Soil ecotoxicity assessment of glyphosate use under field conditions: microbial activity and community structure of Eubacteria and ammonia-oxidising bacteria

Abstract

A plot-scale experiment was conducted to assess the impact of field application rates of glyphosate on soil microbial communities by taking measurements of microbial activity (in terms of substrate-induced respiration and enzyme activity) in parallel with culture-independent approaches to assessing both bacterial abundance and diversity. Two rates of glyphosate, alone or in a mixture with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, were applied directly onto the soil surface, simulating normal use in chemical fallow in no-till systems.