Rain‐washing of foliar deposits of Dimilin®WP‐25 formulated in four different carrier liquids

Abstract

Dimilin^® WP‐25, a wettable powder formulation of diflubenzuron (DFB) [1‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐3‐(2,6‐difluorobenzoyl) urea], was formulated in four different carrier liquids, viz., water; a light petroleum paraffinic oil, ID 585; a heavy paraffinic oil, Sunspray^® 7N; and a 1:2 mixture of a light petroleum aromatic solvent (Cyclosol^® 63) and canola oil; to provide four end‐use mixtures, Dim‐W, Dim‐585, Dim‐7N and Dim‐Cy‐C respectively, each containing 28 g of DFB per litre. Balsam fir branch tips clipped from greenhouse‐grown seedlings, and sugar maple branch tips clipped from field‐grown young trees, were exposed to uniform‐sized droplets (ranging in diameters from 135 to 190 μm) of the four end‐use mixtures which were atomized using a monodispersed droplet generator. Droplets were collected on the fir and maple branch tips and the initial residue per g fresh weight of foliage was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The branch tips were exposed to cumulative rainfall of 3, 6 and 10 mm at an intensity of 5 mm/h and at time intervals of 1, 12, 36 and 72 h after DFB treatment, to test the influence of ‘ageing’ of foliar residues on rainfastness. Foliar samples were collected for residue determination just before the onset of rainfall, and at 0.5 h post‐rain. DFB was quantified by the HPLC method. In the case of fir foliage, the Dim‐W formulation was the most susceptible to rain‐washing and the rainfastness did not increase with the ageing period of foliar deposits. In contrast, the three oil‐based mixtures showed greater rainfastness depending upon the carrier liquid and the ageing period. Rainfastness decreased in the order of Dim‐Cy‐C > Dim‐7N > Dim‐585 > Dim‐W. In contrast, the data on maple foliage indicated that the ageing of deposits increased the rainfastness of all the 4 end‐use mixtures. Dim‐585 was the most susceptible to rain washing, and rainfastness decreased in the order of Dim‐W > Dim‐Cy‐C > Dim‐7N > Dim‐585.     

Effects of cadium, zinc and lead on soil enzyme activities

Heavy metal （HM） is a major hazard to the soil-plant system. This study investigated the combined effects of cadium （Cd）, zinc （Zn） and lead （Pb） on activities of four enzymes in soil, including calatase, urease, invertase and alkalin phosphatase. HM content in tops of canola and four enzymes activities in soil were analyzed at two months after the metal additions to the soil. Pb was not significantly inhibitory than the other heavy metals for the four enzyme activities and was shown to have a protective role on calatase activity in the combined presence of Cd, Zn and Pb; whereas Cd significantly inhibited the four enzyme activities, and Zn only inhibited urease and calatase activities. The inhibiting effect of Cd and Zn on urease and calatase activities can be intensified significantly by the additions of Zn and Cd. There was a negative synergistic inhibitory effect of Cd and Zn on the two enzymes in the presence of Cd, Zn and Pb. The urease activity was inhibited more by the HM combinations than by the metals alone and reduced approximately 20%--40% of urease activity. The intertase and alkaline phosphatase activities significantly decreased only with the increase of Cd concentration in the soil. It was shown that urease was much more sensitive to HM than the other enzymes. There was a obvious negative correlation between the ionic impulsion of HM in soil, the ionic impulsion of HM in canola plants tops and urease activity. It is concluded that the soil urease activity may be a sensitive tool for assessing additive toxic combination effect on soil biochemical parameters.     

Influence of crop residues on trifluralin mineralization in a silty clay loam soil

Trifluralin is typically applied onto crop residues (trash, stubble) at the soil surface, or onto the bare soil surface after the incorporation of crop residues into the soil. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of the type and amount of crop residues in soil on trifluralin mineralization in a Wellwood silty clay loam soil. Leaves and stubble of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) (P); Canola (Brassica napus) (C), Wheat (Triticum aestivum) (W), Oats (Avena sativa), (O), and Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) (A) were added to soil microcosms at rates of 2%, 4%, 8% and 16% of the total soil weight (25 g). The type and amount of crop residues in soil had little influence on the trifluralin first-order mineralization rate constant, which ranged from 3.57E-03 day^?1 in soil with 16% A to 2.89E-02 day^?1 in soil with 8% W. The cumulative trifluralin mineralization at 113 days ranged from 1.15% in soil with 16% P to 3.21% in soil with 4% C, again demonstrating that the observed differences across the treatments are not of agronomic or environmental importance.     

Fate of 14C-ethyl prothiofos insecticide in canola seeds and oils

Canola plants were treated with ¹⁴C- prohiofos under conditions simulating local agricultural practices. ¹⁴C-residues in seeds were determined at different time intervals. At harvest time about 32 % of ¹⁴C-activity was associated with oil. The methanol soluble ¹⁴C-residues accounted for 12 % of the total seed residues after further seeds extraction, while the cake contained about 49 % of the total residues. About 69 % of the ¹⁴C-activity in the crude oil could be eliminated by simulated commercial processes locally used for oil refining. Chromatographic analysis of crude and refined oil revealed the presence of the parent compound together with three metabolites which were identified as prothiofos oxon, O-ethyl phosphorothioate and O-ethyl S-propyl phosphorothioate, besides one unknown compound. While methanol extract revealed the presence of despropylthio prothiofos and O-ethyl phosphoric acid as free metabolites acid hydrolysis of the conjugated metabolites in the methanol extract yielded 2, 4-dichlorophenole which was detected by color. When rats were fed the extracted cake for 72 hours, the bound residues were found to be bioavailable. The main excretion route was via the expired air (42 %), while the ¹⁴C-residues excreted in urine and feces were 30 % and 11 %, respectively. The radioactivity detected among various organs accounted to 7.5 %.Chromatographic analysis of urine indicated the presence of prothiofos oxon, O-ethyl phosphoric acid and 2, 4-dichlorophenole as main degradation products of prothiofos in free and conjugated form.     

盐胁迫对油菜幼苗生长和光合特征的影响

采用盆栽砂培试验,研究了不同浓度(0、50、100、200、300mmol·L-1)NaCl胁迫10和30d对油菜(Brassica napus)幼苗干质量、叶绿素(Chl)含量、净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)、细胞间CO2浓度(xi)、蒸腾速率(Rt)、水分利用效率(Ew,u)和气孔限制值(Ls)等的影响.结果表明,在NaCl胁迫下,油菜幼苗植株干质量显著降低,长期高盐胁迫下油菜干质量降低更显著;随NaCl浓度的增加,Chl含量、Chl a/Chl b比值均呈先升高后降低的变化趋势,处理10d,Chl含量、Chl a/Chl b比值在NaCl浓度为200mmol·L-1条件下达最大值,处理30d,在NaCl浓度为100mmol·L-1条件下达最大值.在50～100mmol·L-1NaCl胁迫下,油菜叶片的Pn、xi和Ls所受影响均很小;高盐胁迫下,其Pn、Gs、xi和Rt均显著下降,而Ew,u和Ls则显著上升.相关分析显示,植株干质量与Chl含量、Chl a/Chl b比值间无相关性,与Na+、Cl-含量,Ew,u和Ls间呈显著负相关(P＜0.01),与根冠比,K+、Ca2+含量,K+/Na+、Ca2+/Na+比值,K+与Na+的选择性比率[S(K+,Na+)],Ca2+与Na+的选择性比率[S(Ca2+,Na+)],Pn,Gs,xi和Rt间呈显著正相关(P＜0.01).上述结果表明,200mmol·L-1 NaCl胁迫10和30d、300mmol·L-1 NaCl胁迫10d,油菜幼苗光合抑制主要来自气孔限制,而300mmol·L-1 NaCl胁迫30d,气孔限制和非气孔限制在油菜幼苗光合抑制中均具有重要作用.Na+、Cl-、K+、Ca2+含量,Ew,u,Ls,根冠比,K+/Na+、Ca2+/Na+比值,S(K+,Na+),S(Ca2+,Na+),Pn,Gs,xi和Rt均可作为油菜生长盐适应性的评价指标.