Impact of pesticides on non-target invertebrates in agricultural ecosystems.

ABSTRACT

In fact, less than 1% of applied pesticides reach their target pests, while the remainder pollute the neighboring environment and adversely impact human health as well as non-target organisms in agricultural ecosystem. Pesticides can contribute to the loss of agrobiodiversity, which are essential to maintaining the agro-ecosystem's structure and functioning in order to produce and secure enough food. This review article examines the negative effects of pesticides on non-target invertebrates including earthworms, honeybees, predators, and parasitoids. It also highlights areas where further research is needed to address unresolved issues related to pesticide exposure, aiming to improve conservation efforts for these crucial species. These organisms play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, such as soil health, pollination, and pest control. Both lethal and sub-lethal effects of pesticides on the selected non-target invertebrates were discussed. Pesticides affect DNA integrity, enzyme activity, growth, behavior, and reproduction of earthworms even at low concentrations. Pesticides could also induce a reduction in individual survival, disruption in learning performance and memory, as well as a change in the foraging behavior of honeybees. Additionally, pesticides adversely affect population growth indices, reproduction, development, longevity, and consumption of predators and parasitoids. As a result, pesticides must pass adequate ecotoxicological risk assessment to be enlisted by regulatory authorities. Therefore, it is important to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that minimize pesticide use and promote the conservation of beneficial organisms in order to maintain agrobiodiversity and sustainable agricultural systems. Furthermore, adopting precision agriculture and organic farming lessen these negative effects as well.less than.