ABSTRACT
Pesticides may reach the soil compartment by different ways. Direct soil application is normally employed for the control of weeds, insects, or microorganisms, the use of herbicides being a typical example. Pesticides may also reach the soil indirectly, when the pesticide fractions applied to the aerial part of plants (to control weeds, crop pests, or diseases) drop to the soil during application, or lixiviate from the crops. Other ways the pesticides reach the soil are by transportation from a different compartment, e.g., with the irrigation water, or by atmospheric deposition.
