ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of environmental implications of pesticide within the context of soil science. There is clearly a need to reduce inputs of pesticides to the minimum required to control the problems. Modern pesticides are nearly all neutral organic molecules. Because the majority is not found naturally in soil-plant systems, it is important that their behavior should be understood and their effects on the environment determined. The extent of adsorption of a pesticide on to organic matter is related to its hydrophobic character, which can be measured through the partitioning of the compound between an organic solvent and water. When an herbicide enters the soil, microbial and chemical breakdown begins, reducing the concentration of the active compound. The direct measurement of the decay curve of a pesticide. Garden herbicide's phytotoxicity can be determined by treating soil with varying amounts, growing a test crop and recording the effects on growth.
