Materials for alternative plant protection

Abstract

Information will be presented as to the use of various materials for alternative protection of crop plants against fungal pathogens.     

Estimation of plant protection product application dates for environmental fate modeling based on phenological stages of crops

According to the EU directive 91/414/EEC potential environmental concentrations of pesticides have to be assessed with environmental fate models. For the calculation of pesticide concentrations it is necessary to provide an application date which has to match the specific Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundesamt, Chemische Industrie (BBCH) stage at which the pesticide shall be applied. If these application dates are not available for a specific stage, crop and country they must be estimated, which adds an additional uncertainty to the predicted concentrations. In the present study, we therefore evaluate to which extent application dates can be derived from phenological data. For this analysis phenological data, converted to BBCH stages, of two field crops provided by the German Weather Service (DWD) were analyzed. We found a linear correlation between BBCH stages and the respective appearance dates, which can be used for interpolation of appearance dates of specific BBCH stages. Remarkably, when comparing BBCH stages from Germany and the Czech Republic almost identical correlations of appearance dates and BBCH stages were found. In the next step, soil and climate data from Joint Research Centre (JRC) were analyzed together with phenological data in order to evaluate if BBCH stages can be estimated for countries with other climate or soil conditions. This analysis revealed that temperature, global radiation and evaporation were the parameters with the strongest impact. These parameters were used for estimating appearance dates of BBCH stages for other countries. Exemplarily, appearance dates for maize BBCH were calculated for Italy. Estimated and observed appearance dates showed a high concordance (on average six days difference). Finally, the political of impact a variation of a few days on calculated pesticide concentration was analyzed. Exemplarily, the pesticide fate model FOCUS PEARL was used to estimate pesticide groundwater concentrations. When calculating concentrations for application dates varying by ± two weeks, concentrations in groundwater usually varied very little. The highest variation was found for application at BBCH 30 in maize (6.6 % variation over all scenarios). These results showed that the uncertainty included in the estimation of appearance dates of BBCH stages for other countries has a relatively small effect on the results of PEARL and consequentially on the decision of the pesticide risk assessment by changing only the application date.     

Application of chemometric analysis based on physicochemical and chromatographic data for the differentiation origin of plant protection products containing chlorpyrifos

The aim of this study was to investigate the similarities and dissimilarities between the pesticide samples in form of emulsifiable concentrates (EC) formulation containing chlorpyrifos as active ingredient coming from different sources (i.e., shops and wholesales) and also belonging to various series. The results obtained by the Headspace Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry method and also some selected physicochemical properties of examined pesticides including pH, density, stability, active ingredient and water content in pesticides tested were compared using two chemometric methods. Applicability of simple cluster analysis and also principal component analysis of obtained data in differentiation of examined plant protection products coming from different sources was confirmed. It would be advantageous in the routine control of originality and also in the detection of counterfeit pesticides, respectively, among commercially available pesticides containing chlorpyrifos as an active ingredient.     

Mobility and efficacy of 2,4-D herbicide from slow-release delivery systems based on organo-zeolite and organo-bentonite complexes

This research aimed to develop slow-release formulations (SRFs) of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) using zeolite and bentonite minerals modified with cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) surfactant. Adsorption–desorption, greenhouse bioassay and column experiments were carried out to assess the potential of the SRFs to control weeds while reducing the herbicide leaching losses to deep layers of soil. The results showed that only 6.5 mmol 2,4-D kg^?1 was retained by Na-bent, and the herbicide was not adsorbed by Na-zeol at all. The surface modification with CTMA surfactant, however, improved the 2,4-D adsorption capacity of the zeolite and bentonite up to 207.5 and 415.8 mmol kg^?1, respectively. The synthesized organo-minerals slowly released the retained 2,4-D discharging 22 to 64% of the adsorbed 2,4-D to the solution phase within 7 days. The SRFs significantly (P = 0.05) reduced the herbicide mobility within the soil columns keeping a great portion of the herbicide active ingredient in the upper 5 cm soil layer. The SRFs were significantly (P = 0.05) as effective as the free technical herbicide in weed control without harming the ryegrass as the main plant. Therefore, the synthesized SRFs could be considered as useful tools for weed control in sustainable agriculture.     

MicroRNA: a novel implication for damage and protection against ionizing radiation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ionizing radiation (IR) is a form of high energy. It poses a serious threat to organisms, but radiotherapy is a key therapeutic strategy for various...     

Environmental assessment of plant protection strategies using scenarios for pig feed production

Two scenarios for future pig meat production were constructed. The first was a "business as usual" scenario, where the pig feed was based on domestic grain and imported soy-meal, and no efforts were made to reduce pesticide use. The second scenario had a strong environmental focus, and both peas and rapeseed were grown at pig-farm level to produce grain and protein feed. Preventive measures, such as a more diverse crop rotation and mechanical weed control, were combined to reduce pesticide use. The two scenarios were environmentally assessed by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a pesticide risk indicator model (PRI-Farm). The results showed environmentally sound possibilities to reduce pesticide dependency and risks by using altered plant protection strategies in pig-feed production. Organizing on-farm feed production so that protein feed crops are integrated with grain crops contributes to a more diverse crop rotation.     

污水处理厂除臭工艺选择及工程设计

随着无锡市城北污水处理厂二期工程的扩建,污水处理厂除臭问题日益突出.针对目前常用的化学、活性炭吸附、氧离子基团、燃烧、纯天然植物提取液喷洒和生物等6种除臭方法,重点说明了除臭工艺的选择及除臭系统的工程设计,最后结合运行情况总结了除臭系统的设计特点.     

A critical review of effect modeling for ecological risk assessment of plant protection products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A wide diversity of plant protection products (PPP) is used for crop protection leading to the contamination of soil, water, and air, which can have...     

Native plant species suitable as bioindicators and biomonitors for airborne fluoride

For 30-40 years airborne fluoride, usually in the form of HF or SiF4, was one of the most important and damaging air pollutants affecting forests, crops and natural vegetation. It is much more toxic than most other air pollutants such as O3 or SO2 because injury to the most sensitive species begins when they are exposed to a concentration below 1 ppb (ca. 0.8 microg m(-3)) for a 1- to 3-day period. The long-term threshold concentration is around 0.25-0.30 microg m(-3). Higher concentrations and longer durations of exposure induce much more rapid and extensive injury. However, there is a difference in sensitivity between the most and least sensitive species of around 2-3 orders of magnitude and most species possess a degree of resistance. Dramatic improvements in engineering technology have greatly reduced emissions but because of the high toxicity, cases of vegetation injury are still common, even in developed countries, and cases involving litigation still occur. Therefore there is a continuing need for bioindicators and biomonitoring of fluorides, so this paper reviews the subject, drawing attention to the strengths and limitations of the techniques. Visible symptoms are described and illustrated and tables of relative sensitivity are given and their limitations discussed. Finally, examples of biomonitoring in Europe and the USA are presented.     

Application of different chromatographic techniques and chemometric analysis in authenticity testing of plant protection products containing azoxystrobin as an active substance

Azoxystrobin (methyl(2E)-2-{2-[6-(2-cyanophenoxy)pyrimidin-4-yloxy] phenyl}-3-methoxyacrylate) is an active ingredient used to protect crops against fungal diseases. The experience of the Polish control laboratory indicates relatively frequent cases of counterfeit plant protection products (PPPs) containing this active substance. The present study aimed to use chemometric methods to model chemical fingerprints obtained by different chromatographic techniques to verify the original formulation of PPPs containing the active substance azoxystrobin. The pesticides used in the study came from different sources (including stores and warehouses), were manufactured at a different time and came from different production batches. The results obtained with the HPLC-DAD and HS-GC-MS techniques were then modeled using principal component analysis (PCA) and soft independent modeling by class analogy (SIMCA) classifier. The proposed approach has been confirmed as useful for verifying the authenticity of PPPs and can be used in the routine control testing of SC pesticides containing azoxystrobin.     

Development of processes for environmental protection based on self-propagating reactions

The possibility of exploiting self-propagating reactions for environmental protection is discussed in this paper. In particular, results obtained at the laboratory scale and related to the fixation and consolidation of high level radioactive wastes, the recycling of silicon sludge and aluminum dross produced by semiconductor industries and aluminum foundries, the treating and recycling of a highly toxic solid waste from electrolytic zinc plants, and the degradation of chlorinated aromatics, are examined with particular emphasis on the latter case. Specifically, the self-propagating destruction of hexachlorobenzene and 2-(2-4-dichlorophenoxy)-propanoic acid with calcium hydride as reductive substrate is demonstrated. In fact, the heat liberated by the reactions involved is large enough to guarantee the self-sustaining character of the process within a wide range of reactants compositions. Moreover, no residual chlorinated organic compounds were found in the final solid product. Some reactor engineering aspects, as well as other significant future scientific and technological issues, are also addressed in view of large-scale applicability of processes based on self-propagating reactions. To date, the batch reactor technology seems to be more easily applicable, although the use of continuous reactors is not excluded in the next future.     

植物滞留系统中磷污染物的迁移转化

植物滞留系统作为一种低影响开发 (LID) 雨水管理措施,能有效去除雨水径流中的各种污染物。为探究磷污染物在介质中的运移机理尤其是介质中磷形态的运移,通过对填料层土壤介质施加不同添加剂对磷的去除效果,以及介质中各形态磷转化机理进行研究。结果表明：土壤介质添加剂为葡萄糖、淀粉时,加入淀粉的混合介质对磷的去除率比土壤介质高,对介质中稳定有机磷及中等稳定有机磷含量变化情况没有明显影响,但介质中铁磷有一定增加。与土壤介质相比,土壤与粉煤灰混合介质对磷的去除率明显提高,且混合介质中的水溶性磷、钙磷、铝磷增加量明显增大。改变人工模拟雨水pH的实验结果显示,在含氧量高的土壤介质表层,当模拟雨水pH为7~12,介质中的无机磷中水溶性磷的增加量明显;然而,当pH小于7时,介质中的无机磷中水溶性磷 (Ads-P) 的增加量微弱。柱实验表明,在植物滞留系统深度为40 cm处开始,随着深度的增加,雨水径流的出水中各类磷的质量分数降低趋势变得缓慢。其中,每组实验柱对磷去除率的平均值由大到小的顺序为：粉煤 灰+砂土>砂土>淀粉+砂土。随着深度的增加,这3组实验柱介质中的铝磷和中等活性有机磷均减少。该研究成果可为植物滞留系统磷污染物的迁移转化提供参考。     

Evaluation of soil ecotoxicity tests with functional endpoints for the risk assessment of plant protection products

This paper outlines the state-of-the-art in discussing tests with functional endpoints for the soil compartment for regulatory purposes. In spite of the fact that organic matter decomposition is one of the most important functions in the soil ecosystem, this process has not been the subject of a test requirement for risk assessment of plant protection products until very recently. Since EU Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market requires in its Annex III, point 10.6.2 (entitled “Effects on other soil, non-target macro-organisms”), the evaluation of effects on organic matter breakdown, there is an urgent need to fulfil this requirement. The use of functional endpoints in terrestrial model ecosystems is also under discussion in the framework of the notification process for chemicals. Four potential methods (bait-lamina-test, litterbag test, minicontainer test, cotton-strip assay) taken from ecological literature are briefly reviewed and evaluated in this paper using several defined criteria regarding their usefulness for registration purposes. In this context, areas for further research are identified. The insecticide Dimilin (a.i. diflubenzuron) is used as an example to show how such a test improves risk assessment. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that a guidance paper describing the main principles of at least one test method on organic matter decomposition should be written in order to realise the EU requirement.     

Yard waste compost as a stormwater protection treatment for construction sites.

Runoff water quality improvement from three yard waste compost erosion control treatments were compared with two conventional treatments and an untreated control on plots of 3:1 slope during two growing seasons, using natural events and simulated rainfall. Runoff volume, suspended solids, nutrients, biomass, turf shear strength, and turfgrass color scale were monitored. The most effective compost treatment, a 5-cm thick blown compost blanket, produced 12.7 times less runoff and 9.8 times less sediment load than a straw mat and silt fence treatment. The compost treatments generated eight times more biomass than the straw mat treatments. Root development was significantly better on the compost treatments based on turf shear strength measurements. Tilled-in compost was not as effective as a compost blanket at reducing sediment loss, particularly before the establishment of grass on the plot. The cost of compost treatments was similar to that of straw mat with silt fence treatments.     

Biological solubilization and mineralization as novel approach for the pretreatment of food waste

The performance of a garbage disposal system to solubilize and mineralize food wastes through biological solubilization was evaluated through the examination of the effects of operational conditions like water supply volume, water supply frequency and aeration on the amount of waste solubilized, mineralized and accumulated in the reactor. The biological solubilization process consisted of a solubilization reactor and a circulation tank. Food waste and fresh water were supplied into the solubilization reactor with support media. Wastewater from the solubilization reactor was discharged to the circulation tank and water in the circulation tank was periodically pumped back to the solubilization reactor. In case of the total food waste loading of 16 kg m(3-1) d(-1), little carbon (0-5.7%) accumulated in the reactor as long as the system was kept under aerobic condition through large volume of water supply (higher than 3.5 lh(-1)) or applying aeration in the circulation tank. However, 42% of the loaded carbon accumulated under anaerobic condition in low water supply (less than 1.8 lh(-1)). The rest of the waste was either solubilized or mineralized. The aeration in the circulation tank, therefore, was effective to provide similar solubilization and mineralization as the large volume of water supply. However, frequency of feeding at the large volume of water supply had no significant effect on the amount of waste solubilization and mineralization.     

基于新型评估指标的厌氧反应器快速诊断方法

有效的在线过程诊断是实现厌氧水处理工艺稳定运行的必要手段。基于在线监测数据,通过整合反应器气相液相重要参数,建构了一对新型状态评估指标,稳定性指标S以及辅助指标a。评估指标可以对厌氧反应器状态进行全面定量的诊断,也可以对过程潜在不稳定性进行早期预警。通过对厌氧反应器进行多种类型冲击实验（有机负荷、HRT、温度和毒物）,测试了指标对各种冲击状态的响应,实验结果表明新型指标可以对反应器状态进行准确快速的在线诊断。作为诊断方法的核心,指标对厌氧工艺的过程评估具有高精度和高灵敏性,并且特别适用于智能化的在线诊断和自动控制。     

Evaluating a drinking-water waste by-product as a novel sorbent for arsenic

Arsenic (As) carcinogenicity to humans and other living organisms has promulgated extensive research on As treatment technologies with varying levels of success; generally, the most efficient methods come with a significantly higher cost burden and they usually perform better in removing As(V) than As(III) from solution. In the reported study, a novel sorbent, a waste by-product of the drinking-water treatment process, namely, drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs) were evaluated for their ability to adsorb both As(V) and As(III). Drinking-WTRs can be obtained free-of-charge from drinking-water treatment plants, and they have been successfully used to reduce soluble phosphorus (P) concentrations in poorly P-sorbing soils. Phosphate and arsenate molecules have the same tetrahedral geometry, and they chemically behave in a similar manner. We hypothesized that the WTRs would be effective sorbents for both As(V) and As(III) species. Two WTRs (one Fe- and one Al-based) were used in batch experiments to optimize the maximum As(V) and As(III) sorption capacities, utilizing the effects of solid:solution ratios and reaction kinetics. Results showed that both WTRs exhibited high affinities for soluble As(V) and As(III), exhibiting Freundlich type adsorption with no obvious plateau after 2-d of reaction (15000 mg kg-1). The Al-WTR was highly effective in removing both As(V) and As(III), although As(III) removal was much slower. The Fe-WTR showed greater affinity for As(III) than for As(V) and reached As(III) sorption capacity levels similar to those obtained with the Al-WTR-As(V) system (15000 mg kg-1). Arsenic sorption kinetics were biphasic, similar to what has been observed with P sorption by the WTRs. Minimal (<3%) desorption of sorbed As(III) and As(V) was observed, using phosphate as the desorbing ligand. Dissolved Fe2+ concentrations measured during As(III) sorption were significantly correlated (r2=0.74, p<0.005) with the amount of As(III) sorbed by the Fe-WTR. Lack of correlation between Fe2+ in solution and sorbed As(V) (r2=0.2) suggests reductive dissolution of the Fe-WTR mediating As(III) sorption. Results show promising potential for the WTRs in irreversibly retaining As(V) and As(III) that should be further tested in field settings.     

Advantages of auxin analogues as plant growth and productivity regulators

The possibility of regulating productivity of potato plants by applying the promising analogues of auxin – compounds TA-12, TA-59, LN-14, LN-16 – has been proved experimentally. The compounds at optimal concentrations (TA-12 1.0, TA-59 0.5, LN-14 and LN-16 1.0 kg/ha) were found to activate the process of tuber formation, increasing the number of tubers and accumulation of assimilates in tubers. TA-12 is characterised by the highest activity: it increased the productivity of potato (~ 6.0 t/ha) as well as sugar-beet root yield (~3.0 t/ha) and sucrose content (~1.1). TA-12 is supposed to affect plant cell through the IAA receptory system.     

实验室信息管理系统在环境保护领域的建设与应用探讨

介绍了环境监测实验室的业务特点;概述了国内外实验室信息管理系统(LIMS)的发展现状;选择了适合环境监测业务的LIMS软件产品,并在此基础上作进一步开发以满足环境监测业务的可拓展性;提出了LIMS需要完善功能的建议.同时,指出在环境保护领域引入LIMS,在一定程度上提高了分析数据的准确性和环境监测实验室管理水平.