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Open research questions in Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies

95 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 407 Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • investigation of malathion bioremediation using machine-learning-guided directed evolution - study of the effects of temperature and pH on malathion degradation - development of more efficient biocatalysts for malathion degradation

    Malathion biodegradation and biotransformation in water and sediment systems: bacterial pathways, environmental drivers, ecological impacts, and bioremediation strategies · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in understanding the environmental drivers and ecological impacts of malathion biodegradation. It highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of malathion biodegradation and its implications for environmental management. The paper seeks to address this gap by synthesizing current knowledge on malathion biodegradation and biotransformation.

    Malathion biodegradation and biotransformation in water and sediment systems: bacterial pathways, environmental drivers, ecological impacts, and bioremediation strategies · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the effects of other factors on glyphosate retention and biodegradation. Study the mechanisms of glyphosate biodegradation by different microorganisms. Explore the applications of POM and MAOM in bioremediation of glyphosate-contaminated soils.

    Organic Matter Micro-Interfaces Change Glyphosate Partitioning and Alter Active Glyphosate Degraders in Soils · 2026 · DOI

  • The microscale mechanisms of glyphosate dissipation in soils are poorly resolved. The role of soil microinterfaces in glyphosate adsorption and degradation is not well understood.

    Organic Matter Micro-Interfaces Change Glyphosate Partitioning and Alter Active Glyphosate Degraders in Soils · 2026 · DOI

  • To date, comprehensive reviews on the toxicity, degradation behavior, and resistance status of glufosinate-ammonium remain scarce.

    Environmental Occurrence, Toxicity Concerns, Degradation Behavior, and Plant Resistance of Glufosinate-Ammonium · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the effects of increasing pesticide diversity on soil microbial functions remain unclear, particularly under varying nitrogen (N) fertilizer management practices.

    Increasing pesticide diversity impairs soil microbial functions · 2025 · DOI

  • Foliar fertilization with nutritional supplements can intend to increase crop yields, and little is known about its ability to reduce oxidative stress.

    Can foliar application of soluble monoammonium phosphate effectively alleviate herbicide-induced oxidative stress in key crops? · 2025 · DOI

  • Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit the potential to enhance plant tolerance to organic pollutant stress, but how they drive endogenous molecules to detoxify contaminants remains to be further investigated.

    Detoxification Strategy of Titanium Oxide Nanoparticles Driving Endogenous Molecules Metabolism to Modulate Atrazine Conversion in Lactuca sativa L. · 2025 · DOI

  • Extensive use of glyphosate (GLY) has aroused significant public concerns due to its adverse effects on reproductive health, but the toxic mechanism remains unclear.

    Chronic Dietary Exposure to Environmental Levels of Glyphosate Increases the Risk of Reproductive Dysfunction in Male Mice · 2025 · DOI

  • The role of organo-mineral associations in regulating glyphosate retention and transformation pathways, however, remains unclear.

    Chemical Choreography at the Mn Oxide Interface: Protein Association Modulates Glyphosate Bonding Configurations and Favors the AMPA Oxidation Pathway · 2025 · DOI

  • Root uptake is a primary pathway for pesticides to enter the plants; however, their uptake mechanisms and biotransformation behaviors are still lacking.

    Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Triazole Pesticides in Rice ( Oryza sativa L.): Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship, Metabolic Pathways, and Toxicity Assessment · 2025 · DOI

  • Pesticide residues in freshwater threaten water sustainability, but the global discrepancies in freshwater pesticide contamination remain uncertain.

    Global mapping of freshwater contamination by pesticides and implications for agriculture and water resource protection · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on long-term field trials, advanced analytical methods, and effective monitoring frameworks.

    From winery by-product to soil improver? – A comprehensive review of grape pomace in agriculture and its effects on soil properties and functions · 2025 · DOI

  • Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent condition that often goes unrecognized in the population, and many risk factors for this disease are not well understood.

    Analysis of the association between urinary glyphosate exposure and fatty liver index: a study for US adults · 2024 · DOI

  • Research assessing the association of glyphosate concentrations with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and the prevalence of diabetes is scarce.

    Relationship of urinary glyphosate concentrations with glycosylated hemoglobin and diabetes in US adults: a cross-sectional study · 2024 · DOI

  • This study provides the most comprehensive OPC profiles in WWTP effluents to date, highlighting the need for further research on their occurrence, fate, and risks, particularly for chlorinated OPCs.

    Discovering Novel Organophosphorus Compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents through Suspect Screening and Nontarget Analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • Limited knowledge on the structure of emerging organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) hampers our comprehensive understanding of their environmental occurrence and potential risks.

    Discovering Novel Organophosphorus Compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents through Suspect Screening and Nontarget Analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • The migration and risk of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in agricultural air–soil–plant multimedia systems due to plastic film application remain unclear.

    Traditional and Novel Organophosphate Esters in Plastic Greenhouse: Occurrence, Multimedia Migration, and Exposure Risk via Vegetable Consumption · 2024 · DOI

  • However, further research on the environmental effects of these chemicals is needed address the missing knowledge on this subject.

    Environmental Implication of Herbicide Use · 2024 · DOI

  • The microbial fermentation of food has emerged as an efficient means to eliminate pesticide residues in agricultural products; however, the specific degradation characteristics and mechanisms remain unclear.

    Microbial Fermentation as an Efficient Method for Eliminating Pyrethroid Pesticide Residues in Food: A Case Study on Cyfluthrin and Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus D-21 · 2024 · DOI

  • However, its metabolic characteristics and hepatotoxicity in the chiral level environment remain unclear.

    Stereoselective In Vitro Metabolism, Hepatotoxicity, and Cytotoxic Effects of Four Enantiomers of the Fungicide Propiconazole · 2024 · DOI

  • Tripyrasulfone is currently the only HPPD-inhibiting herbicide that possesses outstanding selectivity even for direct-seeded rice ( Oryza sativa ) when applied POST to control grass weeds; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

    Physiological Basis for the Mechanism of Selectivity of Tripyrasulfone between Rice ( Oryza sativa ) and Barnyard Grass ( Echinochloa crus-galli ) · 2024 · DOI

  • Microorganisms form complex communities characterized by a myriad of interspecies interactions, yet it remains unclear to what extent non-target microorganisms are indirectly affected by fungicides through biotic interactions with sensitive taxa.

    Soil microbial community fragmentation reveals indirect effects of fungicide exposure mediated by biotic interactions between microorganisms · 2024 · DOI

  • The mechanisms of herbicide toxicity in humans are not fully understood. There is a need to identify molecular targets of herbicides in humans that can serve as potential biomarkers of herbicide exposure.

    Shared Plant-human Biology: Herbicide Effects and New Biomarkers Perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • Crystal structure analysis of mammalian glutamine synthetase variants and herbicide binding has been conducted for drug design, but comprehensive structure-activity relationship modeling for predicting individual susceptibility to glufosinate neurotoxicity based on glutamine synthetase polymorphisms remains absent and requires population genetics validation.

    Shared Plant-human Biology: Herbicide Effects and New Biomarkers Perspectives · 2026 · DOI

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95 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 407 Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies papers in our 4.5M-paper local library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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