Mobility of copper and zinc fractions in fungicide-amended vineyard sandy soils

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mobility of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the profile and distribution of sandy soil fractions from vineyards. Soil samples were collected from two vineyards of different ages (14 and 30 years) and a natural field area in the south of Brazil. The chemical characteristics, Cu levels and Zn levels, were analyzed in the soils by extraction with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) using the 3050B method of USEPA and by chemical fractionation. Cu and Zn were accumulated in the vineyard soils, especially in the uppermost soil layers and in the soil from the oldest vineyard. Approximately, 75% of the total Cu was extracted by EDTA, but only 30% of the total Zn was extracted by EDTA. Most of the Cu, especially in the oldest vineyard, was distributed in the mineral-associated fraction, which is characterized by low geochemical mobility, but another important part of the Cu was distributed in the soil organic matter. Most of the Zn in the soil was distributed in the residual and mineral-associated fractions, which are characterized by low mobility and have potential for causing toxicity to plants.     

Physicochemical and ecotoxicological evaluation of estuarine water quality during a dredging operation

Purpose

Most of the information concerning the effects of contaminated sediments on estuarine organisms deals with the impacts of bed forming sediments. The ecotoxicological potential at the time of a dredging operation is more difficult to assess, and few studies have dealt specifically with resuspended contaminated sediments. The aim of this study was to determine whether release of contaminants through sediment resuspension during a dredging operation in the Itajaí-açu estuary (Brazil) changed the water quality classification and had an ecotoxicological impact on the near-field water column during the critical moment of this operation.

Materials and methods

Waters from two sites (control and dredged sites) were analyzed for physicochemical parameters before, during, and after a dredging operation. In parallel, a short-term, sensitive battery of biotests (bacteria, algae, and daphnids) was performed with water samples before and during this operation according to the ISO bioassay protocols.

Results and discussion

No short-term toxicity was observed with waters collected before or during the dredging operation. The results showed that desorption of contaminants from suspended particles of sediments with a low level of contamination during a dredging operation lowered the water quality in the near-field water column but that this did not promote significant acute toxicity effects on the organisms tested.

Conclusions

More detailed studies are needed (e.g., the question of the reliability of biotests under turbulent, particle-rich conditions) to fully understand this complex issue regarding water column ecotoxicity during the whole dredging operation and to support decisions on the management of dredging activities.

     

Integrating Biochemical,Morpho-physiological,Nutritional, and Productive Responses to Cd Accumulation in Massai Grass Employed in Phytoremediation

Biosurfactants are promising substitutes for chemical surfactants during polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioremediation. However, recent studies have revealed contrasting findings and critical knowledge gaps regarding the impacts of biosurfactants on the soil PAH biodegradation efficiency and microbial community. Here, a laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the impact of rhamnolipid on the PAH dissipation efficiency and microbial community structure during the time-course incubation. The data showed that the contribution ratio of biotic loss and abiotic loss depended on the ring number of PAH. In the microcosms supplemented with 20 μg g^?1 rhamnolipid, the biodegradation efficiencies of phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene increased by 10.1%, 12.3%, and 22.0%, respectively, compared to those in the rhamnolipid-free treatment after incubation for 7 days. In contrast, rhamnolipid either had no impact on or inhibited PAH degradation in the later time points (21–35 days). The abundance of bacterial 16S rRNA and phnAc genes showed significant increase in soil amended of both PAH and rhamnolipid. MiSeq sequencing results revealed that potential PAHs-degrading Massilia, Bacillus, Lysobacter, Archrobacter, and Phenylobacterium became dominant genera in PAH treatment, irrespective of the rhamnolipid added. Nevertheless, PAH addition in the presence of rhamnolipid also significantly stimulated the growth of Delftia, Brevundimonas, Tumebacillus, and Geobacillus. In contrast, the rhamnolipid altered the microbial community composition through the selection of Gaiella, Solirubrobacter, Nocardioides, and Bacillus. The results reveal the intensive selectivity effect of PAH and rhamnolipid on the soil microbes that are involved in bioremediation, and highlight the positive effect on PAHs biodegradation.

     

Coda wave interferometry for estimating nonlinear behavior in seismic velocity

In coda wave interferometry, one records multiply scattered waves at a limited number of receivers to infer changes in the medium over time. With this technique, we have determined the nonlinear dependence of the seismic velocity in granite on temperature and the associated acoustic emissions. This technique can be used in warning mode, to detect the presence of temporal changes in the medium, or in diagnostic mode, where the temporal change in the medium is quantified.     

Impact of calcium chloride concentrations and storage duration on quality attributes of peach (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus persica</Emphasis>)

To investigate the impact of CaCl₂ concentrations and storage duration on quality of peach (Prunus persica), a research was conducted at postharvest Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan during 2012–2013. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with factorial arrangement repeated three times. The peach fruits (cv. Texas A 69) were harvested at physiological maturity stage from peach orchard, Horticulture Farm. The fruits were dipped in 0, 2 and 4% CaCl₂ solution for 10 min and transferred to cold storage having ±8–10°C with relative humidity of 80–85%. The application of CaCl₂ solution and storage duration significantly influenced the fruit quality of peach fruit. However, the application of CaCl₂ solution significantly reduced weight loss (4.98%), disease incidence (2.08%), total sugars (5.31%), TSS-Acid ratio (16.27), TSS(7.38⁰Brix) and increased the fruit firmness (2.21 kg cm^–2) titratable acidity (0.47%) and Ascorbic acid (5.35 mg/100 g) of peach fruits. The storage duration of peach fruit also significantly affected the fruit quality attributes during storage. The peach fruit stored for 30 days showed less fruit firmness (0.74 kg cm^–2) and titratable acidity (0.31%), Ascorbic acid (4.45 mg/100 g) and increased weight loss (19.74%), disease incidence (16.11%), total sugars (6.07%), TSSAcid ratio (27.62) and TSS(8.54⁰Brix) of peach fruit. Based on the findings of this study, it is concluded that the peach fruit should be treated with 4% CaCl₂ solution to retain the quality attributes for 30 days storage.     

A Chemoinformatics Approach to the Discovery of Lead-Like Molecules from Marine and Microbial Sources En Route to Antitumor and Antibiotic Drugs

The comprehensive information of small molecules and their biological activities in the PubChem database allows chemoinformatic researchers to access and make use of large-scale biological activity data to improve the precision of drug profiling. A Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship approach, for classification, was used for the prediction of active/inactive compounds relatively to overall biological activity, antitumor and antibiotic activities using a data set of 1804 compounds from PubChem. Using the best classification models for antibiotic and antitumor activities a data set of marine and microbial natural products from the AntiMarin database were screened—57 and 16 new lead compounds for antibiotic and antitumor drug design were proposed, respectively. All compounds proposed by our approach are classified as non-antibiotic and non-antitumor compounds in the AntiMarin database. Recently several of the lead-like compounds proposed by us were reported as being active in the literature.     

Biochemical composition and indigestible oligosaccharides in Phaseolus vulgaris L. seeds

Common beans have a high nutritional value, but contain galactooligosaccharides (GO), which cause flatulence and intestinal discomfort in humans. The biochemical composition of ten bean cultivars was determined to select those of high protein and low GO contents. The cultivars varied in carbohydrate (47.02-60.17%), GO (3.12-5.71%), protein (22.17-33.50%), lipid (1.13-1.81%), moisture (11.42-12.93%) and ash contents (4.08-5.61%). 'Mexico 222' presented the highest alpha-galactosidase activity. Protein and GO contents were positively correlated. 'Perry Marrow' combined high protein and low GO concentrations, indicating it can be used in improvement programs aiming at high-quality cultivars for human consumption.     

Reactivity of monoclonal antibodies to potato virus A in various types of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Summary A panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) was prepared against potato virus A (PVA) and their reactivity was tested in various types of ELISA. The type of ELISA as well as the methods of MAbs purification played an essential role. All monoclonal antibodies reacted with PVA antigen in IDAS-ELISA but MAbs used in DAS₁-ELISA and in DAS₂-ELISA, in combination with polyclonal antibodies, showed different reactivity. The reactivity of MAbs in DAS-ELISA was dependent on the individual MAb used as a coating or as a conjugate. Two MAbs showed highest reactivity as coating antibodies but only one of them as a conjugate. The results demonstrate the importance of using different type of ELISA in selecting MAbs for routine diagnosis.     

Yield and nutritional evaluation of the banana hybrid ‘FHIA-18’ as influenced by phosphate fertilization

Abstract

The ‘FHIA-18’ hybrid banana is an alternative for producers as it is resistant to Black Sigatoka and Panama disease. However, few studies report the nutritional requirement of this hybrid, especially phosphorus. It is known that the efficiency of phosphorus use can be improved, reducing the need for application, depending on the genotype cultivated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the yield and mineral nutrition of ‘FHIA-18’ hybrid banana on phosphate fertilization. A banana orchard with the cultivar ‘FHIA-18’ was conducted on a Typical Red Latosol. Then, triple superphosphate fertilizer was applied on plants at 0, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60?kg ha^?1?year^?1, over three productive seasons. At the time of flowering the macro and micronutrient contents of the leaves were evaluated. Subsequently, the nutrient contents of the fruits were evaluated. For this, fruit pulp samples from the third and fourth hands were collected. In addition, yield was estimated considering cluster mass and plant density. The following dose 36?kg ha^?1 of P₂O₅ year^?1 increased the content of phosphorus in the leaf, despite that banana hybrid cultivar FHIA 18 demanded 50% of the recommended fertilizer to achieve its maximum yield (29.4 t ha^?1?year^?1). Phosphate fertilization promoted significant changes in P, Ca, Cu, and Zn contents of leaves and fruits. Therefore, it is concluded that the mineral nutrition of banana ‘FHIA-18’ is affected by phosphate fertilization, as well as requiring less P than recommended to achieve higher yield.     

Diffuse Water Pollution by Anthraquinone and Azo Dyes in Environment Importantly Alters Foliage Volatiles,Carotenoids and Physiology in Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

The use of aqueous suspension of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide for photocatalytic removal of pollutants is not suitable for industrial applications due to the inconvenient and expensive separation of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide for reuse. The nanosized titanium dioxide needs to be immobilized on the support for improving the efficiency and economics of the photocatalytic process. In the present paper, nanoparticles of titanium dioxide have been immobilized on the surface of the support using three different techniques. The immobilized films of titanium dioxide have been characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to notice any change in the phase composition and photocatalytic properties of the titanium dioxide after immobilization on the support. A photocatalytic test has been performed under similar reaction conditions to compare the photocatalytic performance of the films of immobilized titanium dioxide prepared using different techniques.