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Environmental pollution is one of the most critical issues concerning the quality of the environment and threatens the human safety due to bioaccumulation. The extensive application of pesticides causes great public concern about the negative impacts on the environment and human health. Herbicides have been used for weed management and to prevent the yield loss of agricultural products. In recent years, the environment’s quality is extensively considered due to the enormous pesticide application in agroecosystems. There are some different pathways for the degradation of herbicides in the environment, including biodegradation, chemical degradation, photodegradation, uptake by target or non-target plants, adsorption to soil particles and leaching. Assessing the environmental risks of herbicides before mass production, commercialization, and distribution is very important. The presence of herbicide residues in the environment has become a fundamental problem in many countries. Bioassay and analytical methods could identify, detect, and quantify herbicide residues in the environment. In this review paper, the fate, detection methods, and effect of herbicides on non-target plants have been discussed.

Bio-stimulants cause changes in processes that influence plant growth through improved tolerance to abiotic conditions and increase yield and improved quality. A field experiment was conducted to study effects of water quality at 1.2 and 8 ds∙m⁻¹ and fertilizer combinations, with manure and a bio-booster (Zytonic-M®) as secondary factors, to determine tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) tolerance to salinity. Irrigation water salinity caused a decline in vegetative, floral growth, and yield. The mix of poultry manure at 30 tons∙ha⁻¹ + 2 g Zytonic-M® improved vegetative growth and yield of tomato, hybrid Awahr (F1).

Scarcity of irrigation water, reduction in water quality, and increased amount of land affected by salinity are problems affecting production of dill (Anethum graveolens L.). A field experiment was conducted to study effects of irrigation water quality (1.2 and 8 dS∙m⁻¹), cultivars Esfahan and Franchi, and organic fertilizers (rice waste compost, potassium humate, and granular humate) on growth and volatile oil quantity and quality in dill. The combination of granular humate (2 kg∙ha⁻¹) and rice waste compost (20 ton∙ha⁻¹) had the highest dry yield (823 kg∙ha⁻¹) when irrigated with 1.2 dS∙m⁻¹; treatment with granular humate (2 kg∙ha⁻¹) had the highest dry yield (625 kg) when irrigated with water at 8 dS∙m⁻¹. Treatment with rice waste compost at 20 ton∙h⁻¹ had the highest percent of volatile oil (0.292%), yield of volatile oil (1.762 L∙ha⁻¹), and percent of carvone (10.64%) when irrigated with water at 1.2 dS∙m⁻¹. The combination of granular humate (2 kg∙ha⁻¹) and rice waste compost (20 ton∙ha⁻¹) had the highest percent of volatile oil (0.184%) and yield of volatile oil (0.333 L∙ha⁻¹) when irrigated with water at 8 dS∙m⁻¹. The cultivars differed in response to salinity of the irrigation water; fertilizer combinations reduced damage due to salinity in some dill growth parameters, and quality and quantity of dill volatile oils. Use of organic fertilizers led to improve quality and quantity of dill under saline conditions and reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers.

A filed experiment was carried out during autumn at 2017 to assess the effect of phenylalanine (Phe) foliar application at a rate of 0, 100 and 200 mg.L-1, and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at 0, 50 and 100 mg.L-1, as well as their interactions on growth parameters, yield components and antioxidant activity as a total phenolics content (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and radical scavenging activity (DPPH) of leaves and seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Results showed that all parameters increased significantly with increasing Phe, NAA at 50 mg.L-1 had significant effect on all parameters, while NAA at 100 mg.L-1 increased only plant height and antioxidant activity parameters, the interaction Phe200 ×NAA100 gave high values on antioxidant parameters TPC, TAC, FRAP and DPPH reached 166.39, 46.34, 1.298 mg.100g-1 DW and 78.69% respectively for leaves and 64.57, 58.96, 0.504 mg.100g-1 DW and 83.26% respectively for seeds.