Chemical pesticides are the most important component of any pest management strategy. Soil an important component of the environment, act as a sink for the pesticides used in agriculture. Persistence of imidacloprid was studied under laboratory conditions in four types of soil viz.sandy loam, clay, red and black soils following treatment at 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0µg/g fortification levels. The imidacloprid residue in the soil samples were measured by validated analytical method. Results The

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... of imidacloprid was found to be faster in black soil followed by sandy loam, clay and red soil with half life value of 50.10, 42.74 and 45.69, respectively. The half life value was varied from concentration of imidacloprid in soil. The faster dissipation in black soil could be attributed to higher pH (7.47) and high organic matter (0.86%) as compared to other soil. Conclusion The degradation of imidacloprid in soil depends upon organic carbon content, moisture and soil pH. In general the imidacloprid were found safe from environmental contamination point of view as their half-life value were less than 50 days in all other soils.