Adsorptive features of acid-treated olive stones for drin pesticides: Equilibrium,kinetic and thermodynamic modeling studies

The adsorption behavior of drin pesticides from aqueous solution onto acid treated olive stones (ATOS) was investigated using stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy. The effects of sorbent particle size, adsorbent dose, contact time, concentration of pesticide solution and temperature on the adsorption processes were systematically studied in batch shaking sorption experiments. Maximum removal efficiency (94.8%) was reached for aldrin (0.5 mg L⁻¹) using the fraction 63–100 μm of ATOS (solid/liquid ratio: 1 g L⁻¹). Experimental data were modeled by Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherms. The Freundlich isotherm model (R² = 0.98–0.99) fitted the equilibrium data better than the Langmuir and D–R isotherm models, with low sum of error values (SE = 1.4–9.2%). The mean adsorption free energy derived from the D–R isotherm model (R² = 0.95–0.99) showed that the adsorption of drin pesticides was taken place by weak physical forces, such as van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. The calculated thermodynamic parameters, ΔH, ΔS and ΔG prove that drin pesticides adsorption on ATOS was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic under examined conditions. The pseudo first order, pseudo second order kinetic and the intra-particle diffusion models were used to describe the kinetic data and rate constants were evaluated.     

克无踪除草剂对农田生态系统土壤动物的影响

应用克无踪农药对农田生态系统土壤动物进行污染模拟实验。本次实验共获得土壤动物 1 2 91个 ,隶属 3门、7纲。结果表明 ,克无踪农药对土壤动物有明显影响 ,并随着克无踪溶液处理浓度的增加 ,土壤动物的种类和数量显著减少 ,但上、下层动物随染毒历时递减规律有所不同。染毒实验中土壤动物种类的减少主要由于常见类群和稀有类群的减少 ,土壤动物的数量变化则主要由于优势类群弹尾类和蜱螨类的数量消长所致。     

Genotoxic effects of the pesticides Rubigan, Omite and Rovral in root-meristem cells of Crepis capillaris L.

Three pesticides have been studied for their genotoxicity by the use of assays in the plant Crepis capillaris, aimed at measuring chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei and sister chromosome exchange (SCE). The fungicides Rubigan 12 EC (fenarimol) and Rovral 25 Flo (iprodione) and the insecticide Omite 57 E (propargite) are all widely used nowadays. The aim of our study was to evaluate the genotoxic effects of these pesticides at concentrations corresponding to those applied in agricultural practice. In preliminary experiments we found that these concentrations do not influence cell proliferation and do not inhibit the growth of root meristems. In all experiments formulated commercial products were used. From the results we conclude that the three pesticides did not induce chromosomal aberrations as estimated by metaphase and anaphase analyses. They were also not capable to induce SCE. Rubigan did not induce micronucleus formation even at the highest concentration tested, but Omite and Rovral markedly increased micronucleus formation. The MN response depended on the sampling time and the concentration used, which showed a significant dose–response correlation (r = 0.978, P < 0.01 and r = 0.941, P < 0.01, respectively). A greater increase in micronucleus frequency was observed after Rovral treatment, where the highest concentration gave a response 8–10-fold above the negative control. Both pesticides induced high frequencies of lagging chromosomes, even after exposure to the lower test concentrations. The presence of lagging chromosomes is an indication of anti-microtubule activity of the pesticides tested. This effect was more strongly expressed after exposure to the two higher concentrations of Omite and Rovral. In this case a complete destruction of the mitotic spindle was observed, resulting in C-mitoses as well as in numerical aberrations—polyploidy and aneuploidy. The present findings suggest that Omite and Rovral at concentrations comparable to those used in practice can be regarded as potential aneugens.     

Antimicrobial and chemical detoxifying functions of cotton fabrics containing different benzophenone derivatives

Several benzophenone chromophoric groups were incorporated onto cotton fabrics by using 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone, 4-chloro-4′-hydroxybenzophenone, and 4-benzoylbenzoic acid as reagents. The fabric treatment was conducted by a pad-dry-cure method, and the benzophenone chromophoric group incorporated cotton fabrics were characterized and confirmed by FTIR. Tensile strengths of benzophenone chromophoric groups modified cotton fabrics were also measured. 4-Hydroxybenzophenone treated cotton fabric showed the most powerful antibacterial activity among all samples, and 4-benzoylbenzoic acid treated cotton fabric demonstrated pesticide degradation ability, under UV irradiation.     

Biodegradation and bioremediation of pesticide in soil: concept,method and recent developments

Biodegradation is a natural process, where the degradation of a xenobiotic chemical or pesticide by an organism is primarily a strategy for their own survival. Most of these microbes work in natural environment but some modifications can be brought about to encourage the organisms to degrade the pesticide at a faster rate in a limited time frame. This capability of microbe is some times utilized as technology for removal of contaminant from actual site. Knowledge of physiology, biochemistry and genetics of the desired microbe may further enhance the microbial process to achieve bioremediation with precision and with limited or no scope for uncertainty and variability in microbe functioning. Gene encoding for enzyme has been identified for several pesticides, which will provide a new inputs in understanding the microbial capability to degrade a pesticide and develop a super strain to achieve the desired result of bioremediation in a short time.     

四川省树麻雀地理分布的变迁

树麻雀（Passer montanus)曾是广布于四川各地的优势鸟类。但在20多年以前,人们太发现它在四川盆地、盆周及川西南山地的农耕区和城镇消失了,并持续至今,根据1995年7月-2000年10月在四川省各地搜集的野外数据统计分析,结果文献资料,说明树麻雀在四川各地的消失现象开始于70年代末-80年代初期,在整个80年代,消失现象从盆地扩展到周边山地和川西南山地,至90年代,在四川已形成盆地罕见区,盆周山地、川西南山地局部分布区,川西高原广布区的分布格局,分析讨论了引起其地理分布变迁的可能有原因,认为这是由于近20年来四川农耕区普遍存在的滥用有机磷等农药所带来的恶果之一。     

Relationship between exposure to an insecticide and fluctuating asymmetry in a damselfly (Odonata,Coenagriidae)

In this study, we explored the effects of pesticide on fluctuating asymmetry (FA) levels and mortality of Ceriagrion sp. larvae. The results showed that the mortality of larval damselflies treated with pesticide was significantly higher than that treated with tap water which had been aerated for 48 h, but there were no significant differences among mortality of larvae treated with different concentrations of pesticide. Meanwhile, we found that the level of FA of the first tibia length, one of the seven bilaterally symmetrical traits (First femur length, First tibia length, Second femur length, Second tibia length, Third femur length, Third tibia length and Prementum width), differed significantly with different treatments, whereas the others did not show any significant differences. The Bonferroni (Dunn) t Tests revealed that FA of the first tibia length at 15 × 10⁻⁹ mgl⁻¹ was significantly higher than that at 1.5 × 10⁻⁹ mgl⁻¹ and control. There was no significant relationship between trait size and the absolute difference between their right and left sides. There was also no significant relationship between body size and the absolute difference between right and left sides. Trait size was significantly positively correlated with body size. FA was not associated with mortality. Therefore, we concluded that FA of the first tibia length of Ceriagrion sp. larvae may be induced by sublethal doses of pesticides. That is to say, its FA may be regarded as an indicator of reflecting the level of pesticide stress. Handling editor: K. Martens     

Ascorbate and glutathione contents in duckweed, Lemna minor, as biomarkers of the stress generated by copper, folpet and diuron

Glutathione and ascorbate are essential components of the general antioxidative strategy to overcome oxidative stress due to environmental constraints such as pollution. The variation of glutathione and ascorbate contents in duckweed (Lemna minor) was investigated after a 48 h exposure to copper, diuron and folpet under laboratory conditions in order to determine whether changes in their level could serve as suitable and early biomarkers of pollution. One could observe that diuron and folpet caused the glutathione level to increase, its redox status remaining unchanged, while copper led to a depletion of this antioxidant and to an increase in its oxidation rate. When duckweed was contaminated by folpet and the metal, an increase of the ascorbate pool size occurred from concentrations as low as 1 mg l^-1 and 50 μg l^-1 respectively. While the ascorbate pool became more oxidized because of exposure to copper concentrations ≤ 200 μg l^-1, folpet caused an increase in its reduction rate. Diuron was responsible for depletion of ascorbate, the redox status of which remained unchanged. Because it is an adaptation to stress and a defence process, the increase in the antioxidant pool size was proposed as a biomarker of exposure to an unsafe environment. Since depletion of antioxidant and an increase in its oxidation rate weakened cellular defences and indicated a precarious state, they could constitute early indicators of toxicity. So they were proposed as potential biomarkers of toxicity. It was concluded that the antioxidant content in duckweed might serve as a useful biomarker for monitoring water quality.     

Multiple Origins of Cyclodiene Insecticide Resistance in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

The number of origins of pesticide resistance-associated mutations is important not only to our understanding of the evolution of resistance but also in modeling its spread. Previous studies of amplified esterase genes in a highly dispersive Culex mosquito have suggested that insecticide resistance-associated mutations (specifically a single-gene duplication event) can occur a single time and then spread throughout global populations. In order to provide data for resistance-associated point mutations, which are more typical of pesticide mechanisms as a whole, we studied the number of independent origins of cyclodiene insecticide resistance in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Target-site insensitivity to cyclodienes is conferred by single point mutations in the gene Resistance to dieldrin (Rdl), which codes for a subunit of a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor. These point mutations are associated with replacements of alanine 302 which render the receptor insensitive to block by the insecticide. We collected 141 strains of Tribolium worldwide and screened them for resistance. Twenty-four strains contained resistant individuals. After homozygosing 23 of these resistance alleles we derived a nucleotide sequence phylogeny of the resistant strains from a 694-bp section of Rdl, encompassing exon 7 (which contains the resistance-associated mutation) and part of a flanking intron. The phylogeny also included six susceptible alleles chosen at random from a range of geographical locations. Resistance alleles fell into six clades and three clades contained both resistant and susceptible alleles. Although statistical analysis provided support at only the 5–6% level, the pattern of variation in resistance alleles is more readily explained by multiple independent origins of resistance than by spread of a single resistance-associated mutation. For example, two resistance alleles differed from two susceptible alleles only by the resistance-associated mutation itself, suggesting that they form the susceptible ancestors and that resistance arose independently in several susceptible backgrounds. This suggests that in Tribolium Rdl, de novo mutations for resistance have arisen independently in several populations. Identical alleles were found in geographically distant regions as well, also implying that some Rdl alleles have been exported in stored grain. These differences from the Culex study may stem both from differences in the population genetics of Tribolium versus that of mosquitoes and differences in mutation rates associated with point mutations versus gene duplication events. The Tribolium data therefore suggest that multiple origins of insecticide resistance (associated with specific point mutations) may be more common than the spread of single events. These findings have implications for the way in which we model the evolution and spread of insecticide resistance genes and also suggest that parallel adaptive substitutions may not be uncommon in phyletic evolution. Received: 14 October 1998 / Accepted: 4 January 1999     

Effects of phenoxy acid herbicides and glyphosate on nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) in root-associated Azospirillum, Enterobacter and Klebsiella

Abstract Nitrogenase activity (C₂H₂ reduction) in root-associated Azospirillum lipoferum, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter agglomerans and Pseudomonas sp. isolated from roots of Finnish grasses was assayed in the presence of glyphosate, the phenoxy acid herbicides 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid (MCPA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), (±)-2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy)propionic acid (mecoprop) and (±)-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)propionic acid (dichlorprop), and the commercial products Roundup, Nurmikko-Hedonal, Mepro, and Dipro. In the presence of the phenoxy acid herbicides the nitrogenase activity of K. pneumoniae was significantly inhibited, but that of E. agglomerans was stimulated. With the exception of Mepro and mecoprop no phenoxy acid herbicides inhibited the nitrogenase activity of A. lipoferum and none that of Pseudomonas sp. Nurmikko-Hedonal considerably stimulated the nitrogenase activity of E. agglomerans , and Pseudomanas sp. On the other hand, the nitrogenase activity of both K. pneumoniae and E. agglomerans was considerably repressed by glyphosate and Roundup, which also inhibited the growth of the bacteria. These chemicals had no effect on the growth of A. lipoferum and Pseudomonas sp., but stimulated their nitrogenase activity.