Organochlorine pesticides in the sediment core of Gwangyang bay, South Korea.

The nine organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the sediment samples taken from Gwangyang Bay, which is a heavy chemical industrial region in South Korea, are analyzed to evaluate their contaminations during the past 50 years. The vertical distributions of SigmaOCPs concentration in the sediment core were in good agreement with the temporal amount of pesticides used in South Korea except for the top sediment layer. The DDTs were predominant, their concentrations ranging from 78.

Simultaneous in situ detection of alkaline phosphatase activity and polyphosphate in arbuscules within arbuscular mycorrhizal roots.

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) metabolism in arbuscules of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is not well understood, although recent research has revealed that host plants absorb Pi around arbuscules with mycorrhiza-specific transporters. Therefore, we analysed the localisation of polyphosphate (polyP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in arbuscules, which could be indicators of Pi metabolism. We developed a dual-labelling method for polyP and ALP activity, i.

Estimation and comparison of nitrogen loads and attenuation in agricultural catchments of Japan and Korea.

To help in clarifying the relationship between the time lag and attenuation of nitrogen (N) loads generated in agricultural catchments, long-term trends in activities that generate N loads and in environmental N loads were estimated in catchments in Japan and Korea dominated by non-point-source emissions. Our approach used statistical data and geographical information system software to analyze pollutant loads. The method was successful in both countries because of the availability of well-developed statistics, geographical information, and weather and water quality monitoring systems, and the accumulation of research data concerning the generation of N loads and the fate of N in soils.

Deposition of atmospheric (137)Cs in Japan associated with the Asian dust event of March 2002.

Considerable deposition of (137)Cs was observed in the northwestern coastal area of Japan in March 2002. Since there were no nuclear explosions or serious nuclear accidents in the early 2000s, transport of previously contaminated dust appears to be the only plausible explanation for this event. In March 2002, there was a massive sandstorm on the East Asian continent, and the dust raised by the storm was transported across the sea to Japan.

Gene flow from GM glyphosate-tolerant to conventional soybeans under field conditions in Japan.

Natural out-crossing rates were evaluated for conventional soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) cultivated adjacent to genetically modified (GM) glyphosate-tolerant soybeans under field conditions during a four-year period in Japan.

Simultaneous determination of neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural samples by solid-phase extraction cleanup and liquid chromatography equipped with diode-array detection.

Effective sample pretreatment procedures based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) for multiresidue determination of seven neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural products were investigated. After extraction with acetone and concentration, the insecticides in aqueous sample extracts were transferred into organic solvent phases with a Chem Elut SPE cartridge. Finally, the eluate from the cartridge was cleaned up with a SPE cartridge packed with graphitized carbon black and aminopropyl silica gel, which showed a higher cleanup efficiency than the classical silica gel SPE cartridge.

PCDD/F contamination over time in Japanese paddy soils.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs)were analyzed in preserved paddy soils periodically collected from 7 sites around Japan since 1960 to trace the changes in concentrations, to elucidate their sources, and to estimate their mass balance in Japanese paddy fields. Concentrations of sigma PCDD/Fs in paddy soils from all sites increased during the 1960s and the 1970s, then decreased. The results of principal component analysis and chemical mass balance based on functional relationship analysis indicate that the increase in sigma PCDD/F concentrations in paddy soils was due to the increased use of pentachlorophenol (PCP) and chlornitrofen (CNP); more than 95% of PCDD/Fs in all paddy soils were derived from impurities in these herbicides.

Co-inoculation of an antibiotic-producing bacterium and a lytic enzyme-producing bacterium for the biocontrol of tomato wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici.

The antifungal compound 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain LRB3W1, inhibits the growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, and controls Fusarium wilt of tomato caused by F.

Immunoassay for iprodione: key estimation for residue analysis and method validation with chromatographic technique.

This work reports on the fundamental characteristics of a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for iprodione and the application to residue analysis in agricultural samples. The ELISA had enough analytical sensitivity (I50 value 4.0 ng g(-1); limit of detection 0.

Transgenic oilseed rape along transportation routes and port of Vancouver in western Canada.

The occurrence of transgenic herbicide-resistant oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in ruderal (non-crop disturbed) areas has not been investigated previously in Canada. The primary objective of this study was to document their occurrence in two main ruderal areas (along railways and roads) in the province of Saskatchewan, where half of all oilseed rape is grown, and at the port of Vancouver, British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, where most oilseed rape destined for export is transported by rail. During the 2005 growing season, leaf samples of oilseed rape plants were collected at randomly-selected sites along railways and roads across Saskatchewan ecoregions and at Vancouver; infestation area, density, and plant height of oilseed rape were measured at each site.

Sex pheromones of two melittini species, Macroscelesia japona and m. Longipes: identification and field attraction.

Two Melittini species, Macroscelesia japona and M. longipes (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), are native to Japan, but occupy different localities as their host plants seldom grow together. The contents of the sex pheromone gland of adult females of both species, obtained after rearing larvae collected from the field, were investigated by gas chromatograph-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses.

Adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid by an Andosol.

To identify the important soil components involved in 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) adsorption on Andosols, 2,4-D adsorption on a surface horizon of an Andosol was compared with that on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-treated (soil organic matter [SOM] was removed), acid-oxalate (OX)-treated (active metal hydroxides and SOM were removed), and dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB)-treated (free and active metal [hydr]oxides and SOM were removed) soil samples at equilibrium pHs ranging from 4 to 8. Although the untreated soil contained a large amount of organic C (71.9 g kg-1), removal of SOM had little effect on 2,4-D adsorption.

Role of catechol structure in the adsorption and transformation reactions of L-DOPA in soils.

3-(3',4'-Dihydroxyphenyl)-L-alanine (L-DOPA), which is synthesized in velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens), inhibits plant growth. The concentration of L-DOPA in soil is reduced by adsorption and transformation reactions, which can result in the reduction of its plant-growth-inhibitory activity. To determine which part of the L-DOPA structure is involved in the adsorption and soil transformation reactions, we compared the kinetics of L-DOPA disappearance in a volcanic ash soil with that of L-phenylalanine (3-phenyl-L-alanine) and L-tyrosine (3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-L-alanine), compounds that are similar in structure to L-DOPA but do not have a catechol (o-dihydroxybenzene) moiety.

Osmotic water permeability of plasma and vacuolar membranes in protoplasts II: theoretical basis.

Water permeability of the plasma membrane (PM) and the vacuolar membrane (VM) is important for intracellular and transcellular water movement in plants, because mature plant cells have large central vacuoles. We have developed a new method for measuring the osmotic water permeability of the PM and VM (P ( f1) and P ( f2), respectively) in individual plant cells. Here, the theoretical basis and procedure of the method are discussed.

Remediation of cadmium-contaminated paddy soils by washing with calcium chloride: verification of on-site washing.

We developed a new, three-step soil-wash method to remediate Cd-contaminated paddy fields. The method comprises (1) chemically washing the field soil with a CaCl2 solution; (2) washing the treated soil with water to eliminate residual Cd and CaCl2; and (3) on-site treatment of wastewater using a portable wastewater treatment system. Cd concentrations in the treated water were below Japan's environmental quality standard (0.

Remediation of cadmium-contaminated paddy soils by washing with chemicals: effect of soil washing on cadmium uptake by soybean.

We conducted a pot experiment to evaluate the effect of soil washing with CaCl(2) on Cd absorption by two soybean cultivars. The results were as follows: (1) Soybean growth was not significantly different in washed and unwashed soils, but the seed Cd concentration for both cultivars decreased significantly, up to 25%, in the washed soils compared with the unwashed soils. (2) In the washed soils, the Cd concentration in the soil solution indicated an obviously lower value from sowing to the flowering stage; however, the change in Cd speciation was not evident in the CaCl(2)-washed soil solution.

Long-term mobility of fallout 90Sr in ploughed soil, and 90Sr uptake by wheat grain.

In this study, we evaluated the mobility of 90Sr in ploughed upland soil, which affects the residual amount in the soil and plant uptake on the basis of long-term monitoring data. Paired samples of soil and wheat grain were taken annually from 1961 to 1995 from 8 agricultural fields in Japan, and the concentrations of exchangeable 90Sr in soil and total 90Sr in wheat grain were determined. The concentration of exchangeable 90Sr in ploughed soil decreased exponentially with time.

Vertical distributions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) caused from organochlorine pesticides in a sediment core taken from Ariake bay, Japan.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of organochlorine pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDTs) and its metabolites, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), heptachlor, chlordane compounds (CHLs), aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, mirex and isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs), were analyzed in sediment cores collected from Ariake Bay, Japan. Although Chikugo River has the largest flow in Ariake Bay, the total concentration of POPs in surface sediment was found in St.3, mouth of the Yabe River, where that level was two times higher than St.

Community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria under long-term application of mineral fertilizer and organic manure in a sandy loam soil.

The effects of mineral fertilizer (NPK) and organic manure on the community structure of soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was investigated in a long-term (16-year) fertilizer experiment. The experiment included seven treatments: organic manure, half organic manure N plus half fertilizer N, fertilizer NPK, fertilizer NP, fertilizer NK, fertilizer PK, and the control (without fertilization). N fertilization greatly increased soil nitrification potential, and mineral N fertilizer had a greater impact than organic manure, while N deficiency treatment (PK) had no significant effect.

Germination characteristics of native Japanese dandelion autopolyploids and their putative diploid parent species.

Germination characteristics of native Japanese Taraxacum lineages of Taraxacum platycarpum (diploid), T. venustum (triploid and tetraploid), and T. albidum (pentaploid) have been studied at different temperatures.

Dioxotungsten 1,2-benzenedithiolate complex stabilized by NH...S hydrogen bonds.

Novel dioxo-tungsten(VI) bis(1,2-benzenedithiolate) complexes with neighboring amide groups, as models for tungsten enzymes, (NEt4)2[W(VI)O2{1,2-S(2)-3,6-(RCONH)2C6H2}2] (R = CH3, t-Bu), were designed and synthesized. The presence of the NH..

Levels of dioxins in rice, wheat, soybean, and adzuki bean cultivated in 1999 to 2002 in Japan and estimation of their intake.

A total of 369 samples of rice (n = 311), wheat (n = 10), soybean (n = 44), and adzuki bean (n = 4) collected from various locations in Japan between 1999 and 2002 were analyzed for PCDDs, PCDFs (PCDD/Fs) and coplanar PCBs. Sampling points within about 1 km of operational municipal waste incinerators that were considered sources of dioxins were defined as "near-source" areas, and all other sampling points were defined as "general" areas. The toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) values of soybean samples collected from near-source areas were significantly higher (p < 0.

Immunoassay for acetamiprid detection: application to residue analysis and comparison with liquid chromatography.

This work describes the fundamental ability of a commercial ELISA to determine acetamiprid and the application of the ELISA to residue analysis in fruit and vegetable samples. The ELISA exhibited satisfactory sensitivity (I (50) 0.6 ng/g; limit of detection 0.

Reliable enzyme immunoassay detection for chlorothalonil: fundamental evaluation for residue analysis and validation with gas chromatography.

This work describes the analytical performance of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the fungicide chlorothalonil to effectively exploit as a simple and rapid detection system for pesticide residue on the scenes of the agricultural production and distribution. This ELISA represents the satisfactory analytical characteristics (I50 value, 0.34 ng/g; limit of detection, 0.

Combined use of the biocontrol bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens strain LRB3W1 with reduced fungicide application for the control of tomato Fusarium wilt.

Pseudomonas fluorescens strain LRB3W1 inhibited the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and suppressed the Fusarium wilt of tomato.