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Chemosphere Jun 2023Pesticide residues in soils can cause negative impacts on soil health as well as soil biota. However, research related to the toxicity and exposure risks of pesticides...
Pesticide residues in soils can cause negative impacts on soil health as well as soil biota. However, research related to the toxicity and exposure risks of pesticides to soil biota are scarce, especially in the North China Plain (NCP) where pesticides are intensively applied. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of 15 commonly used pesticides in 41 fields in Quzhou county in the NCP were determined during the growing season in 2020. The ecological risks of pesticides to the soil biota, including earthworms, enchytraeids, springtails, mites and nitrogen mineralization microorganisms, were assessed using toxicity exposure ratios (TERs) and risk quotient (RQ) methods. Based on pesticide detection rates and RQs, pesticide hazards were ranked using the Hasse diagram. The results showed that pesticides were concentrated in the 0-2 cm soil depth. Chlorantraniliprole was the most frequently detected pesticide with a detection rate of 37%, while the highest concentration of 1.85 mg kg was found for carbendazim in apple orchards. Chlorpyrifos, carbendazim and imidacloprid posed a chronic exposure risk to E. fetida, F. candida and E. crypticus with the TERs exceeding the trigger value. Pesticide mixtures posed ecological risks to soil biota in 70% of the investigated sites. 47.5% of samples were ranked as high-risk, with the maximum RQ exceeding 490. According to the Hasse diagram, abamectin, tebuconazole, chlorantraniliprole and chlorpyrifos were ranked as the most hazardous pesticides for soil biota in the study region, indicating that alternative methods of pest management need to be considered. Therefore, practical risk mitigation solutions are recommended, in which the use of hazardous pesticides would be replaced with low-risk pesticides with similar functions from the Hasse diagram, or with biopesticides.
Topics: Pesticides; Soil; Chlorpyrifos; Pesticide Residues; Biota; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 36958499
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138428 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2023Carbendazim (CBZ) is a broad-spectrum fungicide, which is toxic to mammals. Therefore, it is very necessary to establish a sensitive detection for food safety. An...
Carbendazim (CBZ) is a broad-spectrum fungicide, which is toxic to mammals. Therefore, it is very necessary to establish a sensitive detection for food safety. An experiment found that CD exhibited excellent catalysis for the nano-indicator reaction of HAuCl-glyoxal to produce gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and that the generated AuNPs have a very strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect at 1613 cm in the presence of Victoria blue B molecular probes, and resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) signals at 370 nm. The aptamer (Apt) suppressed the catalysis of CD to cause the SERS and RRS signals decreasing. With the addition of CBZ, the specific Apt reaction occurred to restore the catalysis of CD, and resulting in a linear increase in the signals of RRS and SERS. As a result, this new nanocatalytic amplification indicator reaction was coupled with a specific Apt reaction of carbendazim (CBZ), to construct a new CD catalytic amplification-aptamer SERS/RRS discattering assay for ultratrace CBZ, which was used to analyze CBZ in tea samples with satisfactory results. In addition, this biosensoring platform can be also used to assay profenofos.
PubMed: 36950331
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1122876 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2023Pesticide residues in crops are widely monitored, and the residue reduction techniques at the post-harvest stage are important to maintain food safety. In dried crops,...
Pesticide residues in crops are widely monitored, and the residue reduction techniques at the post-harvest stage are important to maintain food safety. In dried crops, pesticide residues can be concentrated after dehydration, which increases concerns regarding residue risk. Therefore, the residue reduction effects of ultraviolet (UV), ozone, and photochemical advanced oxidative process (pAOP) were investigated for dried peppers at the post-harvest stage. UV treatment reduced 59.7% of the residue concentration on average, while UV showed a reduction of only 13.3% under 9.6 W m of UV exposure for 24 h. Gaseous ozone treatments reduced the residue concentrations up to 57.9% on average. In contrast, the pAOP treatment reduced the concentration up to 97% and was superior to UV or ozone treatment alone. Increased drying temperature under pAOP condition resulted in higher reduction ratios at 40-80 °C. The pAOP conditions with 12 and 24 µmol/mol of ozone and UV irradiation for 24-48 h reduced the residue concentrations to 39-67%. Particularly, difenoconazole, fludioxonil, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam residue concentrations were drastically reduced by over 50% under 12 µmol/mol ozone of the pAOP condition, while carbendazim, fluquinconazole, and pyrimethanil were relatively stable and their concentrations reduced below 50% under 24 µmol/mol ozone of the pAOP treatment. Various drying-related quality parameters of drying peppers such as water-soluble color, capsanthin, capsaicinoids, acid value, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid value were slightly altered, but not significantly, under 12 µmol/mol ozone of the pAOP condition, while the peroxide value was significantly altered under the higher ozone conditions. Therefore, pAOP treatment combined with gaseous ozone can be used for reducing residual pesticides in peppers without greatly reducing quality.
Topics: Pesticide Residues; Capsicum; Food Handling; Ozone; Peroxides; Oxidative Stress
PubMed: 36932134
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31650-4 -
Ecotoxicology (London, England) May 2023Soil sorption properties can influence the bioavailability of substances and consequently the toxicity for soil organisms. Current standardised laboratory testing for...
Soil sorption properties can influence the bioavailability of substances and consequently the toxicity for soil organisms. Current standardised laboratory testing for the exposure assessment of pesticides to soil organisms uses OECD artificial soil that does not reflect the high variation in chemical-physical soil properties found in natural agroecosystems. According to guideline OECD 222, earthworm reproduction tests with Eisenia fetida and the pesticide carbendazim were performed in four natural soils and OECD artificial soil. By using pF 1.6, which ensures a uniformity in actual soil water availability, the control reproduction performance of E. fetida in all natural soils was at the same level as OECD artificial soil. In a principle component analysis, the variation in toxicity between the tested soils was attributable to a combination of two soil properties, namely total organic carbon content (TOC) and pH. The largest difference of 4.9-fold was found between the typical agricultural Luvisol with 1.03% TOC and pH 6.2 (EC: 0.17 (0.12-0.21) mg a.i. kg sdw, EC: 0.36 (0.31-0.40) mg a.i. kg sdw) and OECD artificial soil with 4.11% TOC and pH 5.6 (EC: 0.84 (0.72-0.92) mg a.i. kg sdw, EC: 1.07 (0.99-1.15) mg a.i. kg sdw). The use of typical agricultural soils in standardised laboratory earthworm testing was successfully established with using the measure pF for soil moisture adjustment. It provides a more application-oriented approach and could serve as a new tool to refine the environmental risk assessment at lower tier testing or in an intermediate tier based approach.
Topics: Animals; Soil; Oligochaeta; Water; Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development; Soil Pollutants; Reproduction; Pesticides
PubMed: 36854854
DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02636-9 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Fumonisin contamination of corn caused by is a major concern worldwide. While key genes involved in fumonisin biosynthesis are known, the location within the fungal...
Fumonisin contamination of corn caused by is a major concern worldwide. While key genes involved in fumonisin biosynthesis are known, the location within the fungal cell where this process occurs has yet to be fully characterized. In this study, three key enzymes, i.e., Fum1, Fum8, and Fum6, associated with early steps of fumonisin biosynthesis pathway, were tagged with GFP, and we examined their cellular localization. Results showed that these three proteins co-localized with the vacuole. To further understand the role of the vacuole in fumonisin B (FB) biosynthesis, we disrupted two predicted vacuole associated proteins, FvRab7 and FvVam7, resulting in a significant reduction of FB biosynthesis and a lack of Fum1-GFP fluorescence signal. Furthermore, we used the microtubule-targeting drug carbendazim to show that proper microtubule assembly is critical for proper Fum1 protein localization and FB biosynthesis. Additionally, we found that α1 tubulin is a negative regulator in FB biosynthesis. We concluded that vacuole proteins with optimized microtubule assembly play a crucial role in proper Fum1 protein localization and fumonisin production in
PubMed: 36836382
DOI: 10.3390/jof9020268 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Pesticide residues in grain products are a major issue due to their comprehensive and long-term impact on human health, and quantitative modeling on the degradation of...
Pesticide residues in grain products are a major issue due to their comprehensive and long-term impact on human health, and quantitative modeling on the degradation of pesticide residues facilitate the prediction of pesticide residue level with time during storage. Herein, we tried to study the effect of temperature and relative humidity on the degradation profiles of five pesticides (carbendazim, bensulfuron methyl, triazophos, chlorpyrifos, and carbosulfan) in wheat and flour and establish quantitative models for prediction purpose. Positive samples were prepared by spraying the corresponding pesticide standards of certain concentrations. Then, these positive samples were stored at different combinations of temperatures (20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C) and relative humidity (50%, 60%, 70%, 80%). Samples were collected at specific time points, ground, and the pesticide residues were extracted and purified by using QuEChERS method, and then quantified by using UPLC-MS/MS. Quantitative model of pesticide residues was constructed using Minitab 17 software. Results showed that high temperature and high relative humidity accelerate the degradation of the five pesticide residues, and their degradation profiles and half-lives over temperature and relative humidity varied among pesticides. The quantitative model for pesticide degradation in the whole process from wheat to flour was constructed, with R above 0.817 for wheat and 0.796 for flour, respectively. The quantitative model allows the prediction of the pesticide residual level in the process from wheat to flour.
PubMed: 36832863
DOI: 10.3390/foods12040788 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2023Synthetic fungicides are necessary evil in crop production, their usage cannot be neglected or abandoned but must be alternated/supplemented with other control measures...
Synthetic fungicides are necessary evil in crop production, their usage cannot be neglected or abandoned but must be alternated/supplemented with other control measures such as cultural, host resistance and biocontrol methods to reduce their detrimental effect on the environment and living organisms. A bioproduct (wood vinegar) was evaluated against oil palm seedling pathogens at CSIR-Oil Palm Research Institute, Kusi at different concentrations and compared with an inorganic fungicide at the manufacturer's recommended dosage. Disease pathogens were isolated from collected diseased leaf samples and pure cultures were established on cPDA. PDA was amended with wood vinegar ranging from 0 to 3.35% and 0.1%v/v of carbendazim as a positive control. Daily colony growth was measured in two diagonal lengths and averages of day 6 and day 7 were used to calculate the inhibition percentage for both pathogens. 11 mm/day was the lowest average growth rate recorded for 2.68% v/v of wood vinegar and 14.17 mm/day on control plate of Curvularia species. There was no significant difference between 0.1%v/v carbendazim, 2.68 and 3.35% v/v against Curvularia species whilst significantly, there was difference between 0.1%v/v carbendazim and 2.68 and 3.35%v/v of wood vinegar against Pestalotiopsis species.
Topics: Seedlings; Organic Agriculture; Fungicides, Industrial; Palm Oil
PubMed: 36690688
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27972-y -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2022Apple ring rot, one of the most common apple postharvest diseases during storage, is caused by . Fungicide application is the most widely used method to control this...
Apple ring rot, one of the most common apple postharvest diseases during storage, is caused by . Fungicide application is the most widely used method to control this disease, but the increasing environmental and food safety concerns greatly limit their use. The present study aimed to examine the biocontrol activity and underlying action mechanism of strain Pl7 against . The results revealed that strain Pl7 exhibited strong inhibitory activity against by 69% . The culture filtrate of strain Pl7 possessed cellulase, β-1, 3-glucanase, protease activity and mediated the antifungal activity against . Further analysis demonstrated that culture filtrate of strain Pl7 could cause cell membrane permeabilization of . Apple fruit suffering from ring rot induced by a carbendazim (CBZ)-sensitive or -resistant isolate was much suppressed after being treated with strain Pl7, maintaining postharvest quality. The ability of strain Pl7 to swiftly colonize and thrive in apple fruit wounds was demonstrated by a re-isolation assay. Additional transcriptome studies of untreated and treated apple fruit with strain Pl7 revealed that strain Pl7 mostly changed the expression of genes functioning in plant secondary metabolite biosynthesis and plant-pathogen interaction. In light of these outcomes, the underlying antagonistic mechanism was investigated, and strain Pl7 was identified as a promsing microbial biocontrol agent against apple postharvest decay.
PubMed: 36687596
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1058167 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022wilt disease caused by seriously affects tomato quality and yield. In this work, strain Oj-2.16 was isolated from rhizosphere soil of the medicinal plant and...
wilt disease caused by seriously affects tomato quality and yield. In this work, strain Oj-2.16 was isolated from rhizosphere soil of the medicinal plant and identified as on the basis of morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequencing. Strain Oj-2.16 exhibited a high inhibition rate against , and the hyphae inhibited by Oj-2.16 were found to be destroyed on scanning electron microscopy. Lipopeptide and dipeptide genes were detected in the Oj-2.16 genome by PCR amplification involved in surfactin, iturin, fengycin, and bacilysin biosynthesis. In pot experiments, the biocontrol efficacy of strain Oj-2.16 against wilt in tomato was 89.26%, which was slightly higher than the efficacy of the chemical fungicide carbendazim. Strain Oj-2.16 can produce indole acetic acid, siderophores, assimilate various carbon sources, and significantly promoted the growth of tomato seedlings by increasing plant height, root length, stem width, fresh weight, and dry weight by 44.44%, 122.22%, 80.19%, 57.65%, 64.00%, respectively. Furthermore, defense-related antioxidant CAT, SOD, POD, and PAL enzyme activities significantly increased and MDA contents significantly decreased in tomato seedlings treated with strain Oj-2.16 upon inoculation of compared with the pathogen-inoculated control. In summary, we concluded that Oj-2.16 could be used as a promising candidate for the biocontrol of wilt and as plant growth stimulator of tomato.
PubMed: 36678385
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010037 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022Fusarium head blight (FHB), which is primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a widespread and devastating disease of wheat. In the absence of resistant varieties,...
Fusarium head blight (FHB), which is primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a widespread and devastating disease of wheat. In the absence of resistant varieties, the control of FHB relies heavily on the application of fungicides, and the new generation SDHI fungicide, pydiflumetofen, has recently been registered in China for the control of FHB in wheat. The current study explored three genetically stable, highly resistant laboratory mutants (S2-4-2R, S27-3R, and S28-2R, with EC50 values of 25.10, 28.57, and 19.22 μg/mL, respectively) to investigate the potential risks associated with pydiflumetofen resistance. Although the mycelial growth of the mutants differed little compared to their parental isolates, the study found that the resistant mutants exhibited significantly reduced (p < 0.05) levels of sporulation and pathogenicity, which suggests a significant fitness cost associated with pydiflumetofen resistance in F. graminearum. Sequence analysis of the Sdh target protein identified numerous amino acid substitutions in the predicted sequences of the four subunits: FgSdhA, FgSdhB, FgSdhC, and FgSdhD. Indeed, the mutants were found to have a series of substitution in multiple subunits such that all three exhibited five identical changes, including Y182F in the FgSdhA subunit; H53Q, C90S, and A94V in FgSdhB; and S31F in FgSdhC. In addition, gene expression analysis revealed that all of the FgSdh genes had significantly altered expression (p < 0.05), particularly FgSdhA and FgdhC, which exhibited remarkably low levels of expression. However, the study found no evidence of cross-resistance between pydiflumetofen and tebuconazole, fludioxonil, prochloraz, fluazinam, carbendazim, pyraclostrobin, or difenoconazole, which indicates that these fungicides, either in rotation or combination with pydiflumetofen, could mitigate the risk of resistance emerging and provide ongoing control of FHB to ensure high and stable wheat yields.
PubMed: 36675883
DOI: 10.3390/jof9010062