Evaluating the mycostimulation potential of select carbon amendments for the degradation of a model PAH by an ascomycete strain enriched from a superfund site.

Although ecological flexibility has been well documented in fungi, it remains unclear how this flexibility can be exploited for pollutant degradation, especially in the Ascomycota phylum. In this work, we assess three mycostimulation amendments for their ability to induce degradation in Trichoderma harzanium, a model fungus previously isolated from a Superfund site contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The amendments used in the present study were selected based on the documented ecological roles of ascomycetes.

Leachability and potential ecotoxic impact of trifluralin-impregnated mulch.

The leachability, potential ecotoxicity, and photolysis of trifluralin-impregnated mulch, a popular retail consumer gardening product, were investigated under environmentally realistic conditions. Leachability of trifluralin from impregnated mulch was low (< 1% of total extractable compound) and in the range of reported values for agricultural soils. No trifluralin transformation products were detected in mulch leachate.