th century saw the introduction of two
more Natural pesticides, pyrethrum, which is derived from
chrysanthemums, rotenone which is derived from roots of
tropical vegetables. In 1940s manufacturers began to
produce large amounts of synthetic pesticides .The 1940s
and 1950s is said to be “Start of the pesticide era”.
A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent ,
disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include
plant pathogens, insects, molluscs ,birds, mammals, and
microbes that destroy property or spread diseases.
Some examples of pesticides are: DDT, BHC, zinc
phosphide, mercuric chloride, dinitrophenol, etc. All
pesticides are poisonous chemicals and are used in small
quantities with care. Pesticides are proven to be effective
against variety of insects, weeds and fungi and are
respectively called insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Most of the pesticides are non-biodegradable, which also
makes pesticides pollutants. In 1960s it was discovered
that DDT was preventing many fish eating birds from
reproducing, which was a serious threat to biodiversity.
The agricultural use of DDT is now leaned under the stock
holm convention. Restrictions on use of pesticides and

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controlling use of pesticides are imposed. The US
department of agriculture has campaigned for the safe use
of pesticides. Traditional insecticides such as pyrithrium or
non-persistent chemicals such as carbaryl sevin are now
very widely used. Large-scale rearing, radiation sterilizing
and release programme are now major effects of the US
Department of agriculture and are highly effective in
restricted situations. Control of insects by synthetic growth
hormones is also effective in limited situations.

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 EXPERIMENT
Objective:

To investigate the fermentation process of apple juice and

observe the factors affecting the rate of fermentation.

Materials:

1. Apple juice

2. Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

3. Sugar (optional, to increase initial sugar content)

4. Airlock fermentation vessel or a balloon with a pinhole

5. Thermometer pH test strips

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PROCEDURE:
1) Different types of fruits and vegetables were taken and
cut into small pieces separately and crushed a bit.

2) Different beakers were selected for each kind of fruits and

vegetables. The crushed fruits and vegetables were placed in
these beakers and 100 ml of alcohol was added to each of
these.

3) The mixture was stirred well and filtered.

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4) The filtrate was collected in separate china dishes, the
alcohol was evaporated by heating the china dishes one by
one over a water bath and the residue was dried in oven.
5) A small piece of sodium was then heated in a fusion tube,
till it melted.

6) One of the above residues from the china dish was added
to this fusion tube and heated till it was red hot.

7) The hot fusion tube was dropped in a china dish containing

about 10 ml of distilled water.

8) The tube was then broken and the contents of the china
dish was boiled for about 5 minutes.

9) The solution was cooled and filtered.

10) The filtrate was then collected.

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11) To the filtrate 1 ml of freshly prepared ferrous sulphate
solution was added and heated.

12) Then 2-3 drops of ferric chloride solution were added and
acidified with dilute HCl.

13) A blue or green ppt. or coloration if obtained indicated

the presence of nitrogen containing insecticides. The above
steps are repeated for residues obtained from other fruits
and vegetables and observations are recorded.

RESULT:

All the fruits and vegetables which were tested contain

nitrogen containing pesticides/insecticides.

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PRECAUTIONS:

1. Splashing must be avoided.

2. Eyes and nose must not be touched after touching

chemicals which are used.

3. For effective results the fruit and vegetable samples should

be sliced into small pieces and then crushed properly

Bibliography:
1. www.encyclopedia.com
2. www.wikipedia.com
3. Britannica encyclopaedia
4. Practical manual in chemistry for class xii
5. Microsoft Encarta
6. NCERT Chemistry- XII
7. Comprehensive Practical Chemistry- XII8. www.scribd.com

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