Information on the persistence behavior of a pesticide in agricultural produce and soil is crucial before its recommendation for agricultural use. A study was carried out to investigate dissipation kinetics and decontamination of chlorantraniliprole residues in okra fruits and soil, applying twice at the recommended dose (25 g a.i. ha-1) and double dose (50 g a.i. ha-1). Residues were estimated using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. In 2019, the initial level of chlorantraniliprole residues in okra fruits was 0.099 and 0.201 mg kg-1, while in 2020, it was 0.071 and 0.135 mg kg-1 at the respective doses. In both years, residues declined below the limit of quantification (0.01 mg kg-1) within 7 and 10 days at recommended and double doses, with corresponding half-lives of 2.28 and 2.95 days in 2019 and 3.27 and 3.20 days in 2020. The initial residues in soil were 0.031 and 0.055 mg kg-1 in 2019, while 0.045 and 0.073 mg kg-1 in 2020 at the corresponding doses. Residues dropped below the limit of quantification within 3-5 days with a half-life of 1.58 days for both doses in 2019, while 1.51 and 1.65 days in 2020 at the respective doses. Washing okra fruits under tap water and then boiling was most effective in removing residues (58-72 %), followed by dipping in a 2 % salt solution (55-68 %) and subsequently tap water washing. Initial residues in okra fruits well below the EU MRL (0.3 mg kg⁻¹) even at double dose indicated that chlorantraniliprole is safe for okra cultivation; however, employing decontamination methods can further minimise the residue risk.
