Abstract: Fomesafen, a long residual diphenyl ether herbicide, is widely used for control of annual and perennial broadleaf weeds in peanut and soybean fields. With the development of agricultural production mechanization in China, the application of fomesafen has been rising. Long-term and large-scale application leads to obvious residues in the soil. As a consequence, the resulting ecological and environmental problems need urgent attention from the agricultural and environmental protection departments. We systematically reviewed the research progress about the residual characteristics, ecotoxicological effects and abatement process of fomesafen in farmland soil, and proposed some prospects from the residual formation mechanisms, safe application limit standard, abatement mechanism and technology, aiming to provide some new insights and ideas for solving the problem of residual injury of fomesafen.

Key words: farmland soil, fomesafen, herbicide, residual characteristics, ecological risk, abatement