Herbicides Effects on Soil Functions: A Review

This review explores the impact of herbicides on soil functions, offering a detailed analysis of how these chemicals influence soil health. Herbicides, commonly used for controlling unwanted plants, often disturb the balance of soil ecosystems by altering microbial diversity, disrupting nutrient cycling, and affecting organic matter breakdown. The findings show that herbicides can either inhibit or stimulate soil microbial activities, depending on their type, concentration, and environmental conditions. While some herbicides have minimal short-term effects on soil respiration and microbial activity, others significantly reduce soil enzyme activities, slow down nitrogen mineralization, and disrupt beneficial microbial relationships, such as those involving mycorrhizal fungi. The persistence of herbicide residues in soil presents further challenges, with potential risks of contaminating soil and groundwater. It highlights the importance of using herbicides carefully, considering both their effectiveness in weed control and their long-term effects on soil health. However, the paper concludes with an evaluation of the ecological and evolutionary impacts of herbicides on soil microbial communities, calling for further research to fully understand these complex interactions.