Understanding the Environmental Behavior of Herbicides: A Systematic Review of Practical Insights

Abstract

Herbicides play a crucial role in weed control in various agricultural and non-agricultural settings. However, their behavior in the environment is complex and influenced by multiple factors. Understanding their fate and retention, transport, and transformation is essential for effective herbicide management and minimizing their impact on ecosystems. This chapter begins by emphasizing the importance of studying herbicide behavior in real-world conditions, considering physical, chemical, and biological amendments in soil. It highlights how these amendments can directly affect weed control efficacy when residual herbicides are applied in pre-emergence. Detailed knowledge of herbicide behavior in the environment enables the adjustment of application rates based on soil type and climatic conditions, which is a key aspect of precision agriculture. The study of herbicide interactions in the environment has experienced significant growth across various subfields, particularly in the last three decades. It can be considered a multidisciplinary subject that encompasses areas such as agricultural, environmental, and biological sciences, as well as technology, physics, chemistry, and biomedicine. Overall, there are over 35,000 papers on herbicide behavior in the environment, and the trend indicates that the number of publications will continue to grow in the coming years.