The Influence of Selected Herbicides on Soil Organic Matter: Determining the Sustainable Development of Agroecosystems

Lilla Mielnik (), Brajan Bernacki and Jerzy Weber
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Lilla Mielnik: Department of Bioengineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Papieża Pawła VI 3, 71-459 Szczecin, Poland
Brajan Bernacki: Department of Bioengineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Papieża Pawła VI 3, 71-459 Szczecin, Poland
Jerzy Weber: Institute of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzka 53, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key component of soil that determines the possibility of sustainable development of the environment by influencing, among other things, the binding and migration of elements in the soil. The properties of SOM are largely dependent on the properties of humic acids (HAs). New information about changes in their structure, determining their characteristics, can be obtained on the basis of their optical properties. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the selected herbicides on the optical properties of HAs indicating changes in their structure. HAs were extracted from the mollic horizon of different phaeozems. The effect of HA interaction with two herbicides was assessed using UV–Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence. The investigation indicated clear differences in the structure of the HA molecules investigated as a result of interaction with the herbicides used. Each herbicide showed a different effect, likely due to the adjuvants used, which enhanced or weakened the process of HA–herbicide–HA complex formation. The results obtained show that the different additives used in the commercial products strongly influence the ability of HA to bind pesticides.

Keywords: soil organic matter; molecular structure of humic acids; fluorescence properties; commercial herbicide products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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