Glyphosate in the environment: interactions and fate in complex soil and water settings, and (phyto) remediation strategies

Glyphosate (Gly) and its formulations are broad-spectrum herbicides globally used for pre- and post-emergent weed control. Glyphosate has been applied to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Critics have claimed that Gly-treated plants have altered mineral nutrition and increased susceptibility to plant pathogens because of Gly ability to chelate divalent metal cations. Still, the complete resistance of Gly indicates that chelation of metal cations does not play a role in herbicidal efficacy or have a substantial impact on mineral nutrition. Due to its extensive and inadequate use, this herbicide has been frequently detected in soil (2 mg kg^-1, European Union) and in stream water (328 µg L^-1, USA), mostly in surface (7.6 µg L^-1, USA) and groundwater (2.5 µg L^-1, Denmark). International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) already classified Gly as a category 2 A carcinogen in 2016. Therefore, it is necessary to find the best degradation techniques to remediate soil and aquatic environments polluted with Gly. This review elucidates the effects of Gly on humans, soil microbiota, plants, algae, and water. This review develops deeper insight toward the advances in Gly biodegradation using microbial communities. This review provides a thorough understanding of Gly interaction with mineral elements and its limitations by interfering with the plants biochemical and morphological attributes.