Glyphosate degradation as a soil health indicator for heavy metal polluted soils

Glyphosate is a commonly used herbicide in grassland soils and microorganisms control its degradation. We introduce the concept of using the degradation rate as an indicator for ecosystem health. Testing this concept, we used soils with a long history of heavy metal pollution (Cu, Pb, and Zn). We hypothesized lower degradation rates in metal-polluted compared to less polluted soils. The degradation rates were measured by repeated measurements of the parent compound in spiked soil-water slurries incubated at 20 °C over 21 days. Average rates showed no differences comparing among soils. We observed a positive correlation between glyphosate degradation rates and soil metal pollution. Therefore, we concluded that the expected impact of the metals on the bacteria responsible for the herbicide degradation was not established. We discuss the potential influence on biological degradation rates of soil pH and adsorption and implications using the concept of the soil health indicator.     

Herbicides, weeds and endangered species: management of bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata) with glyphosate and impacts on the endangered shrub, Pimelea spicata

Environmental weed invasion threatens the biodiversity of native species. Unfortunately, managing these weeds may also affect biodiversity adversely. A recent example occurred when glyphosate, a herbicide used to control the highly invasive weed, bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata), accidentally drifted over a small population of an endangered shrub, Pimelea spicata. Following concerns that the affected population would not recover and, thereby, cause the local extinction of P. spicata, we conducted a series of glasshouse and field experiments to explore the impacts of glyphosate on this endangered species. Seedlings and young plants of P. spicata, in which the tap root was undeveloped, were killed by a single application of glyphosate. Older plants with a well developed tap root also died back initially, but about 50% of individuals re-sprouted. This re-growth was associated with a significant decrease in tap root diameter, implying that further disturbance, including repeated treatment with glyphosate, would kill plants by impairing their potential for recovery. Unlike some sclerophyllous native shrubs, the tolerance of P. spicata to glyphosate was limited, even when its growth was slowed artificially by limiting water availability. Winter applications of glyphosate to manage infestations of bitou bush will impact adversely on populations of P. spicata and may also affect the other rare and endangered species whose survival is threatened by this species, even though some natives are unaffected by the herbicide. Protecting native biodiversity from bitou bush will involve sustainable weed management that minimises impacts on non-target native species.     

In vivo 31P and 1H HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy analysis of the unstarved Aporrectodea caliginosa (Lumbricidae)

This study demonstrates that ³¹P and ¹H high resolution-magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a recently developed NMR technique, can be applied to the in vivo analysis of metabolites from an unstarved earthworm. The endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa was cut into lengths and then the different body parts (anterior, middle, posterior) with the gut content were analyzed. With the HR-MAS NMR, metabolites show well-resolved signals, whereas, with conventional NMR, spectra are highly dependent on the gut content. ³¹P HR-MAS NMR has been used to evaluate the effect of an acute exposure of the earthworm to glyphosate. Our observations support a low toxicity of the herbicide and suggest that glyphosate could be trapped in the cutaneous mucus. Earthworms could therefore play a role in horizontal dispersion and stabilization of glyphosate in the drilosphere. Phosphorylated metabolites, such as phospholombricine and lombricine, were clearly identified and their amount measured during experiments. The ¹H HR-MAS NMR method offers the opportunity to measure, on the same sample and simultaneously, both the hydrosoluble metabolites and lipids. The data on lipid location and relative succinate concentration shed light on the physiological and metabolic functions of the different body parts of the earthworm.     

应用化学诱变法筛选抗草甘膦大豆突变株系

利用化学诱变剂甲基磺酸乙酯(EMS)和叠氮化钠,对黑龙江省大面积推广的6个农艺性状优良的大豆品种进行种子处理.不同品种按不同处理剂量分区种植,按常规法单株选择收获.不同浓度诱变剂处理大豆种子的M1代成活率均高于半致死浓度处理;对M3代35518个植株于3叶期进行喷洒1.31ai.kg·hm2草甘膦浓度鉴定,其中40株生长正常,所获抗性植株是经5 mmol·L-1叠氮化钠诱变处理的绥农10和黑农44.2008年继续对M4代进行鉴定,抗草甘膦特性可以稳定遗传.应用化学诱变法可以在后代群体中筛选到具有抗草甘膦特性的突变株系.     

转抗虫抗草甘膦除草剂基因(Cry1Ac+EPSPS)棉的检测技术与生存竞争能力研究——基于草甘膦压力和对靶标害虫不防治环境下

此研究为国家转抗虫抗草甘膦除草剂基因(Cry1Ac+EPSPS)棉环境安全评价技术建立而设。在草甘膦压力和对靶标害虫不防治环境下的检测技术,以杂交抗虫棉赣棉杂1号和非转基因棉赣棉11号为2个对照,来检测评价转抗虫抗草甘膦除草剂基因(Cry1Ac+EPSPS)棉的生存竞争能力。结果:转Cry1Ac+EPSPS棉与两个对照相比不显示抗虫优势;株高增长无竞争力;覆盖度有不显著的弱竞争力;单株成铃、单铃籽棉重、单铃皮棉重、衣分率、脱落率、籽棉产量、皮棉产量与赣棉杂1号比呈现显著或极显著的负竞争优势,与赣棉11号比无竞争优势;果枝层数前期与两对照相比有极显著的负竞争优势,后期与赣棉杂1号比无竞争优势,与赣棉11号比有显著的负竞争优势。结论:转Cry1Ac+EPSPS棉推广种植可行性较差。本项检测技术和评价方法有较好的适用性。     

抗除草剂转基因大豆的生态安全评价进展

中国是大豆(Glycine max)的起源中心,大豆是中国的重要作物。转基因大豆向环境释放后可能带来的生态风险问题越来越受到人们的重视。中国自然状态下分布着丰富的野大豆(G.soja)遗传资源,转基因抗除草剂大豆能够在自然条件下与野大豆发生基因交流。转基因抗除草剂大豆释放后,由于大量单一使用草甘膦,田间杂草已经进化出了抗药性。大量使用的除草剂以及转基因大豆根际分泌物会对土壤微生物、非靶标生物产生影响,并影响到植物的固氮能力。本文在综述研究进展的基础上,提出了转基因大豆生物安全研究与管理的建议,为我国将来转基因大豆的产业化提供参考。     

几种有机硅助剂对草甘膦在单子叶植物体内吸收、转移和分布的影响

采用14C-草甘膦同位素标记法研究了4种有机硅助剂Silwet L-77、Silwet 800 、Freeway 和Boost 在体积分数0.1%用量下对草甘膦在黑麦草( Lolium perenne L. cv. Grasslands Greenstone)体内吸收、转移和分布的影响。结果表明:与单用草甘膦相比，4 种助剂的加入显著地降低了草甘膦在黑麦草体内的吸收和转移量，助剂之间无显著性差异。 处理后24和72 h测定，草甘膦主要分布在幼嫩组织中，其次是根部，在老叶片中的转移量最 少。无论转移量高低，草甘膦在植物体内的分布总是表现为地上部的比例高于地下部。有机 硅助剂对草甘膦在各组织中的分布比例没有影响。     

Chemical stress can increase crop yield

Low dose chemical stress has been shown to increase plant vegetative growth, though not all chemicals induce the response. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide by volume and treated area. At low doses, it can increase growth in a variety of species. Here we show that a glyphosate-induced growth increase can be transformed into an increase in crop yield, if applied at the right time. Glyphosate, in the dose range of 2.5–20 g a.e. ha⁻¹, corresponding to less than 1% of the rate normally used for weed control in the field, increased grain yield of barley by 12–15% when applied at the time of grain filling. Straw yield and the quality of the grains in terms of nitrogen and starch content were not affected by the treatment. The physiological mechanism behind this counter intuitive increase in growth is still unknown, as are possible adverse effects. It is, however, evident that understanding the physiological processes behind chemically induced growth increases in plants holds the promise of improving food yield.     

四种常见农药对日本三角涡虫的急性毒性研究

为研究农药对低等水生动物的影响,研究了草甘膦、乙草胺、敌百虫、敌杀死4种农药对涡虫的急性毒性。结果显示草甘膦、乙草胺、敌百虫、敌杀死对涡虫的24hLC50分别是：41．78、12．22、1．45、1．42mg／L;48h的LC50分别是35．42、8．41、1．34、1．37mg／L;72h的LC50分别是29．83、7．46、1．29、1．32mg／L96h的LC50分别是27．97、6．98、1．23、1．27mg／L。4种农药对涡虫的安全浓度分别是草甘膦（7．64mg／L）、乙草胺（1．19mg／L）、敌百虫（0．34mg／L）、敌杀死（0．38mg／L）,对涡虫的急性毒性是敌百虫〉敌杀死〉乙草胺〉草甘膦。实验结果表明涡虫用于监测草甘膦、乙草胺、敌百虫、敌杀死对低等水生动物的影响具一定可行性。