Impact of Herbicides Used in Agriculture: Benefits and Hazards

Abstract

Herbicides are inevitable for ensuring agricultural productivity, food security, and increasing demand for food safety while maintaining uncontrolled weed growth during crop growth. In general, the degree of persistence of an herbicide is based mainly on the factors like chemical properties of the compound, soil properties, and environmental properties. Half-life is the key factor that controls the dissipation of herbicides from soil and the environment. The fate of herbicide takes place after application in the environment are including biodegradation, chemical degradation, photodegradation, uptake by target or non-target plants, adsorption of herbicide molecules by soil, leaching into the groundwater as well as surface runoff. As herbicides are chemical, some are highly persistent and others are non-biodegradable and are harmful for a long period to soil microbes, water bodies, animals, human beings, and the food chain including the ecosystem.