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Plant Adaptation and Phytoremediation pp 427–447Cite as

Herbicides and Pesticides as Potential Pollutants: A Global Problem

Abstract

Herbicides and pesticides have been used to control, eliminate or destroy pests in order to protect human being’s food. This technology could be economical and effective if the selection of herbicides and pesticides is based on its mode of action, chemical nature, method and time of application and nature of crop. They have been extensively studied for their toxic potential to biological systems. Herbicides and pesticides are gradually more water soluble, polar and heat stable, therefore it is difficult to reduce their lethalness and to fade away them from the atmosphere. They are highly selective, and found to be toxic to a number of people in industry, agriculture and public health work places. They have harmful effects directly or indirectly on soil, environment, surface and ground water natural flora and fauna, aquatic life which will ultimately adversely influence the human beings and livestock. So, likely impact of herbicides and pesticides on atmosphere and community health is of great significance regardless of their noticeable benefits. It is likely to reduce the selection of pest resistance by preventing the contact between pesticide which act in a particular way and the pest population and to subsequently apply pesticides from diverse classes of compounds having dissimilar modes of accomplishment. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is intended to protect the maximum likely risks to agriculture as well as environment by using cost-effective measures and pest management will prolong for improvements with the advent of new and improved technologies.

Keywords

  • Herbicides
  • Pesticides
  • Pollutants
  • Environment
  • Agriculture
  • Pest management

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  1. Centre for Applied Molecular Biology, 87 W Canal Bank Road, Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan

    Bushra Rashid, Tayyab Husnain & Sheikh Riazuddin

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  1. Bushra Rashid
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  2. Tayyab Husnain
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  3. Sheikh Riazuddin
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Correspondence to Bushra Rashid , Tayyab Husnain or Sheikh Riazuddin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Facutlty of Sciences, Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    M. Ashraf

  2. Centre for Environmental Studies, Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Ege University, Fen Fakultesi A Blok 2. Kat, Bornova, Izmir, 35100, Turkey

    M. Ozturk

  3. Dept. Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 30840, Pakistan

    M. S. A. Ahmad

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Rashid, B., Husnain, T., Riazuddin, S. (2010). Herbicides and Pesticides as Potential Pollutants: A Global Problem. In: Ashraf, M., Ozturk, M., Ahmad, M. (eds) Plant Adaptation and Phytoremediation. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9370-7_19

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