Identification of pesticide types used in agriculture in the district of Los Santos

Abstract

The use of pesticides in the Republic of Panama began more than seventy years ago with the intensification of agricultural and livestock production activities, such as cattle ranching and the cultivation of bananas and sugarcane. This, combined with the wide variety of pest species present in Panama’s agricultural and livestock environments, as well as climatic conditions favorable to their rapid development, has led to an increase in pesticide use. The objective of this study is to identify the most commonly used agricultural pesticides in the District of Los Santos through a survey, with a sample of 273 farmers selected using simple random probability sampling. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted, employing a non-experimental design and a quantitative approach. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, identifying the types of pesticides used by farmers in the District of Los Santos. These included herbicides (46%), fungicides (18%), acaricides (11%), insecticides (10%), bactericides (8%), and nematicides. Glyphosate (CAS 1071-83-6) was the most frequently used (44%), followed by Paraquat (CAS 4685-14-7) at 33%. Based on these findings, the study proposes the development of strategies aimed at raising awareness about good agricultural practices in pesticide use.