Pesticide Contamination to Non-target Organisms, the Environment, and Agroecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural lands to control various pest species and increase crop yields. However, they may adversely affect non-target species, including wild plants, invertebrates (e.g., insect predators and pollinators) and vertebrates (e.g., amphibians, reptiles, fishes, birds, and mammals) living in and around agricultural lands that are vital for the ecosystem. Assesssing pesticide toxicity to non-target organisms is a standard process for pesticide registration and environmental protection, but quite often, these studies are conducted on a limited number of surrogate species under laboratory conditions because it is challenging to perform such assessments in nature due to exposure and several risk factors. Moreover, pesticides indirectly affect the non-target species as they can move throughout the environment of soil, water, plant tissue and prey organisms.

This Special Issue seeks to publish papers that address the effects of pesticides on non-target species. Topics can range from exposure levels, toxicity, direct versus indirect effects, risk assessment, and mitigation of pesticide effects at mulitple sites and across large geographical areas. Studies that highlight mitigation methods or techniques to reduce exposure (e.g., using appropirate pesticides, dosages, time and application equipment) and increase non-target species’ resistance to pesticides via bioremediation techniques (e.g., biochar to absorb pesticides, microbial biodegradation of pesticides) are also welcome.

Dr. Ge Zhang
Prof. Dr. John D. Stark
Guest Editors

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