Metabolism of [ring-2,6-14]parathion in plant cell suspension cultures of carrot (Daucus carota), purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), soybean,thorn apple (Datura stramonium) and wheat (Triticum aestivum)

By means of standardized procedures, the metabolism of [ring-2,6-¹⁴C]-parathion was investigated in carrot (Daucus carota L.), purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.), soybean (Glycine max Merrill cv. ?Mandarin’?, and Glycine max Merrill cv. ?Harosoy 63’? cultivated on B5 and Miller media, respectively), thorn apple (Datura stramonium L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cell suspension cultures. In the wheat and soybean (Mandarin) cells only 2.9 and 8.9%, respectively, of the applied parthion remained unmetabolized after 48 h of incubation, while 51.2, 57.9, 60.3, and 62.4% of the unchanged parent were detected in the D. purpurea, D. Stramonium, carrot and soybean (Harosoy) cultures, respectively. In all suspensions, paraoxon and 4-nitrophenol were found as phase I metabolites, thus demonstrating that plant tissues can catalyse oxidative desulfuration and dearylation of parathion. 4-Nitrophenol was also glycosylated with glucose and possibly galactose. Further, as yet unidentified, metabolites indicated that bio-transformations had also occurred at the aromatic moiety. Large amounts of non-extractable residues were detected in the wheat suspension (38.3%), while the other cultures showed a lower incorporation of ¹⁴C into insoluble cell material (0.9-9.4%). For a prospective ecotoxicological evaluation of the metabolic fate of pesticides and xenobiotics in plants in general, the differential metabolic capacity of plant cell cultures and plants should be taken into account.     

Die Situation im Pflanzenschutz als Problem der Qualitätsforschung

Summary Plant protection as a problem of plant quality-researchThe use of pesticides —although necessary for plant protection — gives rise to cogent criticism. This refers not only to overapplications of biocidal sprays but also to certain pesticides or herbicides themselves being rather suspect as far as their physiological and biochemical behaviour and/or their peculiar metabolism are concerned. This in turn eventually leads to rather a high accumulation of toxic residues of the pesticides or of their metabolites in food plants, the latter sometimes more toxic than the pesticide itself. Furthermore undesired alterations in plant constituents important to health may occur causing significant depressions in levels of ascorbic acid (spinach) and of carotene (carrots). Chemicals used as plantregulators such as 2,4-D and their derivates may cause a most severe detrimental effect to health (damage to the offspring) even when applied in very small concentrations ranging on nanogram-levels. Therefore the dictum of Paracelsus sola dosis facit venenum does not refer to plantregulators such as 2,4-D and related chemicals. Manifold is the propaganda pro agro- chemicals and their use by manufacturers of pesticides. But they are mostly not trustworthy, erroneous and easily to refute by significant facts.     

Reviews

Ohne Zusammenfassung

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Reviews

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Analyses

     

Libri Novi

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Der Nitratgehalt von Gemüsen in Abhängigkeit von Pflanzenart und einigen Umweltfaktoren

Zusammenfassung Zur Prüfung der für die menschliche Ernährung wichtigen Frage des in gesundheitlicher Beziehung nicht ganz unbedenklichen Nitratgehaltes von Gemüse wurden an der Bundesanstalt für Qualitätsforschung in Geisenheim/Rheingau umfangreiche Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Die Nitratbestimmungen ergaben verschieden hohe Gehalte je nach botanisch-systematischer Zugehörigkeit der einzelnen Gemüsearten. Typische Nitratspeicherer unter den häufiger genossenen Gemüsepflanzen sind der Spinat, die Rote Rübe und die Kohlarten. Die einzelnen Pflanzenorgane führten Nitrat in unter-schiedlicher Höhe.Einen entscheidenden Einfluß auf die Menge des gespeicherten Nitrats hat die Art und Höhe der Stickstoffdüngung. Verabfolgung von Jauche führte, ebenso wie Salpeterdüngung zu höheren Nitratgehalten als eine Düngung mit ammoniumhaltigen Mineraldüngern. Je höher die Stickstoffgaben waren, desto höher stieg im allgemeinen auch der Nitratgehalt des untersuchten Pflanzenmaterials. Auch die Lichtintensität erwies sich als mitbestimmender Faktor auf die Höhe des Nitratgehaltes, wie Klimakammerversuche bei abgestufter künstlicher Beleuchtung mit Spinat zeigten (hohe Licht-Intensität = niedriger, geringe L.I. = hoher Nitratgehalt). Standortversuche, ebenfalls mit Spinat, an klimatisch differenten Orten ergaben, daß die Nitratgehalte bei sonnigen warmen Witterungsbedingungen (Geisenheim/Rhein) niedrig, bei kühlen niederschlagsreichen, also lichtärmeren (Kiel), hoch waren.Mit diesem im Nitratgehalt unterschiedlichen Spinat wurden (nach Dosenkonservierung) Ernährungsversuche mit Säuglingen in der Universitätskinderklinik Kiel (Direktor: Prof. Dr. med.W. Catel) durch Dr. med.W. Kübler durchgeführt, die in seiner nachfolgenden Arbeit beschrieben werden (16).

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Summary Experiments have been carried out at the Bundesanstalt für Qualitätsforschung pflanzlicher Erzeugnisse in Geisenheim/Rhine on vegetables to determine the amount of nitrates, to be looked upon as somewhat detrimental for human health. Determinations of nitrate showed contents, different according to systematic relationships of vegetables. Those vegetables, as spinach, beet roots, cabbages and kale are typical plants storing nitrates. Plant organs differ in the amount of nitrates stored.Nitrogen-fertilizers influence the amount of accumulated nitrates depending on N-fertilizers and amount of Nitrogen. Liquid manure and nitrate supply gave rise to higher contents of nitrate as ammoniac fertilizers.The higher the amount of nitrogen, the higher raised the contents of nitrate in plant material investigated. Different light intensities, mesured in climate chambers, have been proved to be a determining factor regarding amount of nitrates in plants. High light intensity show low contents of nitrate, low one a high amount of NO₃. Environmental experiments with spinach on places, different in climatic conditions, resulted in contents of nitrates which were low when sunny warm weather conditions (Geisenheim/Rh.) prevailed and vice versa (Kiel).After canning, this spinach differing in nitrate-contents has been administered babies in nutritional trials by Dr. med.W. Kübler in the Univ. Klinik Kiel (Director Prof. Dr. med.W. Catel). The results are given in the following paper by Dr.Kübler (16).

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Mit 5 Tabellen und 2 Fig.

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Gemeinschaftsversuche der BAQ mit der Universitätskinderklinik Kiel (Direktor: Prof. Dr. med.W. Catel) vgl. auch S. 297.     

Bioavailability of conjugated and soil-bound [14C]‘hydroxymonolinuron’-β-D-glucoside residues to earthworms and ryegrass

The β-D -glucoside conjugate of [¹⁴C]‘hydroxymonolinuron’, [phenyl-¹⁴C]-3-(4- chlorophenyl)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-1-methoxyurea-β-D -glucoside (HM-β-G) and its soil-bound residues, prepared as described, were used to estimate its bioavailability to earthworms and ryegrass plants. The results demonstrate that these bound residues were available to both earthworms and ryegrass. The concentration in the earthworms, expressed on a dry weight basis after 42 days of exposure, was equal to the surrounding soil. The earth worms were found to be more efficient in remobilising and absorbing soil-bound residues than ryegrass plants after 59 days of cultivation. Fractionation of the soil-bound residues showed that 29% of the radiocarbon was associated with fulvic acid, 20% with humic acid and 9% with the humin fraction. 4-Chlorophenylurea, a metabolite of HM-β-G proved to be a key compound in the formation of soil-bound residues. The amount of radioactivity (bound residues), recovered from soil through solubilisation by means of 0.5M -acid and alkali, seems to be a criterion for predicting the bioavailability of bound phenylurea residues. The half-life of soil-bound residues was estimated to be about 4.6 years.