Impact of Pesticides on Soil Microbial Diversity and Enzymes: A Review

Devi, Yumnam Bijilaxmi; Meetei, Thounaojam Thomas; Kumari, Nirmala

doi:10.20546/ijcmas.2018.706.113

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…Some pesticides used for crop protection have an impact on soil chemical and biological fertility, with numerous potential negative effects on soil microorganisms, including nontarget species [374][375][376]. Broad-spectrum fungicides are toxic to most fungi and result in a decline in the beneficial types [377].…”

Section: Effect Of Synthetic Inputs On Soil Microbial Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Regenerative Agriculture—A Literature Review on the Practices and Mechanisms Used to Improve Soil Health

et al. 2023

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Conventional farming practices can lead to soil degradation and a decline in productivity. Regenerative agriculture (RA) is purported by advocates as a solution to these issues that focuses on soil health and carbon sequestration. The fundamental principles of RA are to keep the soil covered, minimise soil disturbance, preserve living roots in the soil year round, increase species diversity, integrate livestock, and limit or eliminate the use of synthetic compounds (such as herbicides and fertilisers). The overall objectives are to rejuvenate the soil and land and provide environmental, economic, and social benefits to the wider community. Despite the purported benefits of RA, a vast majority of growers are reluctant to adopt these practices due to a lack of empirical evidence on the claimed benefits and profitability. We examined the reported benefits and mechanisms associated with RA against available scientific data. The literature suggests that agricultural practices such as minimum tillage, residue retention, and cover cropping can improve soil carbon, crop yield, and soil health in certain climatic zones and soil types. Excessive use of synthetic chemicals can lead to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Combining livestock with cropping and agroforestry in the same landscape can increase soil carbon and provide several co-benefits. However, the benefits of RA practices can vary among different agroecosystems and may not necessarily be applicable across multiple agroecological regions. Our recommendation is to implement rigorous long-term farming system trials to compare conventional and RA practices in order to build knowledge on the benefits and mechanisms associated with RA on regional scales. This will provide growers and policy-makers with an evidence base from which to make informed decisions about adopting RA practices to realise their social and economic benefits and achieve resilience against climate change.

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Section: Effect Of Synthetic Inputs On Soil Microbial Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Regenerative Agriculture—A Literature Review on the Practices and Mechanisms Used to Improve Soil Health

et al. 2023

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“…Several authors have successfully performed PCR-RFLP analyses to assess genetic diversity among bacterial species in the past (Rahmanifar et al, 2012;Mandakovic et al, 2016) in environmental samples. Desert soils are particularly problematic where leaching of pesticides is low due to scanty rainfall resulting in persistence of slowly degradable chemicals (Devi et al, 2018). There is hardly any report from arid western Rajasthan that involves studying changes in the beneficial microbial diversity and composition as a result of indiscriminate usage of pesticides in agricultural soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%