Monitoring of Herbicide Residues in Agricultural Soils in Vojvodina Province (Northern Serbia)

Dragana Šunjka, Mira Pucarević, Sanja Lazić, Nataša Stojić, Ljiljana Milošević, Hamid El Bilali (), Dragana Bošković, Slavica Vuković, Siniša Mitrić, Siniša Berjan, Aleksandra Šušnjar and Jelena Ećimović
Additional contact information
Dragana Šunjka: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Mira Pucarević: Faculty of Environmental Protection, Educons University, 21208 Novi Sad, Serbia
Sanja Lazić: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Nataša Stojić: Faculty of Environmental Protection, Educons University, 21208 Novi Sad, Serbia
Ljiljana Milošević: Faculty of Environmental Protection, Educons University, 21208 Novi Sad, Serbia
Hamid El Bilali: International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM-Bari), Valenzano, 70010 Bari, Italy
Dragana Bošković: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Slavica Vuković: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Siniša Mitrić: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Siniša Berjan: Department of Agroeconomy and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of East Sarajevo, 71126 Lukavac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aleksandra Šušnjar: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Jelena Ećimović: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Pesticides in soils raise concerns about the biodiversity, food safety, and contamination of watercourses, contributing to unsustainable land management practices. Monitoring the residue levels in agricultural soils is essential, as this offers valuable insights into the current extent of soil contamination and potential environmental risks attributed to their application. This study aimed to address the occurrence of the currently used herbicides in soil under intensive crop production, comparing the results of monitoring at two depths (0–30 and 30–60 cm) in 2013 and 2023. The research concerned the main agricultural area in Vojvodina Province (Serbia) and evaluated the presence of 41 herbicides in 128 localities. Pesticides were found in all samples, finding even more than six different herbicides per sample. The significant concentrations of s-metolachlor, etofumesate, clomazone, diflufenican, pendimethalin, and terbuthylazine found can be attributed to application practices, as they are typically applied pre-emergence, either through direct soil treatment with or without incorporation. Moreover, the correlation between different depths, herbicide residues, and soil properties was not significant. The decrease in the herbicide residues found in 2023 compared to the residues found in 2013 can be attributed to the implementation of good agricultural practices, which promote sustainable agricultural strategies through controlled pesticide application.

Keywords: soil; herbicides; pesticides; residues; monitoring; environment; plant protection products; sustainability; organic agriculture; Balkans (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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