Herbicide Bioavailability Determinant Processes in the Soil

Despite their crop protection benefits, herbicides may produce a wide range of possible environmentalimplications due to their persistence in the ecosystem. They can enter the soil from direct spraying onto the soilsurface, irrigation runoff, or release from dead vegetation. Microbial degradation is the main mechanismsresponsible for the transformation and detoxification of most herbicidal compounds in soil. The microbial availabilityof herbicides for biodegradation in the soil is primarily determined by factors like adsorption, desorption,biodegradation and non-extractable residue formation. Exploring these processes can lead to better understandingthe efficacy and fate of the herbicide in the environment. Here we present a short review of the processes affectingthe bioavailability of herbicides in the soil and their subsequent influence on the environmental fate of thesecompounds.