Herbicide Glyphosate: Toxicity and Microbial Degradation

• Main Authors: Simranjeet Singh, Vijay Kumar, Jatinder Pal Kaur Gill, Shivika Datta, Satyender Singh, Vaishali Dhaka, Dhriti Kapoor, Abdul Basit Wani, Daljeet Singh Dhanjal, Manoj Kumar, S. L. Harikumar, Joginder Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: herbicide; glyphosate; toxicity; environmental fate; biodegradation; catabolic enzymes
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/20/7519

Glyphosate is a non-specific organophosphate pesticide, which finds widespread application in shielding crops against the weeds. Its high solubility in hydrophilic solvents, especially water and high mobility allows the rapid leaching of the glyphosate into the soil leading to contamination of groundwater and accumulation into the plant tissues, therefore intricating the elimination of the herbicides. Despite the widespread application, only a few percentages of the total applied glyphosate serve the actual purpose, dispensing the rest in the environment, thus resulting in reduced crop yields, low quality agricultural products, deteriorating soil fertility, contributing to water pollution, and consequently threatening human and animal life. This review gives an insight into the toxicological effects of the herbicide glyphosate and current approaches to track and identify trace amounts of this agrochemical along with its biodegradability and possible remediating strategies. Efforts have also been made to summarize the biodegradation mechanisms and catabolic enzymes involved in glyphosate metabolism.