Identification of rice cultivar with exclusive characteristic to Cd using a field-polluted soil and its foreground application

Using low-accumulative plant, especially excluder crop, to safely produce food is one of the very important technologies of phytoremediation, which is practical to safe production and long-term remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil. A pot experiment using field cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soil (Cd concentration was 0.75 mg?kg^?1) was conducted to compare Cd accumulation differences among 39 normal rice cultivars (Japonica) in Shenyang region of China for food safety and high grain yield aim. The results showed that brown grain Cd concentration in 12 rice cultivars of a total of 39 tested cultivars was lower than 0.2 mg?kg^?1 (Agricultural Trade Standard of Nonpollution Food for Rice of China, NY 5115–2008). In these 12 cultivars, Cd enrichment factors (Cd concentration ratio in shoot to that in soil) of nine cultivars were lower than 1. Likewise, Cd translocation factors (Cd concentration ratio in shoot to that in root) of eight cultivars were lower than the 0.28 average. Furthermore, grain yield per pot of seven cultivars were higher than the average 18.4 g?pot^?1. Four cultivars, i.e., Shendao 5, Tianfu 1, Fuhe 90, and Yanfeng 47 showed Cd-exclusive characteristic and better foreground application.     

Potential risk assessment of heavy metals by consuming shellfish collected from Xiamen, China

Concentrations of Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cr in 240 shellfish including oyster, short-necked clam, razor clam, and mud clam collected from six administrative regions in Xiamen of China were measured. The daily intakes of heavy metals through the consumption of shellfish were estimated based on both of the metal concentrations in shellfish and the consuming amounts of shellfish. In addition, the target hazard quotients (THQ) were used to evaluate the potential risk of heavy metals in shellfish on human body. Results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals in shellfish ranged at the following sequence: Cr > Cd > Pb > Hg. The concentrations of Hg and Pb in most samples were below the limits (0.3 mg?kg^?1 for Hg and 0.5 mg?kg^?1 for Pb) of national standard (GB 18406.4-2001) set in China. About 57 % of samples were found to contain more than 0.1 mg?kg^?1 of Cd, in which the highest level was found in oyster from Xiangan with a value of 1.21 mg?kg^?1. The average concentrations of Cd in oyster and mud clam samples were 0.338 and 0.369 mg?kg^?1, respectively, which were significantly higher (p?<?0.05) than those in the samples of short-necked clam and razor clam. The highest concentration of Cr was found to present in short-necked clam from Jimei with a value of 10.4 mg?kg^?1, but a mean value of 1.95 mg?kg^?1 in all the shellfish was observed, and no significant difference was found among the different sampling regions. The calculated daily intakes of Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cr through consuming the shellfish were 0.005, 0.122, 0.137, and 1.20 μg?kg^?1 day^?1, respectively, which accounted for 2.19, 3.42, 13.7, and 40.1 % of the corresponding tolerable limits suggested by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The THQ values of the four metals were far below 1 for most samples, except for those of Cd and Cr in the four shellfish species with the mean values of 0.132 and 0.385, respectively. The highest THQ values of Cd were observed in the species of oyster (0.719) and mud clam (0.568). But the high THQ values of Cr observed in all the four species were derived from the applied reference dose (RfD) data of Cr(VI) due to the unavailable RfD value of total Cr. The results indicate that the intakes of heavy metals by consuming shellfish collected from Xiamen of China do not present an appreciable hazard risk on human health, but attention should be paid to consuming those with relatively high THQ values, such as oyster, mud clam, and short-necked clam.     

Saline irrigation and Zn amendment effect on Cd phytoavailability to Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.) grown on a long-term amended agricultural soil: a human risk assessment

Crops, particularly in the Northeast region of Mexico, have to cope with increasing soil salinization due to irrigation. Chloride (Cl^?) concentration has been strongly related to enhance cadmium (Cd) uptake by plants due to increased solubility in the soil solution. The effect of irrigation with slightly saline water from a local well was evaluated in this work on the accumulation and translocation of Cd in Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.) grown in soil historically amended with stabilized sewage sludge under a regime of phosphorus and zinc fertilization. A factorial pot experiment was conducted with two phosphate fertilizer levels (PF, 0 and 80 kg ha^?1 dry soil, respectively), two Zn levels (0 and 7 kg ha^?1 dry soil), and two sources of water for irrigation deionized water (DW) and slightly saline well water (WW) from an agricultural site. Additionally, a human risk assessment for Cd ingestion from plants was assessed. Results showed that Cl^? salinity in the WW effectively mobilized soil Cd and increased its phytoavailability. A higher level of Cd was found in roots (46.41 mg kg^?1) compared to shoots (10.75 mg kg^?1). Although the total content of Cd in the edible parts of the Swiss chard irrigated with WW exceeded permissible recommended consumption limit, bioavailable cadmium in the aboveground parts of the plant in relation to the total cadmium content was in the range from 8 to 32 %. Therefore, human health risks might be overestimated when the total concentration is taken into account.     

Mineral constituents in Leccinum scabrum from lowland locations in the central Europe and their relation to concentration in forest topsoil

Leccinum scabrum is an edible mushroom common in European regions in the northern hemisphere. Macro and trace mineral constituents such as Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, P, Rb, Sr and Zn were studied in L. scabrum and in the top soil collected from the same location underneath soil substratum. The “pseudo-total” and labile (extractable fraction of minerals) were measured to get insight into the levels, distribution between the morphological parts of fruiting bodies, potential for their bioconcentration by mushroom and evaluated for human exposure via consumption of the mushroom. The sampling sites include the Dar?lubska Wilderness, Trójmiejski Landscape Park, Sobieszewo Island, Wdzydze Landscape Park and outskirts of the K?trzyn town in Mazury from the norther part of Poland. Median values of K, Rb and P concentrations in dehydrated L. scabrum were for caps in range 27,000–44,000 mg kg^?1, 90–320 mg kg^?1 and 6,200–9,100 mg kg^?1, and followed by Mg at 880–1,000 mg kg^?1, Ca at 48–210 mg kg^?1 and Al at 15–120 mg kg^?1. The median concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in caps were in range 15–27 mg kg^?1 db 38–140 mg kg^?1, 5.3–27 mg kg^?1 and 130–270 mg kg^?1. For Ba and Sr, concentrations on the average were at ～1 mg kg^?1, and almost equally distributed between the caps and stipes of the fruiting bodies. L. scabrum mushrooms were low in toxic Ag, Cd, Hg and Pb, for which the median values in dried caps from five locations were, respectively, in range 0.48–0.98 mg kg^?1 (cap to stipe index, Q_C/S, was 2.5–4.1), 1.0–5.8 mg kg^?1 (Q_C/S 2.9–3.8), 0.36–0.59 mg kg^?1 (Q_C/S 1.6–2.7) and 0.20–0.91 mg kg^?1 (Q_C/S 1.2–1.9). Substantial variations in the concentrations of the “pseudo-total” fraction (extracted by aqua regia) or labile fraction (extracted by 20% solution of nitric acid) of the elements determined in forest topsoils were noted between some of the locations examined. The elements K, P, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Na, Rb and Zn can be considered as those which were bioconcentrated by L. scabrum in fruiting bodies, while the rates of accumulation varied with the sampling location.     

Phytomanagement of Cd-contaminated soils using maize (Zea mays L.) assisted by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

Zea mays (L.) is a crop widely cultivated throughout the world and can be considered suitable for phytomanagement due to its metal resistance and energetic value. In this study, the effect of two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Ralstonia eutropha and Chryseobacterium humi, on growth and metal uptake of Z. mays plants in soils contaminated with up to 30 mg Cd kg^?1 was evaluated. Bacterial inoculation increased plant biomass up to 63 % and led to a decrease of up to 81 % in Cd shoot levels (4–88 mg Cd kg^?1) and to an increase of up to 186 % in accumulation in the roots (52–134 mg Cd kg^?1). The rhizosphere community structure changed throughout the experiment and varied with different levels of Cd soil contamination, as revealed by molecular biology techniques. Z. mays plants inoculated with either of the tested strains may have potential application in a strategy of soil remediation, in particular short-term phytostabilization, coupled with biomass production for energy purposes.     

Mercury in the Grisette,Amanita vaginata Fr. and soil below the fruiting bodies

This study examined the mercury concentration in the Grisette Amanita vaginata Fr. and soil below the fruiting bodies collected between 2000 and 2008 from the wild at seven distant sites across Poland. The Hg content in samples was determined by cold atomic absorption method (CV-AAS) at a wavelength of 253.7 nm. Mean Hg contents varied from 0.096 ± 0.052 to 0.48 ± 0.13 mg kg^?1 dry matter (dm) in caps (range, 0.043–0.73 mg kg^?1), from 0.047 ± 0.02 to 0.23 ± 0.07 mg kg^?1 dm (range, 0.028–0.47 mg kg^?1) in stipes, and in underlying soil were from 0.035 ± 0.018 to 0.096 ± 0.036 mg kg^?1 dm (range, 0.017 to 0.16 mg kg^?1). The median Qc/s values ranged from 1.2 to 2.2 (mean 1.2 ± 0.4 to 2.1 ± 0.5) indicating that Hg content in stipes was generally lower than in caps. This mushroom species has some potential to bioconcentrate Hg in the fruiting bodies, as the values of the bioconcentration factor (BCF) varied for the sites between 1.2 ± 0.6 to 11 ± 5 for caps and 0.61 ± 0.26 to 7.4 ± 3.9 for stipes. Also available literature data on Hg in A. vaginata are reviewed and discussed.     

Concentration and dissipation of chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam residues in maize straw,maize, and soil

To study the dissipation rates and final residual levels of chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam in maize straw, maize, and soil, two independent field trials were conducted during the 2014 cropping season in Beijing and Anhui Provinces of China. A 40% wettable powder (20% chlorantraniliprole?+?20% thiamethoxam) was sprayed onto maize straw and soil at an application rate of 118 g of active ingredient per hectare (g a.i.ha^?1). The residual concentrations were determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The chlorantraniliprole half-lives in maize straw and soil were 9.0–10.8 and 9.5–21.7 days, respectively. The thiamethoxam half-lives in maize straw and soil were 8.4–9.8 and 4.3–11.7 days, respectively. The final residues of chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam in maize straw, maize, and soil were measured after the pesticides had been sprayed two and three times with an interval of 7 days using 1 and 1.5 times the recommended rate (72 g a.i. ha^?1 and 108 g a.i. ha^?1, respectively). Representative maize straw, maize, and soil samples were collected after the last treatment at pre-harvest intervals of 7, 14, and 28 days. The chlorantraniliprole residue was below 0.01 mg kg^?1 in maize, between 0.01 and 0.31 mg kg^?1 in maize straw, and between 0.03 and 1.91 mg kg^?1 in soil. The thiamethoxam residue concentrations in maize, maize straw, and soil were <0.01, <0.01, and 0.01–0.03 mg kg^?1, respectively. The final pesticide residues on maize were lower than the maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.02 mg kg^?1 after a 14-day pre-harvest interval. Therefore, a dosage of 72 g a.i. ha^?1 was recommended, as it can be considered safe to human beings and animals.     

Lead accumulation and elimination in tissues of Prussian carp, Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782), after long-term dietary exposure, and depuration periods

We studied the bioaccumulation of lead in selected tissues of Prussian carp Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782) during 12 and 24 months exposure to different doses of this metal in feed and the elimination of lead from tissues during the following 12-month depuration period. Lead concentration was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry method. The highest lead concentrations were observed at 2.0?±?0.54 to 7.4?±?1.1 mg?kg^?1 in the kidney, 3.0?±?0.13 to 5.2?±?0.17 mg?kg^?1 in the bone, and 4.5 (±0.4)?mg?kg^?1 in the hepatopancreas of fish from groups exposed to lead dietary concentration from 8 to 49 mg?kg^?1 for 24 months. The rate of accumulation were generally the highest at the beginning of exposure as evidenced by the highest monthly increments of bioaccumulation observed after 3 months of contamination for muscles, hepatopancreatic gland, intestine, and gills. Also analysis of the monthly increments of lead bioaccumulation in bone tissue and the highly significant coefficients of correlation indicate that the dynamics of accumulation are clearly dependent on dose of exposure. Depuration of accumulated lead from the organs depended mainly on tissue and duration of elimination period. Very rapid depuration was observed in soft tissues such as the intestine or muscles. Very low elimination was observed for scales and bones where until the end of the experiment highly significant lead concentration differences were observed in all groups in relation to the control group. Chronic dietary exposure in the range of 8–49 mg Pb?kg^?1 resulted in no significant effects on the growth and survival of Prussian carp females.     

Elemental analysis of the edible fruit of Carpobrotus dimidiatus (from Kwazulu-Natal,South Africa) and the influence of soil quality on its elemental uptake

Abstract

Carpobrotus dimidiatus is an indigenous South African medicinal plant species from the Aizoaceae family that bears edible fruit that is consumed for nutritional value. In this study, the elemental distribution in C. dimidiatus fruit and growth soil from fifteen sites in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) was determined along with soil pH, soil organic matter and cation exchange capacity, to assess for nutritional value and the effect of soil quality on elemental uptake. The results showed elemental concentrations in fruit to be in decreasing order of Ca (6235–32755?mg kg^?1) > Mg (2250–5262?mg kg^?1) > Fe?>?Mn?>?Zn (20.9–50.6?mg kg^?1) > Cu (3.83–20.6?mg kg^?1) > Pb?>?Cr?>?Cd?>?As?～?Co?～?Ni?～?Se and no potential health risk due to metal toxicity from average consumption. For sites that had high levels of Cd and Pb, bioaccumulation occurred from atmospheric deposition. Concentrations of elements in soil were found to be in decreasing order of Fe (1059–63747?mg kg^?1) > Ca (1048–41475?mg kg^?1) > Mg?>?Mn (9.76–174?mg kg^?1) > Cr (1.55–135?mg kg^?1) > Zn (0.76–58.2?mg kg^?1) > Se?>?Cu?>?Ni?>?Pb?>?Co?>?As?～?Cd with no evidence of heavy metal contamination. This study revealed that the plant inherently controlled uptake of essential elements according to physiological needs and that the concentrations of essential elements in the fruit could contribute positively to the diet.     

Phytoscreening and phytoextraction of heavy metals at Danish polluted sites using willow and poplar trees

The main purpose of this study was to determine typical concentrations of heavy metals (HM) in wood from willows and poplars, in order to test the feasibility of phytoscreening and phytoextraction of HM. Samples were taken from one strongly, one moderately, and one slightly polluted site and from three reference sites. Wood from both tree species had similar background concentrations at 0.5 mg kg^?1 for cadmium (Cd), 1.6 mg kg^?1 for copper (Cu), 0.3 mg kg^?1 for nickel (Ni), and 25 mg kg^?1 for zinc (Zn). Concentrations of chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) were below or close to detection limit. Concentrations in wood from the highly polluted site were significantly elevated, compared to references, in particular for willow. The conclusion from these results is that tree coring could be used successfully to identify strongly heavy metal-polluted soil for Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, and that willow trees were superior to poplars, except when screening for Ni. Phytoextraction of HMs was quantified from measured concentration in wood at the most polluted site. Extraction efficiencies were best for willows and Cd, but below 0.5 % over 10 years, and below 1?‰ in 10 years for all other HMs.     

The influence of long-term fertilization on cadmium (Cd) accumulation in soil and its uptake by crops

Continuous application of organic and inorganic fertilizers can affect soil and food quality with respect to heavy metal concentrations. The risk of cadmium (Cd) contamination in a long-term (over 20 years) experimental field in North China with an annual crop rotation of winter wheat and summer maize was investigated. The long-term experiment had a complete randomized block design with seven fertilizer treatments and four replications. The seven fertilizer treatments were (1) organic compost (OM), (2) half organic compost plus half chemical fertilizer (OM?+?NPK), (3) NPK fertilizer (NPK), (4–6) chemical fertilizers without one of the major nutrients (NP, PK, and NK), and (7) an unamended control (CK). Soil samples from 0 to 20 cm were collected in 1989, 1999, and 2009 to characterize Cd and other soil properties. During the past 20 years, various extents of Cd accumulation were observed in the soil, and the accumulation was mainly affected by atmospheric dry and wet deposition and fertilization. In 2009, the average Cd concentration in the soil was 148?±?15 μg kg^?1 and decreased in the order of NPK?≈?OM?+?NKP?≈?PK?>?NP?≈?NK?>?OM?≈?CK. Sequential extraction of Cd showed that the acid-soluble fraction (F1, 32?±?7 %) and the residual fraction (F4, 31?±?5 %) were the dominant fractions of Cd in the soil, followed by the reducible fraction (F2, 22?±?5 %) and oxidizable fraction (F3, 15?±?6 %). The acid-soluble Cd fraction in the soil and Cd accumulation in the crops increased with soil plant available K. Fraction F3 was increased by soil organic C (SOC) and crop yields, but SOC reduced the uptake of soil Cd by crops. The long-term P fertilization resulted in more Cd buildup in the soil than other treatments, but the uptake of Cd by crops was inhibited by the precipitation of Cd with phosphate in the soil. Although soil Cd was slightly increased over the 20 years of intensive crop production, both soil and grain/kernel Cd concentrations were still below the national standards for environmental and food safety.     

Antibiotic uptake by plants from manure-amended soils

Antibiotics are extensively given to livestock to promote growth and reduce diseases. Therefore, animal manure often contains antibiotics. Once manure is applied to agricultural land to improve soil productivity, crops would be exposed to antibiotics which may persist in soils from a few to several hundred days. The objective of this study was to evaluate the uptake of gentamicin and streptomycin by carrot (Daucus carota), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and radish (Rhaphanus sativus) from manure-amended soil. The treatments were 0, 0.5 and 1 mg of antibiotic kg^?1 of soil. Two pot experiments were carried out in the greenhouse. The first was conducted on the three crops and the second exclusively on radish. In radish, the increase in the concentrations of gentamicin was significant between the 0 and both of 0.5 and 1.0 mg kg^?1 treatments, but not significant between the 0.5 and 1.0 mg kg^?1. The average values were 35.5, 60.0 and 57.4 μg kg^?1 for the 0, 0.5 and 1 mg kg^?1 rates, respectively. However, the increase in streptomycin concentration in radish was not significant between the three treatments, and the average values were, 12.1, 15.2 and 17.4 μg kg^?1 for the 0, 0.5 and 1 mg kg^?1 rates, respectively. In carrot roots and lettuce leaves no significant increase in the concentrations of gentamicin or streptomycin was observed between the treatments. The three crops absorbed relatively higher amounts of gentamicin (small molecule) than streptomycin (large molecule). Generally the levels of antibiotics in plant tissue increased with increasing the antibiotic concentration in the manure (1 mg kg^?1 > 0.5 mg kg^?1).     

Assessment of the ecological security of immobilized enzyme remediation process with biological indicators of soil health

This study used the enzymes extracted from an atrazine-degrading strain, Arthrobacter sp. DNS10, which had been immobilized by sodium alginate to rehabilitate atrazine-polluted soil. Meanwhile, a range of biological indices were selected to assess the ecological health of contaminated soils and the ecological security of this bioremediation method. The results showed that there was no atrazine detected in soil samples after 28 days in EN?+?AT (the soil containing atrazine and immobilized enzyme) treatment. However, the residual atrazine concentration of the sample in AT (the soil containing atrazine only) treatment was about 5.02?±?0.93 mg?kg^?1. These results suggest that the immobilized enzyme exhibits an excellent ability in atrazine degradation. Furthermore, the immobilized enzyme could relieve soil microbial biomass carbon and soil microbial respiration intensity to 772.33?±?34.93 mg?C?kg^?1 and 5.01?±?0.17 mg?CO₂?g^?1?soil?h^?1, respectively. The results of the polymerase chain reaction–degeneration gradient gel electrophoresis experiment indicated that the immobilized enzyme also could make the Shannon–Wiener index and evenness index of the soil sample increase from 1.02 and 0.74 to 1.51 and 0.84, respectively. These results indicated that the immobilized enzymes not only could relieve the impact from atrazine on the soil, but also revealed that the immobilized enzymes did no significant harm on the soil ecological health.     

Distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in tailings,soils, and plants around Gol-E-Gohar iron mine,a case study in Iran

This study investigated the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) including Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn in 102 soils (in the Near and Far areas of the mine), 7 tailings, and 60 plant samples (shoots and roots of Artemisia sieberi and Zygophylum species) collected at the Gol-E-Gohar iron ore mine in Iran. The elemental concentrations in tailings and soil samples (in Near and Far areas) varied between 7.4 and 35.8 mg kg^?1 for As (with a mean of 25.39 mg kg^?1 for tailings), 7.9 and 261.5 mg kg^?1 (mean 189.83 mg kg^?1 for tailings) for Co, 17.7 and 885.03 mg kg^?1 (mean 472.77 mg kg^?1 for tailings) for Cu, 12,500 and 400,000 mg kg^?1 (mean 120,642.86 mg kg^?1 for tailings) for Fe, and 28.1 and 278.1 mg kg^?1 (mean 150.29 mg kg^?1 for tailings) for Ni. A number of physicochemical parameters and pollution index for soils were determined around the mine. Sequential extractions of tailings and soil samples indicated that Fe, Cr, and Co were the least mobile and that Mn, Zn, Cu, and As were potentially available for plants uptake. Similar to soil, the concentration of Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn in plant samples decreased with the distance from the mining/processing areas. Data on plants showed that metal concentrations in shoots usually exceeded those in roots and varied significantly between the two investigated species (Artemisia sieberi > Zygophylum). All the reported results suggest that the soil and plants near the iron ore mine are contaminated with PTEs and that they can be potentially dispersed in the environment via aerosol transport and deposition.     

Effects of high dose copper on plant growth and mineral nutrient (Zn,Fe, Mg,K, Ca) uptake in spinach

Loessal soil is one of the main cultivated soils in northwest China. Part of its distribution area was irrigated with industrial wastewater in past three decades. This caused heavy metal contamination in the soil. It had induced toxicity on crops and also threatened local human health for now. Based on a field plot experiment, effects of different Cu concentrations (from 45 to 2000 mg kg^?1) in loessal soil on spinach plant growth and uptake of mineral nutrients (Zn, Fe, Mg, K, and Ca) by spinach were investigated. The Cu addition increased available concentrations of mineral nutrients in loessal soil and concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mg, and Ca in roots. The translocation of mineral nutrients from roots to leaves was inhibited under Cu addition, inducing their decrease in leaves. The EC₁₀ and EC₅₀ of soil Cu in relative dry weights of leaves were 240.33 mg kg^?1 and 1205.04 mg kg^?1, respectively. The PLS-PM analysis showed that available concentrations of nutrients in soil were only affected by Cu in soil positively, nutrients in roots were mainly affected by Cu in soil and Cu in leaves positively, nutrients in leaves were mainly affected by Cu in roots negatively, translocation of nutrients in spinach and plant growth were principally affected by Cu in leaves negatively, and the total effect of Cu in leaves on nutrients in roots and leaves, translocation of nutrients in spinach, and plant growth was the highest. Our results indicated that the phytotoxicity of Cu including spinach growth inhibition and mineral disorder in spinach was mainly affected by the Cu concentrations in leaves.

     

Bioremediation of Cd and carbendazim co-contaminated soil by Cd-hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii associated with carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains

The objective of this study was to develop a bioremediation strategy for cadmium (Cd) and carbendazim co-contaminated soil using a hyperaccumulator plant (Sedum alfredii) combined with carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Paracoccus sp., Flavobacterium and Pseudomonas sp.). A pot experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions for 180 days with S. alfredii and/or carbendazim-degrading strains grown in soil artificially polluted with two levels of contaminants (low level, 1 mg kg^?1 Cd and 21 mg kg^?1 carbendazim; high level, 6 mg kg^?1 Cd and 117 mg kg^?1 carbendazim). Cd removal efficiencies were 32.3–35.1 % and 7.8–8.2 % for the low and high contaminant level, respectively. Inoculation with carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains significantly (P?<?0.05) increased Cd removal efficiencies at the low level. The carbendazim removal efficiencies increased by 32.1–42.5 % by the association of S. alfredii with carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains, as compared to control, regardless of contaminant level. Cultivation with S. alfredii and inoculation of carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains increased soil microbial biomass, dehydrogenase activities and microbial diversities by 46.2–121.3 %, 64.2–143.4 %, and 2.4–24.7 %, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis revealed that S. alfredii stimulated the activities of Flavobacteria and Bradyrhizobiaceae. The association of S. alfredii with carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains enhanced the degradation of carbendazim by changing microbial activity and community structure in the soil. The results demonstrated that association of S. alfredii with carbendazim-degrading bacterial strains is promising for remediation of Cd and carbendazim co-contaminated soil.     

Characterization of Cd-, Pb-, Zn-resistant endophytic Lasiodiplodia sp. MXSF31 from metal accumulating Portulaca oleracea and its potential in promoting the growth of rape in metal-contaminated soils

The aim of this study was to characterize the features of a Cd-, Pb-, and Zn-resistant endophytic fungus Lasiodiplodia sp. MXSF31 and to investigate the potential of MXSF31 to remove metals from contaminated water and soils. The endophytic fungus was isolated from the stem of Portulaca oleracea growing in metal-contaminated soils. The maximum biosorption capacities of MXSF31 were 3.0?×?10³, 1.1?×?10⁴, and 1.3?×?10⁴ mg kg^?1 for Cd, Pb, and Zn, respectively. The biosorption processes of Cd, Pb, and Zn by MXSF31 were well characterized with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The biosorption isotherm processes of Pb and Zn by the fungus were fitted better with the Langmuir model, while the biosorption processes of Cd was better fitted with the Freundlich model. The biosorption process of MXSF31 was attributed to the functional groups of hydroxyl, amino, carbonyl, and benzene ring on the cell wall. The active biomass of the strain removed more Cd, Pb, and Zn (4.6?×?10⁴, 5.6?×?10⁵, and 7.0?×?10⁴ mg kg^?1, respectively) than the dead biomass. The inoculation of MXSF31 increased the biomass of rape (Brassica napus L.), the translocation factor of Cd, and the extraction amount of Cd by rape in the Cd?+?Pb-contaminated soils. The results indicated that the endophytic fungus strain had the potential to remove heavy metals from water and soils contaminated by multiple heavy metals, and plants accumulating multiple metals might harbor diverse fungi suitable for bioremediation of contaminated media.     

Development,validation, and application of a method for the GC-MS analysis of fipronil and three of its degradation products in samples of water,soil, and sediment

A method for the identification and quantification of pesticide residues in water, soil, and sediment samples has been developed, validated, and applied for the analysis of real samples. The specificity was determined by the retention time and the confirmation and quantification of analyte ions. Linearity was demonstrated over the concentration range of 20 to 120 µg L^?1, and the correlation coefficients varied between 0.979 and 0.996, depending on the analytes. The recovery rates for all analytes in the studied matrix were between 86% and 112%. The intermediate precision and repeatability were determined at three concentration levels (40, 80, and 120 µg L^?1), with the relative standard deviation for the intermediate precision between 1% and 5.3% and the repeatability varying between 2% and 13.4% for individual analytes. The limits of detection and quantification for fipronil, fipronil sulfide, fipronil-sulfone, and fipronil-desulfinyl were 6.2, 3.0, 6.6, and 4.0 ng L^?1 and 20.4, 9.0, 21.6, and 13.0 ng L^?1, respectively. The method developed was used in water, soil, and sediment samples containing 2.1 mg L^?1 and 1.2% and 5.3% of carbon, respectively. The recovery of pesticides in the environmental matrices varied from 88.26 to 109.63% for the lowest fortification level (40 and 100 µg kg^?1), from 91.17 to 110.18% for the intermediate level (80 and 200 µg kg^?1), and from 89.09 to 109.82% for the highest fortification level (120 and 300 µg kg^?1). The relative standard deviation for the recovery of pesticides was under 15%.     

Residues of carbosulfan and its metabolites carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran in rice field ecosystem in China

The fate of carbosulfan (seed treatment dry powder) was studied in rice field ecosystem, and a simple and reliable analytical method was developed for determination of carbosulfan, carbofuran, and 3-hydroxyl carbofuran in brown rice, rice straw, paddy water, and soil. The target compounds were extracted using acetonitrile or dichloromethane, cleaned up on acidic alumina or florisil solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge, and analyzed by gas chromatography. The average recoveries of carbosulfan, carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran in brown rice, rice straw, paddy water, and soil ranged from 72.71% to 105.07%, with relative standard deviations of 2.00–8.80%. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) of carbosulfan, carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran in the samples (brown rice, rice straw, paddy water and soil) were 0.011, 0.0091, 0.014, 0.010 mg kg^?1, 0.016, 0.019, 0.025, 0.013 mg kg^?1, and 0.031, 0.039, 0.035, 0.036 mg kg^?1, respectively. The trials results showed that the half-lives of carbosulfan, carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran in rice straw were 4.0, 2.6 days, 3.9, 6.0 days, and 5.8, 7.0 days in Zhejiang and Hunan, respectively. Carbosulfan, carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran were detected in soils. Carbosulfan and 3-hydroxy carbofuran were almost undetectable in paddy water. Carbofuran was detected in paddy water. The final residues of carbosulfan, carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran in brown rice were lower than 0.05 mg kg^?1, which were lower than 0.5 mg kg^?1 (MRL of carbosulfan) or 0.1 mg kg^?1 (MRL of carbofuran). Therefore, a dosage of 420 g active ingredient per 100 kg seed was recommended, which could be considered as safe to human beings and animals. These would contribute to provide the scientific basis of using this insecticide.     

Variations of arsenic species content in edible Boletus badius growing at polluted sites over four years

The content of arsenic (As) in mushrooms can vary depending on the concentration level of this metalloid in the soil/substrate. The present study evaluated the content of arsenic in Boletus badius fruiting bodies collected from polluted and non-polluted sites in relation to the content of this element in overgrown substrate. It was found that mushrooms from the arsenic-polluted sites contained mean concentrations from 49 to 450 mg As kg^?1 dry matter (d.m.), with the greatest content found for specimens growing in close proximity of sludge deposits (490±20 mg As kg^?1d.m.). The mean content of total arsenic in mushrooms from clean sites ranged from 0.03 to 0.37 mg kg^?1 It was found that B. badius could tolerate arsenic in soil substrate at concentrations of up to 2500 mg kg^?1, at least. In different years of investigation, shifts in particular arsenic forms, as well as a general increase in the accumulation of organic arsenic content, were observed. The results of this study clearly indicate that B. badius should not be collected for culinary purposes from any sites that may be affected by pollution.