o:7975 The Occurrence and Distribution of Herbicides in Soil and Irrigation Canals in a High-Input Farming Region of Serbia en Abstract: This study aims to improve the understanding of, and provide insights into, the environmental fate of herbicides currently used in agriculture, which is addressed through the analysis of the quality of canal water used for irrigation and the agricultural soil in the immediate vicinity. The research was conducted in the main agricultural region of Serbia, characterized by intensive crop production in conventional agriculture. Monitoring was focused on the Danube–Tisza–Danube canal system, specifically the Bogojevo–Beˇcej section. The presence of 41 currently used herbicides was analyzed in 520 soil samples collected from two depths (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm), as well as in 100 canal water samples. Results showed a high frequency of clopyralid, 2,4-D-methyl ester, terbuthylazine, fenoxaprop-ethyl, and aclonifen, with the highest amountsbeingterbuthylazine and quizalofop-ethyl, which was possibly a consequence of their recent application shortly before sampling. Concentrations of herbicide residues at different depths were closely similar, without the impact of soil mechanical and chemical characteristics on herbicide levels. In canal water characterized as moderately salty and slightly alkaline, herbicide residues were far below the maximum allowable concentrations, suggesting that the canal water is suitable for aquatic life, irrigation, and other uses. The findings suggest that the appropriate use of herbicides in regions under intensive agriculture is important for reducing environmental contamination. soil; water; environment; agriculture; herbicides; residues; pollution; ecology 1552099 10.3390/ environments12070246 2025-07-17T06:46:27.150Z 44 no 46 Dragana Linda Mitić Faculty of Environmental Protection, Educons University, Vojvode Putnika 87 46 Mira Pucarević Faculty of Environmental Protection, Educons University, Vojvode Putnika 87 46 Mira Milinković Institute of Soil Science 0000-0001-5175-6842 46 Sanja Lazić Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovi´ca 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia 46 Aleksandra Šušnjar Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovi´ca 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia 46 Slavica Vuković Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovi´ca 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia 46 Jelena Ećimović Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovi´ca 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia 46 Siniša Mitrić Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina 46 Dragana Šunjka Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovi´ca 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia application/pdf 2300144 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:7975 no yes 1 70 92000001 71A05 Environments 2025