Although the role of pesticides in agricultural sector is well acknowledged, their excessive and ill advised application has posed many environment related hazards like pesticide residues in our food and food chain. This not only leads to serious pesticide residue problems and associated health risks for consumers but also drives up production costs.It is also very crucial to determine the half life and withholding period for every agricultural commodity in one's own agroclimatic conditions.Thiophanate methyl and carbendazim are two fungicides of benzimidazol group which are being widely used on stone fruits, pome fruits, tropical and subtropical fruit crops, grapes and fruiting vegetables. These are broad-spectrum systemic fungicides with protective and curative action,and are used for control of a wide range of fungal diseases. Thus these were used to determine their efficacy against late blight of tomato.

Sana Hanif has earned her MSC(hons) and Bsc(hons) degree in agriculture with Plant pathology as her major discipline. She is now working as lecturer in Institute of Agricultural Scinces,University of the Punjab, Pakistan.She has an extensive experience in pesticide residue analysis.