Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary
- Main Discovery: A comprehensive European study reveals that 70% of soils are contaminated with pesticide residues, which significantly suppress beneficial soil organisms like mycorrhizal fungi and nematodes, thereby impairing essential soil biodiversity and function.
- Methodology: Researchers from 10 European institutions analyzed 373 soil samples collected from agricultural fields, forests, and meadows across 26 countries to measure the presence and impact of 63 common pesticides.
- Key Data: Fungicides accounted for 54% of detected active ingredients, followed by herbicides (35%) and insecticides (11%), with glyphosate being the most prevalent substance found.
- Significance: The presence of these chemicals drastically alters soil communities and disrupts key genes responsible for nutrient cycling (such as nitrogen and phosphorus recovery), potentially forcing a reliance on additional fertilizers to maintain crop yields.
- Future Application: These findings provide the first quantitative evidence of this scale and are intended to directly influence and tighten current pesticide regulations to better protect soil biodiversity.
- Branch of Science: Soil Ecology / Environmental Science / Agricultural Science
- Additional Detail: Contamination is not limited to treated agricultural land; residues were also detected in forests and meadows where pesticides are not applied, indicating widespread transport via spray drift.








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