Use of millet root elongation for toxicity tests of phenolic compounds

Millet root elongation was used for toxicity tests of phenol and seven chlorophenols. Each compound was tested twice, all with a control and six concentration levels in quadruplicates. Each test solution contained 15 seeds. The results showed that the order of decreasing toxicity is trichlorophenol, dichlorophenol, chlorophenol, and phenol. The root elongation method is more sensitive than the biomass method; however, it is time consuming. Phenolic compounds at low concentration stimulated the growth of root, but when the concentration is further increased, the stimulation effect is reversed and inhibition takes place.     

Species specificity of response to fluctuations of sea water salinity in seeds of coastal plants

An analysis of seed germination pattern has revealed species-specific responses to water salinity (0, 25, 50, and 100% sea water vs. distilled water) in plants growing on sea coasts of the Russian Far East and in areas remote from the sea. The results show that coastal species are less sensitive to the adverse effect of sea water in the above concentrations, but only the seeds of halophytes from the family Chenopodiaceae are capable of germinating in 100% sea water. The relationship between the habitats of plant species and individual specificity of seed germination is discussed.     

Development of vegetative and generative organs in magnetic orientation types of radish in a weak permanent magnetic field

Experiments have been performed to evaluate the impact of weak permanent horizontal magnetic field of about 400 A/m on seed formation in the main magnetic orientation types of radish, the north-south (NS) and west-east (WE) types. The results show that external magnetic field exposure retards plant progression through all stages of ontogeny but does not alter the ratio of NS and WE types. Under its effect, the numbers of pods and seeds and seed weight decrease in the NS-type but increase in the WS-type plants. Therefore, external magnetic field acts as an ecological factor that differentiates the responses of radish plants depending on the type of their magnetic orientation. Differences in the sensitivity of plants to magnetic field exposure are explained by specific features of their physiological status.     

Effects of seven organic pollutants on soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living soil nematode that is commonly used as a model for toxicity tests. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxicity of seven organic pollutants: four azaarenes (quinoline, acridine, phenazine, and 1,10-phenanthroline), short-chain chlorinated paraffins, and two organochlorinated pesticides (toxaphene and hexachlorobenzene). The exposure to all chemicals was carried out in three test media (soil, agar, and aquatic medium), and adult mortality was evaluated after 24 and 48 h. Toxaphene was the most toxic substance with LC(50) (48 h) of 379 mg/kg in the soil and 0.2 mg/L in the aquatic medium. Quinoline was the most toxic chemical in agar test with LC(50) (48 h) of 10 mg/L. HCB showed a very low toxicity in all tests, maybe due to its very low water solubility. Longer than 24-h test duration was found necessary for getting more correct data on toxicity. In comparison with other studies, C. elegans was less sensitive than other soil invertebrates. Different response might be attributed to different exposure routes and shorter test duration. Equilibrium partitioning theory was used to calculate K(oc) from results of soil and aquatic tests but this approach was found not working. Our results suggest that the tests with nematode C. elegans should be included to the battery of tests for risk assessment of POPs in soil.     

花果期持续受渍对油菜生长、产量与含油量的影响

油菜是江汉平原广泛栽培的越冬作物，在春季雨水较多时常遭遇持续受渍胁迫，对产量有明显影响。为了探索春季油菜田的排水管理，取得较高产量，通过测坑试验和小区试验，初步研究了花果斯持续受渍对油菜生长，产量和含油量的影响。结果表明：油菜花果期持续受渍，主要是通过单株的有效角果数，千粒重等因素影响产量；随着持续受渍时间的延长，各受渍处理的单株有效角果数减少，千粒重降低，产量下降，与对照相比，较短时间（比如2天）持续受渍对油菜生长发育，产量形成以及籽粒含油量影响不大，但较长时期持续受渍会对油菜的这些方面产生不良影响，此类水分胁迫是生产上重点防治的对象。因此，在考虑地下水位动脉及其作用时间对油菜影响的排渍指标研究中，应主要从持续受渍程度对产量的影响方面建立关系，确定适宜的新型排渍指标。     

Measuring the antioxidant activity of olive oil mill wastewater using chemiluminescence

A sensitive and simple procedure is described for determining the total phenolic/antioxidant levels of olive oil mill wastewater (OMW), using for the first time Co(II)/ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA)-induced luminol chemiluminescence. Olive oil wastewater samples were tested for their composition in simple phenolic compounds as a function of the extraction system (two- and three-phase centrifugation systems). The results revealed that the three-phase system had a stronger antioxidant activity and a higher total phenolic content than the two-phase system. The relationship between antioxidant values and total phenolic content is also discussed.     

Combined toxicity of copper and phenol derivatives to Daphnia magna: effect of complexation reaction

The complexation of Cu with phenol was investigated in aqueous solution to find the changes in toxicity toward Daphnia magna in mixtures of copper and phenol derivatives and determine an appropriate prediction model for the toxicity of these mixtures. In the titration experiment, the results showed that phenol played an important role in the remarkable reduction of the Cu(2+) concentration, due to its complexation with Cu, with the subsequent reduction in the toxicity of aqueous mixtures containing both Cu and phenol. As a result, it was clearly demonstrated that Cu-phenol formed a non-toxic complex toward D. magna as the mortality declined, despite the addition of phenol to a fixed Cu concentration. Meanwhile, prediction of the combined toxicity for binary mixtures of Cu and 11 phenol derivatives more accurately followed an independent action model (p = 0.143, df = 124, and t = -1.475 in t-test) than an effect summation model (p approximately 0, df = 134, and t = 7.528 in t-test) due to the dissimilar modes of action and the complexation reactions between Cu and each of the phenolic compounds. Consequently, this study supports the importance of considering complexation reactions in assessing the combined toxicity for the formulation of water quality in mixtures of heavy metals and organic compounds, and in these cases, an independent action model was found to be appropriate.     

A conceptual framework for Jatropha seed yield estimation using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) modelling

Jatropha seed yield prediction is one of the most important influencing factors for developing a supply chain modelling of Jatropha seed. The oil from this Jatropha seed is used to blend with diesel to obtain biofuel (Hiromi, Yamamoto, Junichi Fujino, and Kenji Yamaji. 2001. “Evaluation of Bioenergy Potential with a Multi-regional Global-Land-Use-and-Energy Model.” Biomass and Bioenergy 21: 185–203). The Jatropha plant is easy to cultivate and produces high yield if properly maintained. The main focus of this study is to utilize uncultivable wastelands for cultivating Jatropha seeds. As suggested by Liu et al. (Liu, Xiaohong, David B. Grant, Alan C. McKinnon, and Yuanhua Feng. 2010. “An Empirical Examination of the Contribution of Capabilities to the Competitiveness of Logistics Service Providers: A Perspective from China.” International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 40 (10): 847–866), the effectiveness of prediction affects the functional characteristics of a supply chain network design. The yield prediction of Jatropha seeds has two important roles which include (i) the identification of external parameters that affects the yield and (ii) the detection of internal attributes that changes the growth characteristics of the Jatropha plant. The development of the fuzzy inference system is characterized by a large number of input variables (Dobrila Petrovic. 2001. International Journal of Production Economics 71: 429–438). A Matlab programming software was used to integrate an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system. This approach gave the numerical as well as graphical output that was used to interpret the final result. The root mean square error values were identified for the given inputs which were then compared with the trained input variables to select the best input among the given alternative variables.     

Using nematodes in soil ecotoxicology

Nematodes represent a very abundant group of soil organisms and non-parasitic species are important for soil quality and in the soil food web. In recent years, it has been shown that nematodes are appropriate bioindicators of soil condition and they are also suitable organisms for laboratory toxicity testing. The aims of this paper are to overview and critically assess methods and approaches for researching soil nematode ecotoxicology. In natural ecosystems, nematode abundance and community structure analyses were proved to be sensitive indicators of stress caused by soil pollutants and ecological disturbance. Community structure analyses may be approached from a functional or ecological point of view; species are divided into groups according to their feeding habits or alternatively the maturity index is calculated according to their ecological strategy. Many environmental factors have the potential to affect nematode community, which consequently results in high space and time variability. This variance is major handicap in field ecotoxicological studies because pollutant-nematode relationships are obscured. For prospective risk assessment of chemicals, several toxicity tests with nematodes were developed and are increasingly used. Sensitivity of these tests is comparable to tests with other soil species (e.g. enchytraeids, earthworms and springtails) while tests are less demanding to space and time. Most studies have focused on metal toxicity but organic compounds are almost overlooked. Endpoints used in tests were often mortality, reproduction or movement, but more sublethal endpoints such as feeding or biomarkers have been used recently too. Although there is an increasing amount of knowledge in soil nematode ecotoxicology, there is still a lot of various issues in this topic to research.     

Impact of urban anthropogenic pollution on seed production,morphological and biochemical characteristics of chamomile,Matricaria chamomila L.

It has been shown that the growth of technogenic dust pollution is accompanied by the accumulation of heavy metals in soil and plant phytomass, compared to the control, and that the morphometric and reproductive characteristics of Matricaria chamomila are most sensitive to the impact of these pollutants. The response of plants is manifested in increased variation in morphological characters, mobilization of compensatory protective biochemical mechanisms, and production of more viable seed progeny.     

Population Biology of Cichorium intybus L. (Asteraceae) of the Middle Don River Basin

The stages of ontogeny and morphogenesis of the common chicory were characterized on the basis of long-term observations. A comparative analysis of seed productivity was performed, and the pool of viable seeds in the soil was determined. The ecological–cenotic relationships and the types of population strategy of the species were estimated.     

Assessment of application-rate dependent effects of a long-term fire retardant chemical (Fire Trol 934) on Typha domingensis germination

Although long-term fire retardants (LTR) gain increasingly acceptance as effective tools for wildfire management, recent studies indicate their potential harmfulness in the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems. This study comprises a first laboratory impact assessment of LTR action in temporal Mediterranean wetlands, using seed germination of Typha domingensis as indicator of impact. Our aim was to identify application rates upon which seed germination could be significantly affected. We tested for low (1 l m(-2)) and high (3 l m(-2)) application rates of Fire Trol 934 which are recommended by the manufacturers as a function of fuel characteristics. In addition, we simulated the impact of a higher application rate of 5 l m(-2) because inhomogeneous dispersal of the LTR during fire control and prevention operations can result in locally elevated applications. Results of a microcosm experiment indicate that application rates of 1 or 3 l m(-2) can impact Typha germination rates in the short-term via indirect LTR-mediated effects on water quality, which suppressed necessary cues for germination. However, a subsequent experiment with Petri dishes, using seeds isolated from the LTR treated sediments did not show significantly different germination rates between the control and the treatments with application rates of 1 or 3 l m(-2). This suggests that retardant pre-application germination success could be recovered in nature once the retardant is eliminated. By contrast, seeds almost completely failed to germinate in the microcosm experiment and the subsequent Petri dish essay when an application rate of 5 l m(-2) was used. This suggests a critical level upon which Typha seed germination may be perpetually limited. Research should be extended to other plant species to provide fire managers with guidelines for environmentally safe use of LTR in the Mediterranean region.     

Germination and growth effects of hexavalent chromium in Orocol TL (a corrosion inhibitor) on Phaseolus vulgaris

This research was designed to address the potential for germination and growth effects in bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Bush Blue Lake) from hexavalent chromium in Orocol TL, a proprietary chromated, zinc-phosphate compound added to DOE cooling water systems for corrosion inhibition. Studies were conducted at low and high Orocol TL concentrations in the soil by adjusting soil pH and the percent of organic matter. Germination effects were determined for seeds germinated in soils adjusted to differing pH ranges (4–4.5, 5–5.5, and 6.5–7), levels of organic matter (1.8%, 3%, and 5%), and Orocol TL amendments (control of 0, 10, and 500 μg/g chromium). Growth responses (effects) were determined from plants cultured in the same soil treatment combinations as described for the germination study. High levels (500 μg/g) of hexavalent chromium in soil (as Orocol TL) affected germination and growth, while a high level of organic matter significantly reduced chromium toxicity on germination. At lower chromium concentrations there was significant uptake by all plant parts, with a corresponding reduction in biomass of leaves. Consequently, adjustments of soil pH from 4.0 to 7.0 appear to have no significant effect on chromium uptake in plants. Increasing the organic matter level to 5%, while decreasing the toxicity of high chromium levels to germinating seed, did not affect chromium uptake.     

Pathways of adaptation of common dandelion cenopopulations to long-term chemical and radiation influences

A comparative study of the seed progeny of dandelions was performed with samples from cenopopulations growing for a long time under conditions of radioactive contamination (the zone of the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace, EURT) or chemical pollution (the impact zone of the Nizhnii Tagil Metallurgical Plant, NTMP). The viability of seeds proved to decrease in a similar way along with an increase in technogenic pressure, irrespective of its nature. Experiments on acute exposure to heavy metals and γ-irradiation made it possible to reveal the adaptive capacities of the seed progeny from each cenopopulation. The background sample (formed beyond the zone of any impact) was relatively resistant to irradiation and very sensitive to heavy metals. The cenopopulations from the EURT and NTMP zones manifested nonspecific responses to the effects of both habitual and new factors.     

Plant/soil concentration ratios for paired field and garden crops, with emphasis on iodine and the role of soil adhesion

In the effort to predict the risks associated with contaminated soils, considerable reliance is placed on plant/soil concentration ratio (CR) values measured at sites other than the contaminated site. This inevitably results in the need to extrapolate among the many soil and plant types. There are few studies that compare CR among plant types that encompass both field and garden crops. Here, CRs for 40 elements were measured for 25 crops from farm and garden sites chosen so the grain crops were in close proximity to the gardens. Special emphasis was placed on iodine (I) because data for this element are sparse. For many elements, there were consistent trends among CRs for the various crop types, with leafy crops > root crops ≥ fruit crops ≈ seed crops. Exceptions included CR values for As, K, Se and Zn which were highest in the seed crops. The correlation of CRs from one plant type to another was evident only when there was a wide range in soil concentrations. In comparing CRs between crop types, it became apparent that the relationships differed for the rare earth elements (REE), which also had very low CR values. The CRs for root and leafy crops of REE converged to a minimum value. This was attributed to soil adhesion, despite the samples being washed, and the average soil adhesion for root crops was 500 mg soil kg⁻¹ dry plant and for leafy crops was 5 g kg⁻¹. Across elements, the log CR was negatively correlated with log Kd (the soil solid/liquid partition coefficient), as expected. Although, this correlation is expected, measures of correlation coefficients suitable for stochastic risk assessment are not frequently reported. The results suggest that r ≈ −0.7 would be appropriate for risk assessment.     

Effects of atrazine and nicosulfuron on freshwater microalgae

Growth modifications caused by various concentrations of atrazine and nicosulfuron were monitored in closed and continuous culture of Chlorella vulgaris (chlorophyta), Navicula accommoda (diatomophyta), and Oscillatoria limnetica (cyanophyta). The concentration at which algal growth rate was reduced twofold (EC50) was determined in the three species for both herbicides. Comparatively, the two toxicants were applied at 10 microg/l level in microcosms inoculated with natural phytoplankton from Lake Geneva. The relative abundances of major phytoplanktonic species were measured by algal cell count at the beginning and at the end of each experiment. Atrazine and nicosulfuron have different targets in plant metabolism, respectively, photosystem II (PSII) and acetolactate synthase (ALS), and the expected effects were different. Generally, the cultured phytoplankton exhibited various sensitivities, depending on species or herbicide. In the microcosms, the major taxa of natural phytoplanktonic samples exhibited various patterns, from acute toxicity to growth enhancement. For example, the diatoms inside the community were not affected by atrazine and nicosulfuron, except for Stephanodiscus minutulus that was sensitive to both, and Asterionella/formosa that was sensitive only to nicosulfuron. The specific physiology and the relationships among the phytoplanktonic communities have to be carefully considered when one would try to predict the extent of herbicide action on natural phytoplankton using in vitro tests. There is a need to test the toxic effect on various cultured strains, representative of most of the taxonomic composition of natural communities, to take into account the wide range of sensitivities and reaction to herbicide contamination. But this is not enough to give a solid frame when transposing the results to the field, and the use of more ecologically relevant systems is recommended.     

Adaptation of greater plantain, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plantago major</Emphasis> L., to long-term radiation and chemical exposure

A comparative study of the greater plantain seed progeny was performed with samples from cenopopulations growing for a long time under conditions of radioactive contamination (in the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace, EURT) or chemical pollution (in the impact zone of the Nizhny Tagil Iron and Steel Works, NTMK). The progeny of plants from the NTMK zone had low viability but proved to be resistant to the additional impact of a “new” factor (acute γ-irradiation) as well as of the “habitual” factor (heavy metal toxicity). Plantain seeds from the EURT area showed high viability and low heavy metal and radiation resistance; i.e., no preadaptation effect was revealed. In experiments on growing plants from different cenopopulations in plot culture, samples from the EURT zone were characterized mainly by morphoses of generative organs, while samples from the NTMK area, by morphoses of vegetative organs.     

Fibre crops as alternative land use for radioactively contaminated arable land

The transfer of radiocaesium, one of the most important and widespread contaminants following a nuclear accident, to the fibre crops hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) as well as the distribution of radiocaesium during crop conversion were studied for sandy soil under greenhouse and lysimeters conditions. Soil parameters did not unequivoqually explain the transfer factors (TF) observed. TFs to flax stems ranged from 1.34 to 2.80x10(-3) m2 kg(-1). TFs to seeds are about a factor of 4 lower. During the retting process for separating the fibres from the straw, more than 95% of the activity was removed with the retting water. For hemp, the TF to the stem was about 0.6x10(-3) m2 kg(-1). For hemp, straw and fibres were mechanically separated and TF to straw was about 0.5x10(-3) m2 kg(-1) and to fibres 1.0x10(-3) m2 kg(-1). Generally, the TFs to the useable plant parts both for hemp and flax, are low enough to allow for the production of clean end-products (fibre, seed oil, biofuel) even on heavily contaminated land. Given the considerable decontamination during retting, contamination levels in flax fibres would only exceed the exemption limits for fibre use after production in extreme contamination scenarios (>12,300kBq m(-2)). Since hemp fibres are mechanically separated, use of hemp fibres is more restricted (contamination <740kBq m(-2)). Use of stems as biofuel is restricted to areas with contamination levels of <250 and 1050kBq m(-2) for flax and hemp, respectively. Use of seeds for edible oil production and flour is possible almost without restriction for flax but due to the high TFs to seed observed for hemp (up to 3x10(-3) m2 kg(-1)) consumption of hemp seed products should be considered with care.     

An evaluation of mixed species in-situ and ex-situ feeding assays: the altered response of Asellus aquaticus and Gammarus pulex

Mixed species feeding assays were undertaken with pollution sensitive (Gammarus pulex) and tolerant (Asellus aquaticus) macro-invertebrates during August 2003 and April 2004. The purpose of this study was to establish if a test animals' response is comparable during in-situ and ex-situ toxicity tests. Seven test sites were established along an undisclosed stream, which received leachate discharge from an unlined, disused UK landfill site. Sampling points A-B were upstream of the contamination, C was adjacent to the influx and D-G were downstream of the leachate discharge (at 100 m intervals). During the in-situ and ex-situ tests, 2-week-old male laboratory bred A. aquaticus and G. pulex were used as test animals. The animals were transplanted to the seven sampling points for the duration of the in-situ tests, whilst water samples from each site were returned to the laboratory for ex-situ testing. The results show that the animals' mortality and feeding rates followed similar trends during the in-situ and ex-situ tests, however, the animals' response was amplified during the in-situ tests. It was also observed that the effects were greater in April, compared to August that may be attributed to a higher frequency of rainfall during spring, which could have flushed a greater proportion of the contaminant load from the waste mass and as a consequence, higher levels of pollution may have leached into the stream from the landfill site. The study, therefore, concludes that in-situ toxicity tests are a more precise monitoring technique, in comparison to ex-situ assays.     

Tissue free water tritium and organically bound tritium in the rice plant acutely exposed to atmospheric HTO vapor under semi-outdoor conditions.

Potted rice plants were exposed to atmospheric HTO in a box outdoors for 1 h at 9 different times from booting to yellow-ripe stages. It is indicated that the leaf TFWT concentration may reach equilibrium within 1 h in clear weather. The plant TFWT concentration decreased at a rapid rate for the first several hours and at a much slower rate thereafter. The decrease till harvest was by factors of 600-95,000 depending on the plant parts and exposure times. The time course of the ear OBT concentration was characterized by the exposure time. After exposure at the booting to heading stages, the leaf OBT concentration decreased rapidly for the first several hours and then very slowly. The plant OBT concentration was initially about 2 orders of magnitude lower, but at harvest an order of magnitude higher, than the TFWT concentration. The OBT concentration in hulled seeds at harvest varied with exposure times by a factor of 70, being highest in the exposure performed at the earlier stage of rapid grain growth. Also in this exposure, the plant total OBT was greatest due to the seed OBT.