The persistence and transport of glyphosate in soil is
dependent on soil composition, climatic conditions and
microbial activity [1,21], as well as agricultural management
[22]. Undegraded glyphosate is almost instantaneously
inactivated by sorption to soil particles
reducing its transport in the soil matrix or leaching in
soluble form. For example, strong cations (Fe, Al) in soil
and in water react with glyphosate to produce compounds
that degrade very slowly. This might partly explain why
farmers have long known that the same amount of glyphosate
is less effective, when glyphosate is diluted in very
hard water with high mineral content. In boreal areas,
soils tend to have low pH, which helps glyphosate to be
sorbed to mineral particles [3].