Influence of the insecticide carbofuran on the production and oxidation of methane in a flooded rice soil

Applications of a commercial formulation of carbofuran, a carbamate insecticide, at rates of 2kg and 12kg active ingredient ha^–1 to flooded fields planted to rice led to significant inhibition of methane emission. Likewise, laboratory incubation studies showed that carbofuran applied at low rates (5 and 10μgg^–1soil) inhibited the net methane production relative to that of the control, but stimulated it when applied at a rate of 100μgg^–1soil. Interestingly, carbofuran increased the oxidation of methane when applied at low rates and inhibited it when applied at a rate of 100μgg^–1soil. Received: 5 May 1997     

Analysis of the oxidative degradation of proanthocyanidins under basic conditions

Proanthocyanidin isolates from grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir) skin and seed underwent oxidative degradation in solution (10 g/L) under basic conditions while exposed to atmospheric oxygen. Degradation was monitored by reversed-phase HPLC following acid-catalyzed cleavage in the presence of excess phloroglucinol (phloroglucinolysis) and by high-performance gel permeation chromatography. All isolates degraded under these conditions and followed second-order kinetics for over 1 half-life, consistent with an oxidation reaction. The conversion of proanthocyanidins to known subunits (conversion yield) when measured by phloroglucinolysis showed a dramatic decline over the course of the reaction. With the exception of (+)-catechin extension subunits, all individual subunits decreased in concentration during the oxidation process, also following second-order kinetics for over 1 half-life. Skin proanthocyanidins degraded the fastest due to the presence of (-)-epigallocatechin extension subunits. Seed procyanidins were degraded with and without flavan-3-ol monomers. Flavan-3-ol monomers slowed the rate of seed procyanidin degradation. The mean degree of polymerization (mDP) determined by phloroglucinolysis indicated a large decrease in mDP as the reaction progressed; yet, by GPC, the size distribution of all proanthocyanidins changed little in comparison. The conversion yield could be an important parameter to follow when using phloroglucinolysis as a means for determining proanthocyanidin mDP, and when monitoring the oxidative degradation of proanthocyanidins.     

Influence of soil depth on asulam adsorption and degradation

Asulam (methyl(4-aminobenzenesulphonyl)carbamate) is not adsorbed to any marked extent by the soils examined above the pH range 4.5–6.0. The adsorption which takes place is inversely correlated with pH. Comparatively higher amounts of asulam are retained by topsoil samples than by their respective subsoil samples. Asulam degradation is rapid in topsoils and slow in subsoils. The addition of yeast extract to the latter enhances degradation. The sensitivity of the analytical procedure is improved by extracting the Bratton-Marshall colour into n-butanol.     

Influence of ectomycorrhizal mat soils on lignin and cellulose degradation

Summary The ectomycorrhizal fungus Hysterangium setchellii (Fisher) forms extensive hyphal mats at the soillitter interface with the roots of the host tree Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii [(Mirb.) Franco]. Microbial biomass, and lignin and cellulose decomposition rates were measured seasonally for 1 year, using ¹⁴C techniques in ectomycorrhizal mat soils and adjacent non-mat soils in a second-growth Douglas fir forest. The microbial biomass and cellulose degradation rates were 3–6 times higher in ectomycorrhizal mat soils than in adjacent nonmat soils. Lignin degradation rates were higher in ectomycorrhizal mat soils than adjacent non-mat soils. Our data suggest that the ectomycorrhizal fungus H. setchellii provides a microenvironment with increased microbiological activity which results in faster lignin and cellulose decomposition.     

Influence of soil fractions on microbial degradation behavior of mineral hydrocarbons

Various interactions occurring between organic chemicals and soil constituents participate in the determination of the fate of these pollutants, including their biodegradability. These relations need to be characterized in order to design and successfully implement a bioremediation application. In the present study, biodegradation of spiked and aged crude oil contamination in two dissimilar soils was related to their composition. GC-FID analysis of bulk soil samples as well as sand- and <63 μm fractions showed considerable differences in contaminant distribution and degradation behavior within these fractions. Whereas a freshly spiked silty soil showed reasonable degradation (51%), degradation was not significant after ageing. By contrast, a sandy soil was degraded by 25% (recently contaminated) and 19% (aged). Biodegradation occurred in the fine fraction only, with a comparably high content of organic carbon whereas hydrocarbon concentration remained constant in the sand fraction. This was correlated with sorption to the fine fraction where hydrocarbon concentrations were higher by over an order of magnitude compared to the sand fraction. Soil composition, biology and chemistry exert a pronounced influence on microbial degradation in respect to (i) contaminant availability and (ii) the structure and density of the microbial community.     

Effects of the pesticides thiotox,dichlorvos and carbofuran on the test fishMystus vittatus

A quantitative index of synergism, antagonism and additivity has been measured experimentally in the fishMystus vittatus for three pesticides viz. Thiotox (Endosulfan) (T), Dichlorvos (D) and Carbofuran (C). For a combination of two pesticides, the dose of the one pesticide of a pair was fixed at the no-effect level while the dose of the second pesticide was increased until the entire dose response curve was obtained. To evaluate interactions of three pesticides, the previous pair of pesticides was kept fixed at their combined TL_O level, and the third pesticide was increased and again a dose-response curve was obtained. From the results obtained, it is shown that a particular combination could be synergistic, antagonistic or additive, depending on the relative doses employed. In the present study (T + D)/C combination was most synergistic (toxic) in nature while D/T and C/T were least toxic or antagonistic in their effects. However, T/D, (C + T)/D, C/D and D/C combinations were additive in nature. (D + T)/C, (D + C)/T, (T + C)/D and (C + D)/T combinations were found less synergistic in nature than (T + D)/C.     

Nanocolloidal gold-based immunoassay for the detection of the N-methylcarbamate pesticide carbofuran

Nanocolloidal gold particles were prepared and labeled to an anti-carbofuran monoclonal antibody (Mab). This conjugate was dispensed on the conjugated pad of a porous glass fiber. Ovalbumin (OVA)-carbofuran and goat anti-mouse IgG were dispensed on the nitrocellulose (NC) membrane and served as the test line and control line, respectively. The carbofuran-containing sample migrated to the NC membrane and reacted with the anti-carbofuran Mab labeled with the colloidal gold. The mixture diffused along the membrane and passed through the OVA-carbofuran in the test line via capillary action. The more analyte present in the sample, the more effectively it will compete with the carbofuran immobilized on the test line for binding to the limited amount of antibody labeled with colloidal gold. An adequate amount of carbofuran could prevent attachment of the colored conjugate to the test line. The presence or absence of a colored band on the test line could indicate a negative or positive result, respectively. When measured to the water sample spiked with carbofuran, this was obtained at or above 0.25 mg/L of carbofuran. The major advantages of the one-step strip test are that the detection time needed was <10 min and all of the reagents are included in the test device.     

Development of monoclonal antibody-based immunoassays to the N-methylcarbamate pesticide carbofuran

To produce monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the pesticide carbofuran, three compounds with carboxylic spacer arms of different lengths introduced at the carbamate group of the analyte structure were synthesized, conjugated to proteins, and used as immunizing haptens in mice. MAbs were subsequently characterized for affinity and specificity in the conjugate-coated format and in the antibody-coated format using newly synthesized compounds as heterologous assay haptens. Depending on the immunoreagent combination and assay format, competitive assays with I(50) values in the 1.2-10.2 nM (0.27-2.27 ng/mL) range were obtained. LIB-BFNB67 MAb in combination with the hapten BFNH, coupled either to horseradish peroxidase or to ovalbumin, was used to develop a direct and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Optimized immunoassays displayed very similar analytical characteristics, with an I(50) value around 0.7 ng/mL and a limit of detection around 0.08 ng/mL. Both immunoassays were able to tolerate the presence of methanol up to a 15% concentration. Compounds very similar in structure to carbofuran (benfuracarb, furathiocarb, bendiocarb, and carbofuran-hydroxy) exhibited cross-reactivity values in the 18-37% range, but major N-methylcarbamate pesticides were not recognized by the MAb. These immunoassays should reasonably allow the rapid, low-cost, and sensitive determination of carbofuran in food, in soils, and in the environment at levels of regulatory and practical importance.     

Influence of soil physicochemical and biological properties on the degradation and adsorption of the nematicide fosthiazate

The degradation and adsorption of the organophosphorus nematicide fosthiazate were investigated in nine soils with various physicochemical and biological characteristics. Fosthiazate was more persistent in acidic soils (pH <6), with half-life (t1/2) values ranging from 53.3 to 57.7 days, compared to soils with higher pH (pH >7), with t1/2 ranging from 14.1 to 20.7 days. Application of antibacterial and antifungal antibiotics to soil samples resulted in a significant inhibition of fosthiazate degradation only in two of the three acidic soils. In contrast, soil autoclaving resulted in doubling the t1/2 of fosthiazate in all studied soils, suggesting that both microbial and abiotic processes contribute to fosthiazate degradation. Statistical analysis indicated a significant negative correlation (P < 0.01) between soil pH and t1/2. Fosthiazate was generally weakly adsorbed with Freundlich adsorption coefficient (Kf) values ranging from 1.23 to 2.74 mL/g. Fosthiazate concentration was strongly correlated with soil organic matter content with higher Kf values in soils with higher organic matter content (P < 0.01). The mean t1/2 and Kf values derived from the laboratory studies were used to parametrize the FOCUS groundwater (GW) models PRZM, PELMO, PEARL, and MACRO for nematicide application in potato and tomato crops. Predicted environmental concentrations produced by the models PEARL and MACRO suggested a potential risk for GW in several scenarios, unlike PELMO and PRZM, which predicted low risk for GW. These findings suggest that the environmental fate of fosthiazate is strongly influenced by soil characteristics and that this nematicide should be used with care in acidic, light soils with low organic matter content.     

设施条件下添加有机肥对土壤中土霉素消减作用

在设施条件下,通过在含有不同浓度(43.62、1638.78和10936.38μg/kg)土霉素的土壤中添加不同比例(5%、10%)有机肥,研究有机肥对土霉素消减的影响及其影响因素,并运用准一级动力学模型对土霉素消减动态的拟合。结果表明,在低污染处理组和高污染处理组28 d后土霉素消减进入平稳期,低污染处理组添加5%和10%有机肥后,消减率提高了17.71%和16.03%,半衰期缩短了9.02和9.50 d;高污染处理组添加5%和10%有机肥后,消减率提高了19.83%和17.93%,半衰期缩短了12.28和13.38 d。主成分分析对土壤理化性质与土霉素消减动态的分析结果表明土壤有机质、总氮及p H值与添加有机肥的比例呈较高的正相关性,土霉素的消减率与有机肥添加比例成一定的正相关性。与对照土壤比较,添加有机肥可促进土壤中土霉素的消减,并随土霉素初始浓度的增大作用更为明显,但有机肥添加比例对土霉素消减的促进作用没有显著差异。     

生物炭对农药降解产物三氯吡啶醇在土壤中迁移的影响研究

研究针对大孔隙发育的紫色土坡耕地区域易于迁移的广谱杀虫剂毒死蜱和除草剂绿草定的主要降解产物3,5,6-三氯-2-吡啶醇(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol,TCP)的快速迁移和对水体的高污染风险问题,探索向土壤中施加生物炭降低TCP迁移的有效方法并分析其作用机制。研究基于生物炭施加比例为0、1%和2%的土壤样品,通过等温吸附试验分析生物炭施加对土壤吸附能力的改变,通过CT扫描和三维结构重建探讨生物炭施加对土壤孔隙结构的影响,应用示踪剂Br-和TCP的穿透曲线分析生物炭施加对TCP迁移的有效防治程度,最后基于对流-扩散机理的两区模型模拟TCP迁移的物理、化学过程并反演相关参数,从而揭示生物炭对TCP迁移的影响机制。结果表明生物炭施加后,土壤的大孔隙度降低、土壤可动水体积分数和水动力扩散系数减小,继而延迟污染物进入水体时间;同时土壤对TCP的吸附能力提高,并降低土壤出流液中的TCP浓度。研究结果将为农业面源污染的防治提供技术支持。     

Herbicide degradation in soil: Influence of microbial biomass

The rates of degradation of the thiocarbamate herbicides diallate and triallate were determined in a single agricultural soil which had been manipulated through C-starvation or C-amendment to contain different quantities of metabolically-active microorganisms. In all soils, and for both herbicides, the rates of degradation were directly related to the microbial biomass. Qualitative differences in the biomasses, roughly evaluated by examination of shifts in fungal populations that could be isolated by the soil washing technique from the C-starved soils, had no apparent influence on the degradation rates.     

Influence of temperature,humidity and inoculation on the degradation of14C-labeled 2-aminobenzimidazole in soil

Degradation of¹⁴C-labeled 2-aminobenzimidazole was measured in sandy loam soils by means of the evolution of¹⁴C into CO₂. The correlation between soil temperature and 2-AB-degradation was investigated utilizing a temperature gradient incubator for temperatures between 1 and 40°C with a water content of 100% of field capacity. Within the temperature interval 1 to 20°C, the evolution of¹⁴C was exponentially related to the inverse of the absolute temperature, in accordance with the Arrhenius' equation. Maximum evolution of¹⁴C was at 22°C while between 25 and 35°C the evolution remained almost constant and at 40°C it was almost nil. The correlation between soil water content and 2-AB-degradation was measured at 25°C in air dry soil and with water contents varying from 5 to 41% (equivalent to 28 to 227% of field capacity (FC)). From 28 to 94% of FC an exponential increase in the evolution of¹⁴C was observed while the evolution was slightly decreasing in soil with water contents above this level. Degradation of 2-AB in soil was greatly enhanced when the soil was inoculated with liquid or with soil aliquots from a soil perfusion apparatus through which 2-AB had been percolating for 6 mo. This indicates the presence of organisms able to decompose 2-AB in the pre-treated soil and in the perfusing water.     

吉林玉米带现行耕作制度对黑土肥力退化的影响

该文从“体质”和“体型”两个方面探讨了吉林玉米带现行耕作制度对土壤肥力退化的影响。结果表明,现行的耕作制度下,土壤剖面中耕层与犁底层的界面为“波浪型”,而每年进行秋翻的玉米田,其耕层与梨底层的界面为“平面型”。“波浪型”犁底层的土壤容重、三相组成与“平面型”剖面相比有明显差异,而耕层中有机无机复合体及其有机碳分布特征无明显差异,与底层土壤有较大差异。但由于“平面型”剖面耕层的有效土量是“波浪型”有效土量的2倍,因此,在生产上“平面型”剖面土壤保水性能、玉米产量等多方面都普遍优于“波浪型”土壤。吉林玉米带黑土肥力退化的主要原因是耕层有效土量过少。     

Methyl parathion degradation in soil: Influence of soil-water tension

Four soil-water tensions ranging from 10 kPa to 1.5 MPa were employed to study the effect of soil-water tension on methyl parathion degradation, metabolism and bound-residue formation in two soils. Uniformly ring-labeled [¹⁴C]methyl parathion was used. Mineralization was rapid in soils at 10 and 33 kPa. Results from the disappearance of ¹⁴C-activity indicated that methyl parathion could be also rapidly mineralized in soils at 100 kPa, while mineralization at 1.5 MPa was slower. Nonextractable ¹⁴C-activity (bound residues) was formed rapidly during 7–14 days in the soils maintained at 100 kPa and lower. The formation of nonextractable ¹⁴C-activity in the 1.5 MPa soils was slower but increased steadily during 28 days. Since no methyl aminoparathion was detected, it was suggested that the insecticide was hydrolyzed initially to p-nitrophenol and subsequently was reduced to p-aminophenol. The reduction was favored in moist soils (10 and 33 kPa) but was resisted in dry soil (1.5 MPa).     

Effect of the anion citrate on the mineral composition of artificial casein micelles

The composition of artificial casein micelles (ACM) prepared at constant concentration of caseins, calcium (Ca), and phosphate (P(i)) in media with different citrate (Cit) concentrations was studied. The incorporation of the different mineral and protein components to the ACM was conditioned by the Cit concentration. In our working condition, the ACM size remained almost constant for Cit concentration ranging from 7 to 10 mM. This behavior could be indicating that the action of Cit essentially consists of a regulation of the Ca activity. The molar ratio at which Ca and P(i) were incorporated to the ACM varied for different Cit concentrations. At decreasing pH, the Ca/P(i) molar ratios for the remanent ions in the ACM were dependent on the Cit concentration. These observations could be related to a certain kind of competition between Cit, micellar calcium phosphate (MCP), and other groups able to bind Ca in the ACM.