Chapter 5 Impact of Pesticides on Soil Microbial Diversity, Enzymes, and Biochemical Reactions

Pesticides are extensively used in agriculture as a part of pest control strategies. Owing to their xenobiotics characteristics, pesticides may adversely affect the proliferation of beneficial soil microorganisms and their associated biotransformation in the soil. Inactivation of nitrogen‐fixing and phosphorus‐solubilizing microorganisms is observed in pesticide‐contaminated soils. Recent studies show that some pesticides disturb molecular interactions between plants and N‐fixing rhizobacteria and consequently inhibit the vital process of biological nitrogen fixation. Similarly, many studies show that pesticides reduce activities of soil enzymes that are key indicators of soil health. The applied pesticides may also influence many biochemical reactions such as mineralization of organic matter, nitrification, denitrification, ammonification, redox reactions, methanogenesis, etc. However, a few reports reveal some positive effects of applied pesticides on soil health. In this chapter, we attempt to analyze the impacts of pesticides on soil microbial communities, soil biochemical reactions, and soil enzymes.