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You are here: NPIC Home Page Pesticides and the Environment Soil and Pesticides

Soil and Pesticides

Soil can be degraded and the community of organisms living in the soil can be damaged by the misuse or over use of pesticides. Some pesticides are more toxic to soil organisms than others. Some pesticides may break down quickly when applied to soils, while others may persist for longer periods. The type of soil and the type of pesticide can also affect pesticide persistence.

When applying pesticides to soils, keep these tips in mind:

• Review the "Environmental Hazards" section of the product label, and always follow the label directions.
• Adopting IPM methods of controlling pests can reduce the need for pesticides application to soils.
• Pesticides in soil may be taken up by plant roots and moved to other plant tissues, including the fruit.
• Pesticides applied to sandy or course-grained soils are more likely to leach through the soil and contaminate groundwater.

To learn more about pesticides and soils visit these resources:

• Residential Soil and Pesticides
• Pesticides and Agricultural Soils
• Exposure and Testing

If you have questions about pesticides and soil, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.

Additional Resources

• Helping People Understand Soils - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
• Ecological Soil Screening Levels - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Pesticide Properties Database - Oregon State University Extension
• Yesterday's Orchard, Today's Home: Legacy Pesticides on Former Orchard Property - Oregon State University Extension Service

Related Topics:

What are pests?

What are pesticides?

Disponible en español

Please read our disclaimer | Contact us | About NPIC | En español

NPIC provides objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions. NPIC is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (cooperative agreement #X8-83560101). The information in this publication does not in any way replace or supersede the restrictions, precautions, directions, or other information on the pesticide label or any other regulatory requirements, nor does it necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. EPA.