Continuous crop rotation increases soil organic carbon stocks in river deltas: A 40-year field evidence.

River deltas, as important food production centers, support 66 % of the world's population, together with other coastal areas. However, agriculture in river deltas is negatively affected by soil salinization and agricultural intensification. Improving the soil carbon pool is a mutually beneficial solution for maximizing crop production and improving climate resilience to secure food production.

Rapid urbanization affects microplastic communities in lake sediments: A case study of Lake Aha in southwest China.

Effective management of pollutants in urban environments is crucial for achieving sustainable cities. Microplastics, as an emerging pollutant widely present in contemporary environments, have received widespread attention in recent years. However, limited studies have reported the impact of rapid urbanization on regional microplastics.

Recent advances in Chinese food authentication and origin verification using isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

Over the last decade, isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) using up to 5 light stable isotopes (C/C, H/H, N/N, O/O, S/S) has become more widely applied for food origin verification as well as food authentication in China. IRMS technology is increasingly used to authenticate a range of food products including organic foods, honey, beverages, tea, animal products, fruits, oils, cereals, spices and condiments that are frequently unique to a specific region of China. Compared to other food authenticity and traceability techniques, IRMS has been successfully used to characterize, classify and identify many Chinese food products, reducing fraud and food safety problems and improving consumer trust and confidence.

A nationwide survey on the endosulfan residues in Chinese cotton field soil: Occurrence, trend, and ecological risk.

The nationwide occurrence of endosulfan residues in cotton fields has not yet been investigated. Therefore, in this study, 202 surface soil samples from 27 cities were collected from cotton fields in 8 major cotton-planting provinces of China, covering more than 97% of the national cotton sown area. The results showed that endosulfan residues were detected in cotton fields throughout the country.

Development of a graphene oxide nanosheet and double-stranded DNA structure based fluorescent "signal off" aptasensor for ochratoxin A detection in malt.

A "signal off" fluorescent aptasensor based on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet and double-stranded DNA structure was fabricated for OTA detection. In the absence of OTA, the aptamer and its complementary DNA (cDNA) formed double-stranded conjugates that could coexist with GO, presenting fluorescence responses. Then, the presented OTA was captured by the aptamers, causing the release of cDNA-FAM probes.

Phytochemical compositions, health-promoting properties and food applications of crabapples: A review.

Crabapples belong to the genus Malus (Rosaceae), which are small sized edible fruits with unique aroma and taste. According to previous studies, crabapples are rich in bioactive compounds and possess a series of health-promoting properties. Various crabapple-based food products and additives have also been developed by different research groups in recent years.

[Rapid and simultaneous determination of glyphosate, glufosinate, and their metabolites in soil by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

Glyphosate (GLY) and glufosinate (GLUF) are non-selective translocated herbicides that are used in agricultural and non-agricultural land worldwide. The extensive use of GLY and GLUF may lead to their accumulation in soil, which causes soil pollution and affects the soil micro-ecological environment; the accumulated GLY and GLUF also migrate to groundwater via leaching. However, GLY, GLUF, and their metabolites are highly water-soluble and lack chromogenic and fluorescent groups, making them difficult to analyze.

Macro- and microplastic accumulation in soil after 32 years of plastic film mulching.

Plastic film mulch (PFM) is a double-edged-sword agricultural technology, which greatly improves global agricultural production but can also cause severe plastic pollution of the environment. Here, we characterized and quantified the amount of macro- and micro-plastics accumulated after 32 years of continuous plastic mulch film use in an agricultural field. An interactive field trial was established in 1987, where the effect of plastic mulching and N fertilization on maize yield was investigated.

Concentrations, distribution, and risk assessment of endosulfan residues in the cotton fields of northern Xinjiang, China.

In the current study, surface soil samples were collected from cotton fields in Shawan and Shihezi areas in northern Xinjiang and tested for endosulfan residues using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results showed endosulfan sulfate was the predominant compound in the surface soil studied, followed by β-endosulfan and α-endosulfan with detection rates of 86.9%, 55.

Green preparation of carbon quantum dots with wolfberry as on-off-on nanosensors for the detection of Fe and l-ascorbic acid.

A green and facile hydrothermal synthesis approach is proposed for the preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with wolfberry. These N-CQDs were developed as a highly sensitive fluorescent 'on-off-on' switch sensor for the sensing of Fe and l-ascorbic acid (AA). The N-CQDs displayed superior fluorescence characteristics of CQDs with a quantum yield up to 22%.

The formation and control of ozonation by-products during drinking water advanced treatment in a pilot-scale study.

Ozone has been widely applied during drinking water treatment for organic pollutants removal, however, the ozonation by-products such as bromate, aldehydes, and carboxylic acids could be produced. To investigate the ozonation by-products formation and control efficiency, a continuous pilot-scale system was established including conventional treatment and ozone-biological activated carbon (O-BAC) treatment processes in a waterworks that receives bromide-bearing source water from the Yellow River in northern China. It was found that ozonation could reduce the threshold odour number and the haloacetic acids formation potential effectively.

Tissue distribution of phthalates in celery under different cultivation patterns and associated dietary exposure.

To investigate tissue distribution, spatial difference, temperature variation, and potential health risks of PAEs in vegetables, celery was used as a model plant. Celery samples were collected from open fields and greenhouses from two provinces in China over four seasons. Celery tissues were analyzed for 16 PAE compounds by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Shortened and multivalent aptamers for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of alternariol in wheat using optical waveguide sensors.

Alternariol (AOH) is one of the common mycotoxins existing in a variety of foods at low level. Aptamers hold great promise for the development of sensitive and rapid aptasensors, but suffer from the excessive length and the difficulty in identification of critical binding domains (CBDs). In this study, the 5 nt CBD of the original 59-nt AOH aptamer (AOH-59, K = 423 nM) was identified to be a 'C' bulge in between two A-T base pairs.

Missing relationship between meso- and microplastics in adjacent soils and sediments.

Meso- and microplastics (MMPs) have attracted attention as globally dispersed environmental pollutants. However, little is known about the transfers of MMPs between aquatic and terrestrial systems. A large watershed-estuarine area of Bohai Sea was used as a case study, and soils and sediments were sampled adjacent to each other at a wide range of sites.

Microplastics in a Remote Lake Basin of the Tibetan Plateau: Impacts of Atmospheric Transport and Glacial Melting.

Plastic pollution is fast becoming one of the most pressing global issues that we currently face. Remote areas, such as the polar regions and the Tibetan Plateau, are now also exposed to microplastic contamination. However, with the impact of global warming, the transport of microplastics within the glacier-lake basins in such regions remains unclear.

Impact of Soil Disinfestation on Fungal and Bacterial Communities in Soil With Cucumber Cultivation.

Soil treatment with disinfectants has been used for controlling soilborne phytopathogens. Besides suppressing specific pathogens, how these disinfectants impact soil health, especially soil microbial communities, is yet to be systemically determined. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of three representative disinfectants, including the dazomet fumigant, fenaminosulf fungicide, and kasugamycin antibiotic on chemical properties, enzymatic activities, and microbial communities in soil for cucumber cultivation.

Microplastics in an agricultural soil following repeated application of three types of sewage sludge: A field study.

Microplastics were investigated in an agricultural soil to which three types of sludge were repeatedly applied: fresh municipal sludge (FSS1), fresh mixed sludge (mainly industrial sludge) (FSS2), and dry heat-treated municipal sludge (DSS). The percentages of microplastics <1.0 mm were 24.

Direct identification and visualisation of real-world contaminating microplastics using Raman spectral mapping with multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares.

Microplastics (MPs) contamination is ubiquitous in environmental matrices worldwide. Moreover these pollutants can be ingested by organisms and transported to organs via the circulatory system. Although efficient methods for the analysis of MPs derived from environment matrices and organisms' tissue samples have been developed after special sample pre-treatment, there remains a need for an optimised approach allowing direct identification and visualisation these MPs in real environmental matrices and organismal samples.

Effects of organic matter, ammonia, bromide, and hydrogen peroxide on bromate formation during water ozonation.

Ozone is widely applied for disinfection in drinking water treatment and the disinfection by-product bromate would be produced during the ozonation of bromide-bearing water. Hydrogen peroxide (HO) addition could effectively control the formation of bromate. However, the bromate depression performance would be impacted by water qualities.

Trifluralin residues in soils from main cotton fields of China and associated ecological risk.

Trifluralin is a widely used dinitroaniline herbicide in cotton fields of China but is highly persistent in the environment and can act as a biotoxin and cause genotoxicity to terrestrial organisms, including humans. In this study, the concentrations and distribution of trifluralin residues in 139 soil samples from the major cotton-producing areas of China were investigated. The trifluralin concentrations ranged from ND (not detected) to 66.

An aptamer affinity column for purification and enrichment of lactoferrin in milk.

As an active glycoprotein with high nutritional value, lactoferrin is widely used in food and medical treatment. Therefore, it is very important to establish an accurate and efficient detection method for lactoferrin. At present, the detection of lactoferrin in milk faces many challenges, such as low separation degree and poor parallelism.

Occurrence, distribution and affecting factors of microplastics in agricultural soils along the lower reaches of Yangtze River, China.

Microplastics become one of the serious persistent pollutants in terrestrial environments, and thus may represent a threat to the quality of soil and inhabiting organisms. It is imperative to understand occurrence and distribution of microplastics in soils. In this study, a large-scale field survey encompassing 85 locations along the lower reaches of Yangtze River and estuary was performed to investigate the microplastics abundance in agricultural soils.

Occurrence, risk assessment, and source of heavy metals in Liaohe River Protected Area from the watershed of Bohai Sea, China.

The occurrence, ecological risk, and source of heavy metals in the Liaohe River Protected Area from the watershed of the Bohai Sea were investigated. The maximum concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, and As in water were 8.50, 25.