Soil biological activity as an indicator of soil pollution with pesticides – A review

Abstract

So far, there have been hardly any studies offering a comprehensive view of biological activity in soil, with little scholarly attention paid to the influence of different pesticides and their metabolites. The impact of the pesticides on soil health is still a current and important problem, which requires constant monitoring. The present review summarizes the recent scientific reports regarding soil enzymes and activities of microorganisms as well as changes occurring in underground biochemistry under the influence of pesticides. It is difficult to interpret enzymatic and microbiological responses after the application of pesticides because of their structural diversity and variety of breakdown pathways. Pesticides applied to soil tend to be a mixture of different active substances. That is why it is difficult to analyze their influence on soil biological activity. The present review attempts to discuss the activity of such compounds on microbial communities and soil enzymatic activity. It also investigates pesticides degradation in soil and prevention of their negative effects on soil biological activity.