Effect of Biochar on the Enantioselective Soil Dissipation and Lettuce Uptake and Translocation of the Chiral Pesticide Metalaxyl in Contaminated Soil

Reduction of tobacco alkaloid bioaccumulation in pea shoots: A comparative study of biochar derived from cow dung and maize straw

Tobacco alkaloids in tobacco-cultivated soils pose potential risks for succeeding crops, due to their allelopathy and toxicity. Effects of biochar on the dissipation of tobacco alkaloids in soil-crop systems remain poorly understood. In this study, a 40-day pot experiment was conducted to explore the effect of cow dung biochar (CDBC) and maize straw biochar (MSBC) on the uptake of nicotine and nornicotine by pea (Pisum sativum L.) and their dissipation in an agricultural soil. The results revealed that the bioaccumulation of nicotine and nornicotine by pea shoots in the soils added with CDBC and MSBC at 1.5% and 3.0% significantly decreased by 46.97-79.13% and 33.64-71.59%, respectively. CDBC more effectively decreased the uptake and bioaccumulation of nicotine and nornicotine by pea shoots than MSBC due to the higher soil pH and nutrient content. In addition, the enhanced relative abundances of soil nicotine-degrading bacteria belonging to the genera Arthrobacter and Gemmatimonas also contributed to the decreasing uptake of nicotine by pea plants. The decreased bioavailability in the soils due to the increased adsorption was the key factor for the reduced bioaccumulation of tobacco alkaloids. This study provides guidance to protect subsequent crops in tobacco-cultivated soil from tobacco alkaloids with biochar.

Impact of biochar on the degradation rates of three pesticides by vegetables and its effects on soil bacterial communities under greenhouse conditions

A 28 days pesticide degradation experiment was conducted for broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Planch) and pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) with three pesticides (chlorantraniliprole (CAP), haloxyfop-etotyl (HPM), and indoxacarb (IXB)) to explore the effects of biochar on pesticide environmental fate and rhizosphere soil diversity. Rice straw biochar (RB) was applied to soil at a 25.00 t ha-1 dosage under greenhouse conditions, and its effects on the degradation of three pesticides in vegetables and in soil were investigated individually. Overall, RB application effectively facilitated CAP and HPM degradation in broccoli by 13.51-39.42% and in broccoli soil by 23.80-74.10%, respectively. RB application slowed the degradation of CAP, HPM and IXB in pakchoi by 0.00-57.17% and slowed the degradation of CAP in pakchoi by 37.32-43.40%. The results showed that the effect of RB application on pesticide degradation in crops and soil was related to biochar properties, pesticide solubility, plant growth status, and soil characteristics. Rhizosphere soil microorganisms were also investigated, and the results showed that biochar application may be valuable for altering bacterial richness and diversity. The effect of biochar application on pesticide residues in crops and soil was influenced by the vegetable variety first, and the second was pesticide characteristics. RB applied to soil at a 25.00 t ha-1 dosage under greenhouse conditions is recommended for broccoli production to ensure food safety. Our results suggested that biochar application in soil could reduce pesticide non-point source pollution, especially for highly soluble pesticides, and could affect soil microorganisms.

Simultaneous determination of enantiomer residues of metalaxyl and its metabolite metalaxyl acid in animal muscle tissues by chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The toxicity of the two enantiomers of metalaxyl is significantly different and, for food safety concerns, stereoselective analysis of its residues is extremely important in animal muscle tissues. Herein, a simple, sensitive and reproducible method for the simultaneous stereoselective analysis of metalaxyl and its metabolite metalaxyl acid in animal-derived foods has been established based on mixed-mode anion exchange solid phase extraction and chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Under the optimized separation and sample pretreatment conditions, good linearity (r > 0.99) was obtained for four target analytes in four animal muscle tissues including bovine, chicken, swine and fish. Mean recoveries of all enantiomers in muscle tissue samples were 89.5-110.3 % with relative standard deviations below 12.4 %. The limits of quantification of the analytes were 0.3-1.0 µg/kg. The proposed method provides an effective means to monitor the enantiomer residues in real samples whether using highly active R-metalaxyl or racemic mixture drugs.

An enantioselective study of the behavior of the herbicide ethofumesate in agricultural soils: Impact of the addition of organoclays and biochar

Chiral pesticides that are still commercialized and incorporated into the environment as racemic mixtures of enantiomers require evaluation of the enantioselectivity of their biological activity and environmental fate processes for a better prediction of their field efficacy and environmental risks. In this work, we successfully separated the enantiomers of the chiral herbicide ethofumesate (ETFM), determined their absolute configuration, and characterized their herbicidal activity as well as their adsorption, degradation, enantiomerization, and leaching in Mediterranean agricultural soils. While the herbicidal activity of R-ethofumesate to the sensitive species Portulaca grandiflora was greater than that of S-ethofumesate, the adsorption, degradation, and leaching of the herbicide showed negligible enantioselectivity and enantiomer interconversion did not occur in soils. The adsorption of both enantiomers showed a positive correlation with the soil organic carbon content (r = 0.856, P = 0.015), and their degradation in soils occurred slowly (DT50 > 60 days) and at similar rates independent of their application as individual enantiomers or as a racemic mixture of enantiomers. The addition of three highly adsorptive materials to a scarcely adsorptive soil increased the adsorption of the enantiomers of ETFM and delayed their degradation without affecting the non-enantioselective character of the processes. As a result of their high adsorption capacity, the materials were highly effective in reducing the leaching of both enantiomers of ETFM through soil columns. The results of this work indicate that the application of single-enantiomer ETFM formulations, based on a higher herbicidal activity or a lower toxicity to non-target organisms of the formulated enantiomer, would reduce considerable exposure risks associated with incorporating into the environment the less favorable enantiomer, as this would show long persistence and high leaching potential in soils similar to its optical isomer.

Enantiomer-specific burden of metalaxyl and myclobutanil in non-occupationally exposed population with evidence from dietary intake and urinary excretion

Metalaxyl (MET) and myclobutanil (MYC) are two widely used chiral fungicides that may pose health risks to non-occupationally exposed populations. Here, the two fungicides were enantiomer-specific quantified in the dietary food and urine of residents in an Eastern China city, to determine the exposure and excretion of these contaminants in different populations. Results indicate that residues of MET and MYC varied with different food items at 0.42-0.86 ng/g fresh weight (FW) and 0.18-0.33 ng/g FW, respectively. In urine samples, the residual levels after creatinine adjusting (CR) ranged from 10.2 to 1715.4 ng/g CR for MET and were below the detection limit up to 320.7 ng/g CR for MYC. Significant age- and gender-related differences were separately found in urinary MET and MYC of different populations. Monte-Carlo simulations suggested that children had higher daily dietary intake (DDI) but lower urinary excretion (DUE) rates than youths, and thus may suffer higher body burdens. The residues of antifungally ineffective enantiomers (S-MET and R-MYC) were slightly higher than their antipodes in foods. Moreover, the enantiomer-selective urinary excretion resulted in higher retention of S-MET and R-MYC in the human body. Our results suggest that both dietary intake and urinary excretion should be enantiomer-specifically considered when assessing the exposure risk and body burden of chiral fungicides in the non-occupationally exposed population. Furthermore, substitutive application of enantiomer-enriched fungicide formulations can not only benefit the antifungal efficacy but also be safer for human health.

Wheat straw pyrochar more efficiently decreased enantioselective uptake of dinotefuran by lettuce and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes than hydrochar in an agricultural soil

Remediation of soils pollution caused by dinotefuran, a chiral pesticide, is indispensable for ensuring human food security. In comparison with pyrochar, the effect of hydrochar on enantioselective fate of dinotefuran, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) profiles in the contaminated soils remain poorly understood. Therefore, wheat straw hydrochar (SHC) and pyrochar (SPC) were prepared at 220 and 500 °C, respectively, to investigate their effects and underlying mechanisms on enantioselective fate of dinotefuran enantiomers and metabolites, and soil ARG abundance in soil-plant ecosystems using a 30-day pot experiment planted with lettuce. SPC showed a greater reduction effect on the accumulation of R- and S-dinotefuran and metabolites in lettuce shoots than SHC. This was mainly resulted from the lowered soil bioavailability of R- and S-dinotefuran due to adsorption/immobilization by chars, together with the char-enhanced pesticide-degrading bacteria resulted from increased soil pH and organic matter content. Both SPC and SHC efficiently reduced ARG levels in soils, owing to lowered abundance of ARG-carrying bacteria and declined horizontal gene transfer induced by decreased dinotefuran bioavailability. The above results provide new insights for optimizing char-based sustainable technologies to mitigate pollution of dinotefuran and spread of ARGs in agroecosystems.

Dynamics of dominant rhizospheric microbial communities responsible for trichlorfon absorption and translocation in maize seedlings

In this study, the available phosphorus (AP) and TCF concentrations in soils and maize (Zea mays) seedling tissues were measured in response to escalating TCF concentrations during 216 hr of culture. Maize seedlings growth considerably enhanced soil TCF degradation, reaching the highest of 73.2% and 87.4% at 216 hr in 50 and 200 mg/kg TCF treatments, respectively, and increased AP contents in all the seedling tissues. Soil TCF was majorly accumulated in seedling roots, reaching maximum concentration of 0.017 and 0.076 mg/kg in TCF-50 and TCF-200, respectively. The hydrophilicity of TCF might hinder its translocation to the aboveground shoot and leaf. Using bacterial 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that TCF addition drastically lessened bacterial community interactions and hindered the complexity of their biotic networks in rhizosphere than in bulk soils, leading to the homogeneity of bacterial communities that were resistant or prone to TCF biodegradation. Mantel test and redundancy analysis suggested a significant enrichment of dominant species Massilia belonging to Proteobacteria phyla, which in turn affecting TCF translocation and accumulation in maize seedling tissues. This study provided new insight into the biogeochemical fate of TCF in maize seedling and the responsible rhizobacterial community in soil TCF absorption and translocation.

Progress in preparation of plant biomass-derived biochar and application in pesticide residues field

随着农药的广泛使用,其已普遍存在于环境中,对人们的身体健康产生巨大影响。因此,环境中农药残留的去除和分析检测对保护人体安全健康至关重要。同时,农药在环境中残留浓度低,需要一种对目标物有较强选择性和富集作用,并对环境影响小的前处理吸附剂。植物源生物炭是由植物源生物质作为碳源衍生得到的材料,其比表面积大、孔容量高、表面官能团可调节,且环境相容性好,其原料植物源生物质的价格低廉、来源广泛并可再生,是一种廉价高效的吸附剂。该文主要综述了近10年来植物源生物炭用于环境中农药残留去除和分析检测前处理的应用进展。其中在农药残留去除方面的应用主要包括降低农药在土壤中的移动性,修复手性农药造成的污染,负载降解农药的细菌及作为化肥的缓释载体。在农药残留分析检测前处理方面,植物源生物炭可用作分散固相萃取、固相微萃取和磁性固相萃取的吸附剂来选择性吸附水果和蔬菜中的有机磷类和三唑类农药,以及水环境中的有机氯类农药。另外,还介绍了植物源生物炭的吸附机理,详细阐述了基于计算模拟如密度泛函理论、分子动力学模拟和巨正则蒙特卡洛模拟的吸附机理研究并讨论了其优势。最后,总结了植物源生物炭在农药去除和农药残留分析检测前处理方面应用的优势,指出了其在农药残留领域应用待解决的问题。

Biochar decreased enantioselective uptake of chiral pesticide metalaxyl by lettuce and shifted bacterial community in agricultural soil

A 35-day microcosmic experiment was conducted with lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and two metalaxyl (MET) enantiomers (R-MET and S-MET) to understand the roles of biochar in the enantioselective fate of chiral pesticides in soil-plant ecosystems. Wood waste-derived biochar (WBC) amendment effectively decreased the shoot concentrations of R-MET/S-MET and their metabolites R-MET/S-MET acid by 57.7-86.3% and 13.3-32.5%, respectively. The reduced uptake was mainly attributed to the decreased bioavailability of R-MET and S-MET. A lower fraction of R-MET was accumulated by the lettuce in the WBC-amended soils relative to the control, suggesting a decrease in the enantioselective uptake of the chiral pesticide MET in the presence of biochar. Regardless of the WBC amendment, no enantiomerization of MET or MET acid occurred. The application of WBC stimulated soil bacterial diversity, shifted the bacterial community, and enhanced the abundance of pesticide degrading bacteria (e.g., Luteimonas, Methylophilus, and Hydrogenophaga), which were responsible for the enantioselective degradation of MET in the soil. This work expands our understanding of the enantioselective fate of chiral pesticides in the biochar-amended soil ecosystems. These findings can be used to develop biochar-based technologies to remediate soils contaminated with these chiral pesticides to ensure food safety.

Biochar and fertilizer improved the growth and quality of the ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) shoots in a coastal soil of Yellow River Delta, China

Coastal soil is an important land reserve that may be used to alleviate the shortage of cultivated land; however, this soil is stressed by saline conditions and nutrient deficiency. Biochar offers the potential to reclaim coastal soil, but the response of plant growth to biochar addition in salt-affected soil is species-dependent. In this study, the response of ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.), an economically valuable halophyte that grows in the coastal soil of the Yellow River Delta, to wood chip biochar (WBC) either alone or in combination with chemical fertilizer was investigated using a 90-day pot experiment. The WBC enhanced the growth of ice plants in the coastal soil, but combining it with chemical fertilizer did not increase its effect. The nutritional quality of the plants was improved by the addition of WBC, regardless of whether chemical fertilizer was applied; moreover, WBC amendment enhanced photosynthesis and reduced the oxidative stress of the plants. The ameliorated soil properties (e.g., soil organic matter and water holding capacity) and increased contents of available macronutrients (e.g., P and K) and micronutrients (e.g., Mg, Mn, B and Zn) resulting from soil amendment with WBC may have contributed to the enhanced growth and quality of the ice plants. Additionally, in soil modified with WBC, an increased abundance of beneficial taxa (e.g., Erythrobacter, Sphingomonas and Lysobacter) and a shift in the microbial community may also have helped to improve the growth and quality of the ice plants. The results of our study provide useful information for developing a biochar-based technology to use in combination with valuable halophytes to reclaim degraded coastal soil and enhance food security.

Rapid and Sensitive Immunochromatographic Method-Based Monoclonal Antibody for the Quantitative Detection of Metalaxyl in Tobacco

In this study, we prepared a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against metalaxyl (Met) with a half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 0.54 ng/mL based on a new hapten, and a gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay (GICA) was developed for the rapid detection of Met residues in tobacco. Under optimal conditions, even with the naked eye, one can see the semiquantitative analysis results. The naked eye detection limit of Met in tobacco is 25 μg/kg, and the detection threshold is 100 μg/kg. In addition, the cross-reactivity test shows that the mAb has good specificity for Met, and the GICA results have a good correlation with the indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry test results, which show that the method is feasible and reliable and are more convenient and quicker than the methods using instrumentation for detection. Therefore, GICA may provide a useful tool for the rapid screening and detection of Met residues in tobacco.