Soybean Seed Sugars: A Role in the Mechanism of Resistance to Charcoal Rot and Potential Use as Biomarkers in Selection.

Charcoal rot, caused by , is a major soybean disease resulting in significant yield loss and poor seed quality. Currently, no resistant soybean cultivar is available in the market and resistance mechanisms to charcoal rot are unknown, although the disease is believed to infect plants from infected soil through the roots by unknown toxin-mediated mechanisms. The objective of this research was to investigate the association between seed sugars (sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, glucose, and fructose) and their role as biomarkers in the soybean defense mechanism in the moderately resistant (MR) and susceptible (S) genotypes to charcoal rot.

Field studies on the deterioration of microplastic films from ultra-thin compostable bags in soil.

In recent years, some countries have replaced single-use plastic bags with bags manufactured from compostable plastic film that can be used for collecting food wastes and composted together with the waste. Because industrial compost contains undeteriorated fragments of these bags, application to field soil is a potential source of small-sized residues from these bags. This study was undertaken to examine deterioration of these compostable film microplastics (CFMPs) in field soil at three different localities in Italy.

Effects of Charcoal Rot on Soybean Seed Composition in Soybean Genotypes That Differ in Charcoal Rot Resistance under Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Conditions.

Charcoal rot is a major disease of soybean () caused by and results in significant loss in yield and seed quality. The effects of charcoal rot on seed composition (seed protein, oil, and fatty acids), a component of seed quality, is not well understood. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the impact of charcoal rot on seed protein, oil, and fatty acids in different soybean genotypes differing in their charcoal rot susceptibility under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions.

Persistence in soil of microplastic films from ultra-thin compostable plastic bags and implications on soil Aspergillus flavus population.

An increasing number of states and municipalities are choosing to reduce plastic litter by replacing plastic items, particularly single-use ones, with same-use products manufactured from compostable plastics. This study investigated the formation and persistence of compostable film microplastic particles (CFMPs) from ultra-thin compostable carrier bags in soil under laboratory conditions, and the potential impact of CFMPs on Aspergillus flavus populations in the soil. During a 12-month incubation period, compostable film samples in soils with small, medium or large populations of indigenous A.

Toxin Production in Soybean ( L.) Plants with Charcoal Rot Disease and by the Fungus that Causes the Disease.

Charcoal rot disease, caused by the fungus , results in major economic losses in soybean production in southern USA. has been proposed to use the toxin (-)-botryodiplodin in its root infection mechanism to create a necrotic zone in root tissue through which fungal hyphae can readily enter the plant. The majority (51.

Degradation of microplastic seed film-coating fragments in soil.

Encapsulating fungicides and/or insecticides in film-coatings applied to agronomic seeds has become a widely accepted method for enhancing seed germination and overall seedling health by protecting against many diseases and early-season insect pests. Despite advancements in seed film-coating technologies, abrasion of the seed coating can occur during handling and mechanical planting operations, resulting in variable amounts of detached fragments entering the soil. The present study investigated the degradation in soil of these plastic-like, small-sized fragments, referred to here as microplastic coating fragments.

Laboratory and Field Investigations on Compatibility of Beauveria bassiana (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) Spores With a Sprayable Bioplastic Formulation for Application in the Biocontrol of Tarnished Plant Bug in Cotton.

Two isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, including the commercial strain GHA and the Mississippi Delta native NI8 strain, and two emulsifiers, Tween-80 and a starch-based sprayable bioplastic, were evaluated in the laboratory and field for pathogenicity and infectivity against the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Heteroptera: Miridae). The effect on fruit damage based on within-season cotton plant mapping was also examined. The highest mortality 10 d after treatment was found with insects caged on cotton terminals sprayed with NI8 + Tween-80, followed by those exposed to NI8 + bioplastic.

Biological Control of Aflatoxin Contamination in U.S. Crops and the Use of Bioplastic Formulations of Aspergillus flavus Biocontrol Strains To Optimize Application Strategies.

Aflatoxin contamination has a major economic impact on crop production in the southern United States. Reduction of aflatoxin contamination in harvested crops has been achieved by applying nonaflatoxigenic biocontrol Aspergillus flavus strains that can out-compete wild aflatoxigenic A. flavus, reducing their numbers at the site of application.

Implications of Bt traits on mycotoxin contamination in maize: Overview and recent experimental results in southern United States.

Mycotoxin contamination levels in maize kernels are controlled by a complex set of factors including insect pressure, fungal inoculum potential, and environmental conditions that are difficult to predict. Methods are becoming available to control mycotoxin-producing fungi in preharvest crops, including Bt expression, biocontrol, and host plant resistance. Initial reports in the United States and other countries have associated Bt expression with reduced fumonisin, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone contamination and, to a lesser extent, reduced aflatoxin contamination in harvested maize kernels.

Implications of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, infestation in an Aspergillus flavus-biocontrolled corn agroecosystem.

Background: A novel biocontrol strategy consisting of field application of bioplastic-based granules inoculated with a non-toxigenic Aspergillus flavus L. strain has recently been shown to be effective for reducing aflatoxin contamination in corn. This study focused on other factors that may affect the feasibility of this biocontrol technique, and more specifically the role of the European corn borer (ECB), Ostrinia nubilalis H.

Application of bioplastic moving bed biofilm carriers for the removal of synthetic pollutants from wastewater.

In this series of laboratory experiments, the feasibility of using moving bed biofilm carriers (MBBC) manufactured from existing bioplastic-based products for the removal of bisphenol A, oseltamivir, and atrazine from wastewater was evaluated. After 10-d incubation, cumulative evolution of (14)CO(2) from control (no MBBC) wastewater spiked with (14)C-labeled bisphenol A, oseltamivir or atrazine, accounted for approximately 18%, 7% and 3.5% of the total added radioactivity, respectively.

Deterioration of bioplastic carrier bags in the environment and assessment of a new recycling alternative.

Increasing environmental concerns and the introduction of technologies based on renewable resources have stimulated the replacement of persistent petroleum-derived plastics with biodegradable plastics from biopolymers. As a consequence, a variety of products are currently manufactured from bioplastic, including carrier bags. This series of studies investigated the deterioration of carrier bags made with Mater-Bi (MB), a starch-based bioplastic, in soil, compost and two aquatic ecosystems, a littoral marsh and seawater.

Removal of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and other selected pharmaceuticals from wastewater using a granular bioplastic formulation entrapping propagules of Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

The capacity of the ligninolytic fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium to degrade a wide variety of environmentally persistent xenobiotics has been largely reported in the literature. Beside other factors, one barrier to a wider use of this bioremediation fungus is the availability of effective formulations that ensure easy preparation, handling and application. In this series of laboratory experiments, we evaluated the efficiency of a granular bioplastic formulation entrapping propagules of P.

Dissipation and removal of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in different aquatic environments.

The antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) has received recent attention due to the potential use as a first-line defense against H5N1 and H1N1 influenza viruses. Research has shown that oseltamivir is not removed during conventional wastewater treatments, thus having the potential to enter surface water bodies. A series of laboratory experiments investigated the fate and the removal of oseltamivir in two surface water ecosystems of Japan and in a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Northern Italy.

Soil depth and tillage effects on glyphosate degradation.

The use of glyphosate-resistant crops facilitated the widespread adoption of no-tillage (NT) cropping systems. The experimental objectives were to determine glyphosate sorption, mineralization, and persistence at two depths [0-2 cm (A) and 2-10 cm (B)] in a silt loam managed under long-term conventional tillage (CT) or NT soybean. Relative to the other soils, organic carbon (OC) and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolytic activity were at least 1.

Use of a granular bioplastic formulation for carrying conidia of a non-aflatoxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus.

Previous research demonstrated that aflatoxin contamination in corn is reduced by field application of wheat grains pre-inoculated with the non-aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strain NRRL 30797. To facilitate field applications of this biocontrol isolate, a series of laboratory studies were conducted on the reliability and efficiency of replacing wheat grains with the novel bioplastic formulation Mater-Bi to serve as a carrier matrix to formulate this fungus. Mater-Bi granules were inoculated with a conidial suspension of NRRL 30797 to achieve a final cell density of approximately log 7 conidia/granule.

Bromoxynil degradation in a Mississippi silt loam soil.

Background: The objectives of these laboratory experiments were: (1) to assess bromoxynil sorption, mineralization, bound residue formation and extractable residue persistence in a Dundee silt loam collected from 0-2 cm and 2-10 cm depths under continuous conventional tillage and no-tillage; (2) to assess the effects of autoclaving on bromoxynil mineralization and bound residue formation; (3) to determine the partitioning of non-extractable residues; and (4) to ascertain the effects of bromoxynil concentration on extractable and bound residues and metabolite formation.

Results: Bromoxynil K(d) values ranged from 0.7 to 1.

Environmental fate of the antiviral drug Tamiflu in two aquatic ecosystems.

The antiviral drug Tamiflu (Oseltamivir Phosphate, OP), has been indicated by the World Health Organization as a first-line defense in case of an avian influenza pandemic. Recent studies have demonstrated that Oseltamivir Carboxylate (OC), the active metabolite of the prodrug OP, has the potential to be released into water bodies. The present laboratory study focused on basic processes governing the environmental fate of OC in surface water from two contrasting aquatic ecosystems of northern Italy, the River Po and the Venice lagoon.

Meeting report: risk assessment of tamiflu use under pandemic conditions.

On 3 October 2007, 40 participants with diverse expertise attended the workshop Tamiflu and the Environment: Implications of Use under Pandemic Conditions to assess the potential human health impact and environmental hazards associated with use of Tamiflu during an influenza pandemic. Based on the identification and risk-ranking of knowledge gaps, the consensus was that oseltamivir ethylester-phosphate (OE-P) and oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) were unlikely to pose an ecotoxicologic hazard to freshwater organisms. OC in river water might hasten the generation of OC-resistance in wildfowl, but this possibility seems less likely than the potential disruption that could be posed by OC and other pharmaceuticals to the operation of sewage treatment plants.

Dynamics of mycotoxin and Aspergillus flavus levels in aging Bt and non-Bt corn residues under Mississippi no-till conditions.

Mycotoxin and Aspergillus flavus levels in soil-surface corn debris left by no-till agriculture methods (stover, cobs, and cobs with grain) were determined during the December-March fallow period for near-isogenic Bt and non-Bt hybrid corn. By December, average mycotoxin levels in non-Bt corn were many times higher in cobs with grain than in grain harvested in September (total aflatoxins, 774 vs 211 ng/g; total fumonisins, 216 vs 3.5 microg/g; cyclopiazonic acid, 4102 vs 72.

Atrazine dissipation in s-triazine-adapted and nonadapted soil from Colorado and Mississippi: implications of enhanced degradation on atrazine fate and transport parameters.

Soil bacteria have developed novel metabolic abilities resulting in enhanced atrazine degradation. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate the effects of enhanced degradation on parameters used to model atrazine fate and transport. The objectives of this study were (i) to screen Colorado (CO) and Mississippi (MS) atrazine-adapted and non-adapted soil for genes that code for enzymes able to rapidly catabolize atrazine and (ii) to compare atrazine persistence, Q(10), beta, and metabolite profiles between adapted and non-adapted soils.

Aspergillus flavus aflatoxin occurrence and expression of aflatoxin biosynthesis genes in soil.

The carcinogen aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) produced by Aspergillus flavus is a major food safety concern in crops. However, information on AFB1 occurrence in soil and crop residue is scarce. A series of experiments investigated the occurrence of AFB1 in soil and corn residues and ascertained the ecology of A.

Mineralization of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac endotoxin in soil.

Although a number of studies have been done describing the fate of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal endotoxins in soil, there is conflicting information on the persistence of this class of insecticidal toxins. This is partly due to methodological limitations in many of the previous studies. In the experiments reported here, 14C-labeled B.

Environmental fate of two sulfonamide antimicrobial agents in soil.

Veterinary antimicrobial agents have been detected in a number of environmental samples, including agricultural soils. In this study, we investigated the persistence and sorption of the sulfonamides sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfachloropyridine (SCP) in soil and their potential effects on soil microorganisms. The sulfonamides dissipated more rapidly from the silt loam soil as compared to the sandy soil.