Herbicides and their impact on antimicrobial resistance in the context of food and food safety

Agriculture is important for a country’s economy. With increasing industrialisation and growing populations, land resources for cultivation are decreasing. Large amounts of chemicals are used worldwide to control pests and weeds and to increase crop yield. Indiscriminate use of herbicides and pesticides influences microbial processes. Soil microorganisms play an important role in biodegradation of chemicals. Constant exposure to these toxic compounds leads to the genetic modification of these microbes so that they develop specialised mechanisms to degrade the toxic substances.