Ein kompetitiver Immunoassay zur Bestimmung des Herbizids Fluazifop in Trink- und Grundwasser

A Competitive Immunoassay for the Determination of the Herbicide Fluazifop in Drinking Water and Groundwater A competitive solid-phase enzyme immunoassay using rabbit polyclonal antibodies was developed for the detection of the herbicide fluazifop [(RS)-2-[4-(5-trifluoromethyl-2-pyridyloxy)phenoxy]propionic acid] in drinking water and groundwater. Present regulatory limits for drinking water in Germany were taken as the critical level. The carrier protein was bovine serum albumin; horseradish peroxidase was used as marker enzyme with 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine as substrate. A high concentration of high-affinity antibodies in the serum, optimization of test conditions (antibody and enzyme tracer concentration, incubation time etc.), and very low cross reactivities to substances of similar structures led to a highly sensitive and specific ELISA with a detection limit below 0.1 μg/L for fluazifop as free acid. On testing the suitability of the assay's use as a screening test with one hundred drinking-water samples, the three samples which had been spiked in the laboratory were recognized as positive with respect to their fluazifop content. Confirmation by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed the test results of two other samples to be false positive. False negative results did not appear. The concentration was in the detection limit region of 0.1 μg/L.     

“Transgenic treadmill”: Responses to the emergence and spread of glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass in Argentina

The broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate has become the largest-selling crop-protection product worldwide. The increased use of glyphosate is associated with the appearance of a growing number of tolerant or resistant weeds, with socio-environmental consequences apart from the loss of productivity. In 2002, a glyphosate-resistant biotype of johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.)) appeared in Argentina and now covers at least 10,000 ha. This paper analyzes the driving forces behind the emergence and spread of this weed and also examines management responses and their implications.Preventive strategies against glyphosate-resistant johnsongrass fail because of the institutional setting. Reactive measures, however, transfer the risks to the society and the environment through the introduction of novel genetically modified crops that allow the use of yet more herbicide. This in turn reinforces the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds, constituting a new phenomenon of intensification, the “transgenic treadmill”.     

雷州半岛旱地蔗田杂草调查及化学除草技术研究

对雷州半岛旱地蔗田杂草进行2a的调查,结果表明,全年共有18科48种杂草相继发生为害,以禾本科、菊科、莎草科和苋科为主。并经过杂草防除试验,分析了除草剂的使用方法。     

Estuarine phytoplankton group-specific responses to sublethal concentrations of the agricultural herbicide,atrazine

Atrazine is a common agricultural herbicide that is readily transported into estuaries through surface water runoff. In this study, we determined the short-term (24-48 h) sublethal effects of atrazine on estuarine phytoplankton biomass and community composition. Phytoplankton group-specific responses to atrazine exposure (25 microgh(-1)) were measured using natural water samples collected from two locations in Galveston Bay, Texas. Addition bioassays, coupled with HPLC pigment analysis, were used to quantify changes in the relative abundances of algal groups. For all algal groups except prasinophytes, the addition of atrazine in combination with nitrate was not significantly different from nitrate additions alone. These results suggest no significant negative effect of atrazine on phytoplankton under the specified environmental conditions for the bioassays. Although low concentrations of atrazine may have minimal impacts on phytoplankton, herbicide loadings need to be further characterized before generalizations can be applied to estuarine and coastal ecosystems.     

Bensulfuron‐methyl Biodegradation and Microbial Parameters in a Riparian Soil as Affected by Simulated Saltwater Incursion

Soil salinization due to saltwater incursion, is a major threat to microbial population and thus strongly alters biogeochemical processes in a freshwater riparian of coastal estuary region. An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of simulated saltwater treatments with different percentages of artificial seawater on biodegradation dynamics of herbicide bensulfuron‐methyl (BSM) and microbial ecophysiological parameters in a riparian soil in Chongming Island, China. The results showed that saltwater addition with 10% seawater significantly increased the biodegradation efficiency of BSM with the lowest residual concentration among all the treatments. However, BSM degradation was markedly decreased in the riparian soil with high levels of saltwater treatment. The half‐lives for 20% and 50% seawater treatments were prolonged by 4.9% and 21.1%, respectively, as compared to no saltwater treatment. Throughout the incubation period, 10% seawater treatment showed significantly stimulating effects on microbial parameters in the BSM‐spiked riparian soil. At the end of incubation experiment, flourescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis rate, soil microbial adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and basal soil respiration (BSR) in the BSM‐spiked riparian soil with 10% seawater were 64.2%, 48.9%, and 39.4% higher than those with no saltwater treatment, respectively. In contrast, saltwater treatment with 50% seawater significantly inhibited microbial activities, relative to no saltwater treatment. Especially, FDA hydrolysis rate, microbial ATP, and BSR were decreased by 74.1%, 69.8%, and 63.4%, respectively, as compared to no saltwater treatment. Our data indicate that different levels of simulated saltwater incursion can exert variable effects on microbial ecophysiological parameters, and consequently resulted in the difference in biodegradation dynamics of herbicide in the herbicide‐spiked riparian soil.     

RANK-ORDER ANALYSIS FOR ROBUST MULTIRESPONSE,MULTIBLOCK COMPARISONS:EVALUATION OF HERBICIDE INTERACTIONS

Studies of interactions among bioactive compounds are often difficult to interpret unambiguously.A priori assumptions about the nature of such interactions can seriously distort analysis of the data.Byapplying a rank order analysis appropriate to the naturally ordinal scale of response to xenobiotic insult,several co-herbicides were successfully identified from among numerous candidates in an experimentinvolving multiple blocks,rates and species.Moreover,underlying herbicide interactions weresubstantiated and identified which were not apparent by more traditional parametric analysis.     

Additive toxicity of herbicide mixtures and comparative sensitivity of tropical benthic microalgae

Natural waters often contain complex mixtures of unknown contaminants potentially posing a threat to marine communities through chemical interactions. Here, acute effects of the photosystem II-inhibiting herbicides diuron, tebuthiuron, atrazine, simazine, and hexazinone, herbicide breakdown products (desethyl-atrazine (DEA) and 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA)) and binary mixtures, were investigated using three tropical benthic microalgae; Navicula sp. and Cylindrotheca closterium (Ochrophyta) and Nephroselmis pyriformis (Chlorophyta), and one standard test species, Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Ochrophyta), in a high-throughput Maxi-Imaging-PAM bioassay (Maxi-IPAM). The order of toxicity was; diuron > hexazinone > tebuthiuron > atrazine > simazine > DEA > 3,4-DCA for all species. The tropical green alga N. pyriformis was up to 10-fold more sensitive than the diatoms tested here and reported for coral symbionts, and is recommended as a standard tropical test species for future research. All binary mixtures exhibited additive toxicity, and the use of herbicide equivalents (HEq) is therefore recommended in order to incorporate total-maximum-load measures for environmental regulatory purposes.     

Rapid Determination of Polar Herbicides in Soil Samples Using Accelerated Ultrasonic Extraction (AUE) in Combination with Dispersion and In-situ Derivatization

An effective novel ultrasonic extraction procedure coupled with gas chromatography and negative chemical ionization mass spectroscopy has been developed for quantitative recovery of polar herbicides in soil. This rapid one-step sample preparation methodology was named accelerated ultrasonic extraction (AUE), and is based on elevated temperatures, increased power and dispersing intimate contact. Simultaneously, in-situ derivatization was achieved by the addition of derivatization reagent, chelating agent and dispersing agent. The extraction efficiency was enhanced by the multiple applied force and elevated ultrasonic temperature. The in-situ derivatization efficiency was enhanced considerably by the use of ultrasonic energy. Dozens of samples can be extracted simultaneously with this method. The sensitivity was improved because of the remarkable reduced background noise achieved using GC-MS in negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode. The amount of reagent and various ultrasonic parameters, such as ultrasonic energy, ultrasonic time and ultrasonic temperature, were optimized. The reproducibility of replicate soil extraction determination of 9 herbicides in different matrix samples and at different concentrations (n=7) was in the range of 4.9-12.6% of the relative standard deviation. The obtained LOD values ranged between 0.02-0.37 g/kg for all herbicides. Here, we present an improved ultrasonic extraction procedure, which we have termed AUE, can serve as a rigorous high efficiency preparation methodology for polar organic contaminants and can be applied to solid sample pre-treatment extensively     

An in vitro procedure for evaluation of early stage oxidative stress in an established fish cell line applied to investigation of PHAH and pesticide toxicity

Oxidative stress by increased production of reactive oxygen species such as superoxide has been implicated in the toxicity of PCB's and non-target toxicity of many pesticides. We report the development of a microplate-based method for determination of early stage oxidative stress using an established cell line (EPC) from a skin tumour of carp Cyprinus carpio L. and 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H(2)-DCFDA) as a fluorescent probe for detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Sublethal concentrations of the herbicide Paraquat, an established redox cycling agent and a crude PCB mixture, Arochlor 1254 elicited a linear increase in ROS formation over 2 h exposure which was some 45- and 10-fold higher, respectively, than attributable to basal respiration, confirming the suitability and response of the test system. Whilst in vivo studies in mammals have implicated early stage oxidative stress in the toxicity of pesticides, we did not observe an increase in ROS production after exposure of EPC cells to sublethal concentrations of Carbaryl, 2,4-DDT, Lindane or Malathion implying that this is not the causative mechanism of acute toxicity in this fish cell line. The apparent involvement of oxidative stress in their mammalian toxicity may therefore be an indirect effect or dependent upon compound metabolism.