Stereoselective Degradation and Molecular Ecological Mechanism of Chiral Pesticides Beta-Cypermethrin in Soils with Different pH Values.

For decades, pesticides have been widely used for agricultural activities around the world, and the environmental problems caused by these compounds have raised widespread concern. However, the different enantioselective behaviors of chiral pesticide enantiomers are often ignored. Here, the selective degradation patterns and mechanisms of chiral pesticide enantiomers were successfully investigated for the first time in the soils of three cultivation areas with different pH values.

Enantioselective Degradation Mechanism of Beta-Cypermethrin in Soil From the Perspective of Functional Genes.

The behavior and mechanisms of the enantioselective degradation of beta-cypermethrin were studied in soil. The four isomers were degraded at different rates, and the enantiomer fractions of alpha-cypermethrin and theta-cypermethrin exceeded 0.5.

Quantitative response relationships between degradation rates and functional genes during the degradation of beta-cypermethrin in soil.

In the present study, the degradation mechanisms of beta-cypermethrin and its metabolites in soil were explored through the quantitative response relationships between the degradation rates and related functional genes. We found that the degradation rate of beta-cypermethrin was rapid in unsterilized soil but not in sterilized soil, which indicated that the degradation process is microbially based. Moreover, three metabolites (3-phenoxybenzoic acid, phenol and protocatechuic acid) were detected during the degradation process and used to identify the degradation pathway and functional genes related to the degradation process.