Nematicidal activity of volatile organic compounds emitted by Brassica juncea,Azadirachta indica,Canavalia ensiformis,Mucuna pruriens and Cajanus cajan against Meloidogyne incognita

Understanding the effect of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on soil nematodes and water may explain plant damage in the field and how some nematode management strategies reduce soil nematode populations. M. incognita is a damaging plant pathogenic nematode that affects crops worldwide. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of the VOCs emitted by five common crops used for soil incorporation to control the second-stage juveniles (J₂) of Meloidogyne incognita. To investigate the “in vitro” role of water in the relationship between nematodes and plant VOCs. And to identify the volatile molecules by gas chromatography (GC/MS). The method used permitted the volatile molecules from macerated plant organs to only contact the J₂ nematodes by air. Plants organs from all plants macerated with and without water emitted VOCs that immobilized J₂ nematodes, with higher levels emitted when the plant organs were macerated without water. Only water exposed to VOCs from neem and mustard leaves were capable of immobilizing M. incognita J₂. The M. incognita J₂ exposed to neem and mustard VOCs and inoculated in tomato seedlings resulted in reduced gall formation and nematode reproduction, showing the nematicidal effect of the plant-emitted VOCs. GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of 58 and 32 molecules in the VOCs emitted from neem and mustard macerates, respectively. Alcohols were found in both the neem and mustard VOCs. Esters were found in the neem VOCs, and sulfur-containing compounds, mostly isothiocyanates, were found in mustard. Our results demonstrate that plant VOCs contain diversified molecules that affect M. incognita mobility, pathogenicity and reproduction. Nematode toxic VOCs may be retained in water, which prevents the VOCs from escaping into the air and causing the water to become toxic to nematodes. These data may explain part of the role of VOCs in the biofumigation process, through plant incorporation with the soil, and suggests that irrigation performed directly after incorporation may trap the VOCs in soil water and thereafter retain nematode toxicity longer than incorporation that is performed later.     

Influence of control parameters in VOCs evolution during MSW trimming residues composting

The influence of control parameters (aeration, moisture, and C/N ratio) during composting of a municipal solid waste (MSW)-legume-trimming residue (LTR) mixture was studied at a pilot plant scale. Factors measured included the composition of the main volatile organic carbons (VOCs) emitted including limonene, β-pinene, 2-butanone, undecane, phenol, toluene, and dimethyl disulfide. Polynomial models were found to reproduce the experimental results with errors at less than 10%. The relative influence of the independent variables on temperature and selected VOCs followed the order: aeration > moisture > C/N. A high aeration rate results in higher (strong negative effect) values on selected VOCs emissions (41-71% on emitted VOCs variation). Moisture had a positive and negative effect depending on the selected VOCs. A high C/N ratio caused lower production of VOCs except for undecane and 2-butanone. Providing an aerobic environment (0.05 Lair kg(-1) min(-1)), high C/N ratios (>50), and medium moisture (55%) minimize emitted VOCs during MSW composting, ultimately resulting in less odors in the surrounding environment.     

Dispersal of soil-dwelling clover root weevil (Sitona lepidus Gyllenhal,Coleoptera: Curculionidae) larvae in mixed plant communities

Insect pests that have a root-feeding larval stage often cause the most sustained damage to plants because their attrition remains largely unseen, preventing early diagnosis and treatment. Characterising movement and dispersal patterns of subterranean insects is inherently difficult due to the difficulty in observing their behaviour. Our understanding of dispersal and movement patterns of soil-dwelling insects is therefore limited compared to above ground insect pests and tends to focus on vertical movements within the soil profile or assessments of coarse movement patterns taken from soil core measurements in the field. The objective of this study was to assess how the dispersal behaviour of the clover root weevil (CRW), Sitona lepidus larvae was affected by differing proportions of host (clover) and non-host (grass) plants under different soil water contents (SWC). This was undertaken in experimental mini-swards that allowed us to control plant community structure and soil water content. CRW larval survival was not affected either by white clover content or planting pattern or SWC in either experiment; however, lower clover composition in the sward resulted in CRW larvae dispersing further from where they hatched. Because survival was the same regardless of clover density, the proportion of infested plants was highest in sward boxes with the fewest clover plants (i.e. the low host plant density). Thus, there is potential for clover plants over a larger area to be colonised when the clover content of the sward is low.     

Influence of Water Content and Plants on the Dissipation of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds in Soil

To devise effective procedures for the remediation of soil contaminated by VOCs, an improved understanding of their fate and transport mechanisms in soil is essential. To show the effect of plants on the dissipation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), two types of experiments, vial and column, were conducted. The results suggested that keeping the soil moisture content at field capacity is desirable for VOCs dissipation. All VOCs were dissipated quickly in unplanted columns than planted conditions in early periods of the experiment because more volatilization occurred in unplanted conditions. The plants could take up and retard volatile contaminants, and prevent contamination of ambient air. Although the time for acclimation for microbial communities to contaminants for enhanced biodegradation should be considered, phytoremediation is potentially a cost-effective remediation technique for soils contaminated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs).     

Effects of mulch location on banana weevil,soil and plant nutrients,soil water and biomass in banana fields

Major constraints to banana (Musa spp., genome group AAA) production, a dietary staple for over 70 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, are pest infestations, poor nutrition and inadequate water. Although mulch can improve soil water and nutrient status, many farmers believe it also promotes the proliferation of banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), one of the most serious banana pests. In this study, we evaluated the effects of mulch location (mulch to base of banana pseudostem; mulch recessed 1 m from the pseudostem) on banana weevil, soil and plant nutrient status, soil water, and banana growth and development. After 3 years, the fully mulched plots had significantly more soil Ca and Mg than plots that did not receive mulch. Banana foliar K concentration was significantly higher in both mulch treatments (full and recessed) than in the control (no mulch) plots. The mulched plots had greater recharge after rainfall events and higher soil water contents during dry periods due to increased infiltration in the mulched plots. However, the mulched plots also exhibited significantly higher banana weevil densities and greater plant damage than the control plots. There was no difference in weevil damage with mulch location, although weevil density was higher in the fully mulched plots throughout most of the trial. Despite greater weevil damage, the treatments that were mulched yielded significantly heavier bunches. Hence the effects of the mulch on soil water infiltration and banana foliar nutrient status outweighed the detrimental effects of banana weevil damage.     

秸秆发电燃料收加储运过程模拟分析

目前,中国秸秆发电项目的燃料收加储运成本的理论模型分析仍是空白,为了能够有效控制燃料的收加储运成本,掌握不同运输距离下松散秸秆、大秸秆捆的成本变化趋势,该文建立了一个秸秆发电项目燃料收加储运模型,以国内已投入运营电厂的经验数据为基础,通过分析不同模式下的成本变化趋势,对不同收购量及不同收购半径情况下秸秆发电厂燃料收购,提出理想情况下的优化模式,即集中收集和分散收集相结合的模式。对指导秸秆发电厂建立合理的燃料收加储运模式,有效降低燃料成本具有积极的指导意义。     

植物花香基因工程研究进展

花香是一系列低分子量、挥发性物质的复杂混合物,由花朵释放来吸引和引导授粉的昆虫。花香在植物繁殖上具有重要作用,还能提高观赏植物和切花的审美价值。在过去的数十年里,随着生物技术的发展,有数种花香相关基因已经相继被克隆,花香物质的生物合成和代谢工程也得到了研究。本文综述了植物花香物质生物合成途径及其相关酶和基因的研究进展;探讨了基因工程调控及改良植物花香的策略;同时简要评述了花香基因工程研究的影响因素并展望了其应用前景。     

Suitability of Test Chambers for Analyzing Air Pollutant Removal by Plants and Assessing Potential Indoor Air Purification

A unique test chamber system, which enables experiments with plants under highly controlled environmental conditions, was used to examine the pollutant removal efficiency of plants. For this purpose, the removal of two different volatile organic compounds (VOC) (toluene, 2-ethylhexanol) from the air by aerial plant parts of two common indoor plant species (Dieffenbachia maculata and Spathiphyllum wallisii) was monitored. While the control over environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, CO₂ content, and light condition) worked very well in all experiments, control experiments with the empty chamber revealed high losses of VOC, especially 2-ethylhexanol, over the test duration of 48 h. Nonetheless, compared to the empty chamber, a significantly stronger and more rapid decline in the toluene as well as in the 2-ethylhexanol concentrations was observed when plants were present in the chamber. Interestingly, almost the same VOC removal as by aerial plant parts could be achieved by potting soil without plants. A comparative literature survey revealed substantial heterogeneity in previous results concerning the VOC removal efficiency of plants. This can be mainly attributed to a high diversity in experimental setup. The experimental setup used in the current study offers an excellent opportunity to examine also plant physiological responses to pollutant exposure (or other stressors) under highly controlled conditions. For the analysis of VOC removal under typical indoor conditions, to obtain data for the assessment of realistic VOC removal efficiencies by plants in rooms and offices, a guideline would be helpful to achieve more coherent findings in this field of research.     

Re-test of Rhinocyllus conicus host specificity, and the prediction of ecological risk in biological control

Biological control is proposed as an ecological strategy to manage the threat of invasive plants, especially in natural areas. To pursue this strategy, we need to know that the host specificity criteria used to evaluate ecological risk with deliberate introduction of an exotic insect for biocontrol are sufficient to predict potential impact on native species. Host specificity is defined by adult feeding and oviposition preferences and larval development. One way to evaluate the criteria is to re-examine case histories where ecological effects are recorded, such as that of Rhinocyllus conicus Frölich. This flower head weevil, released in North America in 1968 to control exotic thistles like Musk thistle (Carduus nutans L), is now reducing seed production by multiple native North American thistle species (Cirsium spp.), and local population density of Platte thistle (Cirsium canescens Nutt.). We hypothesized that host specificity of R. conicus has changed since pre-release testing, providing an explanation for the unexpected magnitude of the documented ecological effects. Instead, when we re-tested host specificity of weevils naturalized over 28 generations, we found that host specificity has not changed. Naturalized adults of R. conicus showed strong feeding and oviposition preference for Musk thistle over Platte thistle. In addition, larval development by these weevils was faster and more successful (to larger size) on Musk thistle than on Platte thistle. Thus, our results indicate that a change in host specificity cannot explain the unexpectedly large build-up of R. conicus and significant ecological effect on Platte thistle. We conclude that accurate prediction of the potential level of impact on native host plants in the field requires further ecological information in addition to host specificity.     

Exophiala sp.LHL08 association gives heat stress tolerance by avoiding oxidative damage to cucumber plants

Exophiala sp. LHL08, a gibberellin-producing strain, was investigated to assess its effects on cucumber plant growth and heat (40°C) stress tolerance. The results reveal that Exophiala sp. associated plants had significantly higher plant growth attributes (shoot length, plant biomass, chlorophyll contents, and leaf area) than control under heat stress. Endophytic association helped the plants to obtain adequate water to reduce the leaf electrolytic leakage under stress. High-temperature-induced oxidative stress was less pronounced in Exophiala sp. associated plants as shown by enhanced levels of total polyphenol and reduced activities of glutathione, superoxide anion, and lipid peroxidation. To tolerate heat stress and rescue plant growth, the endophyte association significantly increased catalase and peroxidase activities of the host plants as compared to control plants. Contents of palmitic, stearic, oleic, and α-linolenic were significantly decreased in the Exophiala sp.-inoculated plants than control plants under heat stress. Contents of flavonoids like genistein and daidzein were produced in higher quantities, while glycitein content was almost same in endophyte-associated plants under heat stress than control plants. Contrarily, stress-responsive endogenous abscisic acid and jasmonic acid were significantly activated in non-inoculated control treatments as compared to endophyte-inoculated plants under heat stress. The findings of the study reveal that association of Exophiala sp. with cucumber host plants can modulate heat stress by influencing physiological and biochemical contents of plants under heat stress.     

Structure-dependent phytotoxicity of catechins and other flavonoids: flavonoid conversions by cell-free protein extracts of Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed) roots

Invasive plants are believed to succeed in part by secretion of allelochemicals, thus displacing competing plant species. Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed) provides a classic example of this process. We have previously reported that spotted knapweed roots secrete (+/-)-catechin and that (-)-catechin, but not (+)-catechin, is phytotoxic and hence may be a major contributor to C. maculosa's invasive behavior in the rhizosphere. In this communication, we explore both structure/activity relationships for flavonoid phytotoxicity and possible biosynthetic pathways for root production of (+/-)-catechin. Kaempferol and dihydroquercetin were shown to be phytotoxic, while quercetin was not. Kaempferol was converted to dihydroquercetin and (+/-)-catechin when treated with total root protein extracts from C. maculosa, but quercetin was not. This finding suggests an alteration in the standard flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in C. maculosa roots, whereby kaempferol is not a dead-end product but serves as a precursor to dihydroquercetin, which in turn leads to (+/-)-catechin production.     

不同土壤玉米根际挥发性有机物组成和微生物群落特征

【目的】土壤理化性质和微生物群落的差异显著影响玉米根际挥发性有机物 (volatile organic compounds,VOCs) 的产生和释放。对根际VOCs的深入研究有望为充分挖掘根际生物学潜力和根际调控做出积极贡献。【方法】采集山东德州、河北涞水、河北保定、江西南昌、河南孟津、河南商丘等6个地区的旱地耕层土壤进行为期两个月的玉米盆栽试验,利用顶空固相微萃取联合气相色谱–质谱联用检测技术对根际土壤挥发性有机物进行了分析鉴定,利用实时荧光定量PCR技术对根际细菌和真菌进行了定量分析,利用高通量测序技术对根际细菌16S和真菌ITS进行了测序。【结果】从6个旱地土壤中共检测出44种VOCs,主要是烷烃、烯烃、酯类、胺类、有机酸和芳香类化合物,其中多种化合物与植物或微生物的生长代谢密切相关。胺类化合物N-Benzyl-N-ethyl-p-isopropylbenzamide和D-2-Bromolysergic acid diethylamide在6个土壤中均被检出,占总量的54.2%;其次检出最多的是烷烃和烯烃,占总量的31.1%和7.6%。江西南昌土壤释放的VOCs在数量和丰富度上均显著高于其他土壤,且大部分为烷烃和烯烃类化合物;从河北保定土壤中检出了6种特有的有机酸和酯类化合物。供试6种土壤中,河南商丘和河北保定的细菌数量显著高于其他四个地方。南昌土壤真菌数量显著较高,但其细菌数量、丰富度和多样性均显著低于其他土壤。6种土壤中的主要细菌依次为Thaumarchaeota(奇古菌门)、Actinobacteria(放线菌门)、Proteobacteria(变形菌门)、Chloroflexi(绿弯菌门)、Acidobacteria(酸杆菌门)、Firmicutes(厚壁菌门) 和 Unclassified(未分类门),占总细菌群落的92.1%;主要真菌依次为Ascomycota(子囊菌门)、Basidiomycota(担子菌门) 和 Chytridiomycota(壶菌门),占总真菌群落的98.3%。绿弯菌门仅在南昌土壤中占绝对优势,而南昌土壤中奇古菌门和变形菌门的相对丰度显著比其他地区少;子囊菌门在6种土壤中均为绝对优势真菌门。玉米根际释放的VOCs数量和丰富度与pH、硝态氮、细菌多样性和真菌多样性呈显著负相关 (P < 0.05),与铵态氮和真菌数量呈极显著正相关 (P < 0.01);与主要细菌门中的奇古菌门、变形菌门和酸杆菌门呈显著负相关 (P < 0.05),与绿弯菌门呈极显著正相关 (P < 0.01),但是与主要真菌门相关性不显著。【结论】理化性质不同的玉米根际土壤中,微生物群落结构与组成存在显著差异。pH是影响微生物生长的重要因素,酸性土壤中的真菌数量显著高于中性土壤,但是其细菌数量、微生物群落丰富度和多样性均显著小于中性土壤。VOCs的产生和释放受土壤、微生物和植物等众多因素的影响,土壤有机质含量越高、透气性越好、微生物数量越多时,释放的VOCs越丰富。     

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plant protection using dual biological control and plant growth-promoting agents: Current scenarios and future prospects

Various microorganisms live in association with different parts of plants and can be harmful, neutral, or beneficial to plant health. Some microbial inhabitants of plants can control plant diseases by contesting with, predating on, or antagonizing plant pathogens and by inducing systems for plant defense. A range of methods, including plant growth-promoting microorganisms(PGPMs) as biological control agents(BCAs)(BCA-PGPMs) are used for the biological management and control of plant pathogens. S...     

A Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Greenroof Runoff Retention, Detention, and Quality

The aggregate potential health impact due to ambient volatile organic compounds on the population living in the area nearby the petrochemical industrial complex in Thailand was evaluated using measured air contaminants concentration. Airborne volatile organic compounds were collected using canisters and were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometer following the US.EPA TO 15 procedure. Composite samples taken over a 24-h period were collected monthly. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed for a suite of 24 compounds covering both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic substances. Results were determined and analyzed in order to evaluate their spatial variability and their potential health risk. Comparison of data from each monitoring site indicated that patterns of VOCs across sites were different from their major species and their concentrations which might be influenced by nearest potential emission sources. Carcinogenic VOCs such as benzene, 1,3butadiene, and 1,2 dichloroethane were found to be higher than their annual national standards. A potential cancer risk map was drawn based on benzene concentration in order to illustrate the zone of impact and the number in the population likely to be exposed. Results indicated that 82% of the total area, and 89.6% of the total population were within the impact area. It was suspected that high concentrations of benzene and 1,3 butadiene might be attributed by both the mobile source and the point source of emissions while 1,2 dichloroethane was suspected to be emitted from factories located upwind from the monitoring sites. Hazard quotients and hazard indexes were applied to determine chronic health effects with non-cancer endpoints. Calculated values of hazard indexes for each of the target organ systems were lower than 1, which indicated that the non-cancer chronic risk due to level of volatile organic compounds in the study area was less.     

Effects of Broomrape Parasitism on Sunflower Plants: Growth,Development, and Mineral Nutrition

Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) is a parasitic plant that infects sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants. In this work, sunflower plants were grown under greenhouse conditions in pots with the substrate infested or non-infested with broomrape seeds. At different numbers of days after sowing, plant height, internode lengths, number of leaves, head diameter, mineral composition of leaves, and potassium (K) concentration in stem were measured. The negative effects of broomrape parasitism were assessed from 57 d after sowing, when broomrape started to emerge. Parasitized plants exhibited lower shoot dry weight, height, and head diameter than control plants. The reduction in internode lengths was associated with a decrease in the gradient of K concentration from basal to apical stem. The mineral composition of leaves was also affected in parasitized plants. The concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in leaves of parasitized plants were lower than those of the control plants, while there were few differences for K, phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu). The effects of parasitism are discussed in relation to their competition for resources and to perturbations of the host physiology such as hormonal and water balance.     

Persistence and conservation of a consumer-resource metapopulation with local overexploitation of resources

The monophagous flightless weevil Hadramphus spinipennis causes the frequent local extinction of its host plant Aciphylla dieffenbachii through overexploitation. Both species are endemic and restricted to the Chatham Islands group (New Zealand). The weevil is classified as endangered and the plant as a threatened species. As this herbivore-plant system is locally unstable long-term persistence only appears possible via a metapopulation structure in which subpopulations are connected by dispersal. This paper investigates this hypothesis using a spatially explicit model of a consumer population whose resource is patchily distributed. The parameters are adapted to the H. spinipennis-A. dieffenbachii system. Our model includes local population dynamics and dispersal of the consumer, the destruction of host plant patches due to foraging and their regeneration. The results show that the key factor for long-term persistence is the short-range dispersal of the consumer with high mortality during dispersal. Only this highly inefficient dispersal prevents the synchronisation of local dynamics while ensuring sufficient colonisation of regenerated patches. We also show that although synchronisation through spatially correlated environmental fluctuations may be critical for long-term persistence, it cannot replace the strong effects of dispersal. Thus, in a consumer-resource metapopulation with deterministic local extinction, the strength and spatial scale of consumer dispersal in relation to the spatial and temporal scales of the resource patch dynamics (patch destruction and regeneration, number, size and distance of patches) play a vital role for long-term persistence. The consequence for conservation management is that such metapopulations could in fact profit rather than suffer from decreasing connectivity of resource patches.     

Population size and diversity of Frankia in soils of Ceanothus velutinus and Douglas-fir stands

The influence of host plants on Frankia populations was investigated using soils from Ceanothus velutinus (Dougl.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stands. Population sizes of Ceanothus-infective Frankia in the soils were measured using plant bioassays with C. velutinus, C. sanguineus (Pursh), and C. integerrimus (H. & A.) as trap plants. The Frankia population in soil from the C. velutinus stand soil was about 10 times higher than that from the Douglas-fir stand. This result supports previous reports that, although the presence of host plants increases Frankia populations, Frankia persist without host plants. Nodulation capacities of the three trap plants were not significantly different. All nodules showed N₂ fixation activity using the acetylene reduction assay. The diversity of Frankia that nodulated trap plants was examined using repetitive intergenic DNA and the polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR). A newly designed, direct repeat sequence and a BOX sequence were used as rep-PCR primers. The results showed that infective Frankia in the two soils contained a common group of Frankia as well as some Frankia strains unique to each soil. The level of host specificity of the infective Frankia was low; however, one group of Frankia nodulated only C. integerrimus seedlings. Taken together, the results suggest that the higher populations in the soil from the C. velutinus stand may be due to preferential increases in particular groups of Frankia.     

The influence of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, the nematicide aldicarb and the nematophagous fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia on heterotrophic bacteria in soil and the rhizosphere

Plant‐pathogenic nematodes are a major cause of crop damage worldwide, the current chemical nematicides cause environmental damage, but alternatives such as biological control are less effective, so further understanding of the relationship between nematodes, nematicides, biological control agents and soil and rhizosphere microorganisms is needed. Microbial populations from roots of cabbage and tomato plants infested with the root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita were compared with those from plants where the nematode was controlled by the nematicide aldicarb, or a nematophagous fungus with biological control potential, Pochonia chlamydosporia. The total numbers of culturable bacteria and fungi in rhizosphere soil were similar in all three treatments for both plants, around 100‐fold more than in control soil in which there were no plants. However, there were clear differences in the catabolic diversity, assessed by Biolog EcoPlate? carbon substrate utilization assays, between microbial populations from unplanted soil and the rhizosphere. In cabbage, a poor host for M. incognita, the rhizosphere population from P. chlamydosporia‐treated plants was distinct from the population from untreated and aldicarb‐treated plants. In tomato, a host susceptible to the nematode, the catabolic diversity of populations from aldicarb‐ and P. chlamydosporia‐treated plants was similar and differed from the untreated, nematode‐infested plants. The genetic diversity of the fast‐growing heterotrophic bacteria in the tomato rhizosphere, indicated by PCR fingerprinting with ERIC primers, was very different in the infested roots, whereas the profiles of isolates from both aldicarb‐ and P. chlamydosporia‐treated roots were similar. Evidently, nematodes have a greater impact on the rhizosphere population of a susceptible host, tomato, than a poor one, cabbage, and nematode‐infested roots are colonized by a different subpopulation of soil microbes from that on plants where infection is controlled, illustrating differences in root morphology and physiology.     

Soil volatile fungistasis and volatile fungistatic compounds

Fungistasis is a widespread phenomenon that can be mediated by soil microorganisms and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The relationship between soil microorganisms and VOCs is still unclear, however, and many fungistatic compounds remain to be identified. We assessed the effects of soils (soil direct fungistasis) and VOCs produced by natural soils (soil volatile fungistasis) on the spore germination of several fungi. Both strong soil direct fungistasis and soil volatile fungistasis were observed in a wide range of soils. Soil fungistasis and VOC fungistasis were significantly correlated (P<0.001). The volatile fungistatic activity of soils stopped after autoclaving. Some VOCs were identified by using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrum. VOC composition and in vitro antagonism of relatively pure commercial compounds also were measured. Some VOCs, trimethylamine, 3-methyl-2-pentanone, dimethyl disulfide, methyl pyrazine, 2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, benzaldehyde, N,N-dimethyloctylamine and nonadecane, were produced by various fungistatic soils. Moreover, antifungal activity test of above VOCs showed that trimethylamine, benzaldehyde, and N,N-dimethyloctylamine have strong antifungal activity even at low levels (4-12 mg l⁻¹).     

Quantitation of transgenic plant DNA in leachate water: real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis

Roundup Ready (RR) genetically modified (GM) corn and soybean comprise a large portion of the annual planted acreage of GM crops. Plant growth and subsequent plant decomposition introduce the recombinant DNA (rDNA) into the soil environment, where its fate has not been completely researched. Little is known of the temporal and spatial distribution of plant-derived rDNA in the soil environment and in situ transport of plant DNA by leachate water has not been studied before. The objectives of this study were to determine whether sufficient quantities of plant rDNA were released by roots during growth and early decomposition to be detected in water collected after percolating through a soil profile and to determine the influence of temperature on DNA persistence in the leachate water. Individual plants of RR corn and RR soybean were grown in modified cylinders in a growth room, and the cylinders were flushed with rain water weekly. Immediately after collection, the leachate was subjected to DNA purification followed by rDNA quantification using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis. To test the effects of temperature on plant DNA persistence in leachate water, water samples were spiked with known quantities of RR soybean or RR corn genomic DNA and DNA persistence was examined at 5, 15, and 25 degrees C. Differences in the amounts and temporal distributions of root-derived rDNA were observed between corn and soybean plants. The results suggest that rainfall events may distribute plant DNA throughout the soil and into leachate water. Half-lives of plant DNA in leachate water ranged from 1.2 to 26.7 h, and persistence was greater at colder temperatures (5 and 15 degrees C).