Root reinforcement and extracellular products reduce streambank fluvial erosion.

A detailed understanding of the factors that impact bank erodibility is necessary to effectively model changes in channel form. This study evaluated the combined contributions of roots and soil microorganisms to soil resistance against fluvial erosion. To do this, three flume walls were constructed to simulate unvegetated and rooted streambanks.

Integrated Metagenomic Assessment of Multiple Pre-harvest Control Points on Lettuce Resistomes at Field-Scale.

An integrated understanding of factors influencing the occurrence, distribution, and fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in vegetable production systems is needed to inform the design and development of strategies for mitigating the potential for antibiotic resistance propagation in the food chain. The goal of the present study was to holistically track antibiotic resistance and associated microbiomes at three distinct pre-harvest control points in an agroecosystem in order to identify the potential impacts of key agricultural management strategies. Samples were collected over the course of a single growing season (67 days) from field-scale plots amended with various organic and inorganic amendments at agronomic rates.

Cross-comparison of methods for quantifying antibiotic resistance in agricultural soils amended with dairy manure and compost.

Agricultural soils are often amended with livestock manure, making them a key reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Given that soils are among the most microbially-diverse environments on the planet; effective characterization and quantification of the effects of manure-derived amendments on soil resistomes is a major challenge. This study examined the effects of dairy manure-derived amendments on agricultural soils via two strategies: quantification of anthropogenic ARG markers via qPCR and shotgun metagenomic resistome profiling; and these strategies were compared to a previously published antibiotic resistant fecal coliform dataset.

Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Storm Runoff from Dairy Manure and Compost-Amended Vegetable Plots.

Given the presence of antibiotics and resistant bacteria in livestock manures, it is important to identify the key pathways by which land-applied manure-derived soil amendments potentially spread resistance. The goal of this field-scale study was to identify the effects of different types of soil amendments (raw manure from cows treated with cephapirin and pirlimycin, compost from antibiotic-treated or antibiotic-free cows, or chemical fertilizer only) and crop type (lettuce [ L.] or radish [ L.

Plants mediate precipitation-driven transport of a neonicotinoid pesticide.

Neonicotinoid insecticides provide crop protection via water solubility and systemicity, yet these chemical characteristics, combined with high toxicity to non-target invertebrates (e.g., honeybees), elicit concern of environmental transport.