Phytomanagement of a Lead-Polluted Shooting Range Using an Aromatic Plant Species and Its Effects on the Rhizosphere Bacterial Diversity and Essential Oil Production.

This field study aimed to assess the baseline conditions of a long-term shooting range in Argentina polluted with 428 mg kg-1 lead (Pb) to evaluate the establishment and development of Helianthus petiolaris plants and address the efficacy of the phytomanagement strategy through: (i) element accumulation in plant tissues; (ii) rhizosphere bacterial diversity changes by Illumina Miseq™, and (iii) floral water and essential oil yield, composition, and element concentration by GC-MS and ICP. After one life cycle growing in the polluted sites, in the roots of Helianthus petiolaris plants, Pb concentration was between 195 and 304 mg kg-1 Pb. Only a limited fraction of the Pb was translocated to the aerial parts. The predominance of the genus Serratia in the rhizosphere of Helianthus petiolaris plants cultivated in the polluted sites and the decrease in the essential oil yield were some effects significantly associated with soil Pb concentration. No detectable Pb concentration was found in the floral water and essential oil obtained. Extractable Pb concentration in the soil reduced between 28% and 45% after the harvest.

Efecto del glifosato sobre la microbiota, calidad del suelo y cultivo de frijol biofortificado en el departamento del Cesar, Colombia / Effect of glyphosate on microbiota, soil quality and biofortified bean crop in Codazzi, department of Cesar, Colombia

Resumen Las estrategias en seguridad alimentaria con cultivos de alto contenido nutricionaldeben enmarcarse en prácticas agrícolas sostenibles, orientadas a la conservación del suelo, elalto rendimiento y la inocuidad. Esta última característica implica la producción de alimentos sintrazas detectables de agroquímicos, los que podrían amenazar la salud del consumidor. Se des-arrolló un estudio con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto del herbicida glifosato sobre la fertilidadquímica y microbiológica del suelo, así como su residualidad en la semilla de frijol biofortificadocultivado en el departamento de Cesar, Colombia. La metodología comprendió un análisis corre-lacional de indicadores de calidad de suelo, rendimiento del cultivo y residualidad en los granos.Los tratamientos evaluados incluyeron la aplicación o no de glifosato, el uso de coberturas sin-téticas (mulch) o naturales, frente al control manual de las malezas. Se hallaron diferenciasde rendimiento y de la respuesta de los indicadores químicos y microbiológicos en función deltratamiento y las condiciones iniciales de la rizósfera de frijol. La aplicación del herbicida glifo-sato en suelo sin mulch generó una disminución del 29% en el rendimiento, asociada a la mayorprevalencia de plagas y enfermedades fúngicas. En ninguno de los tratamientos con aplicaciónde glifosato se observó residualidad de este herbicida en semillas, pero sí de otras moléculasderivadas de insecticidas usados en el sistema local de producción. De este estudio se concluyóque en lotes de frijol biofortificado con alta presión de la maleza Cyperus rotundus (coquito), se recomienda el uso del herbicida glifosato acompañado de mulch como alternativa para mantener la productividad en el tiempo. Esto constituye un sistema de protección frente al efectonegativo del herbicida sobre ambos, el sistema radical de la planta y la microbiota del suelo.© 2019 Asociacion Argentina de Microbiologıa. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. Este es un artıculo Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-ND (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Abstract Strategies aimed at achieving food safety in crops of high nutritional value shouldbe carried out through sustainable agricultural practices aimed at soil conservation, high yieldand food safety. This latter characteristic implies food production without detectable tracesof agrochemicals that threaten health. The objective of this study was to assess the effect ofthe herbicide glyphosate on the chemical and biological fertility of the soil and to determineits residual activity on biofortified bean seeds in Codazzi, Department of Cesar, Colombia. Themethod included a correlational analysis of soil quality, crop yield and residuality in bean grains.The treatments included glyphosate application and synthetic and natural mulches, comparedto manual control. The results showed differences in the response of chemical, microbiologicaland yield indicators between treatments and the initial conditions of the bean rhizosphere. Theuse of the herbicide glyphosate in mulch-free soil generates yield losses of 29% associated witha higher incidence of pests and fungal diseases; in all treatments, no glyphosate residualitywas detected in seeds; however, residuality was detected in other molecules derived frominsecticides associated with the local production system. In conclusion, in plots with high weedpressure by Cyperus rotundus, the use of mulch is recommended as an alternative to maintainbean productivity over time; by offering protection against the effect of the herbicide on boththe root system of the plant and the soil microbiota of the biofortified bean crop.© 2019 Asociaci´on Argentina de Microbiolog´ıa. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is anopen access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

[Effect of glyphosate on microbiota, soil quality and biofortified bean crop in Codazzi, department of Cesar, Colombia]. / Efecto del glifosato sobre la microbiota, calidad del suelo y cultivo de frijol biofortificado en el departamento del Cesar, Colombia.

Strategies aimed at achieving food safety in crops of high nutritional value should be carried out through sustainable agricultural practices aimed at soil conservation, high yield and food safety. This latter characteristic implies food production without detectable traces of agrochemicals that threaten health. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the herbicide glyphosate on the chemical and biological fertility of the soil and to determine its residual activity on biofortified bean seeds in Codazzi, Department of Cesar, Colombia. The method included a correlational analysis of soil quality, crop yield and residuality in bean grains. The treatments included glyphosate application and synthetic and natural mulches, compared to manual control. The results showed differences in the response of chemical, microbiological and yield indicators between treatments and the initial conditions of the bean rhizosphere. The use of the herbicide glyphosate in mulch-free soil generates yield losses of 29% associated with a higher incidence of pests and fungal diseases; in all treatments, no glyphosate residuality was detected in seeds; however, residuality was detected in other molecules derived from insecticides associated with the local production system. In conclusion, in plots with high weed pressure by Cyperus rotundus, the use of mulch is recommended as an alternative to maintain bean productivity over time; by offering protection against the effect of the herbicide on both the root system of the plant and the soil microbiota of the biofortified bean crop.

Antimicrobial activity of Cymbopogon citratus (Poaceae) on Streptococcus mutans biofilm and its cytotoxic effects

Resumen La caries dental, es una patología de origen multifactorial y actualmente los productos naturales son un tratamiento alternativo eficiente. El trabajo buscó evaluar la actividad antimicrobiana del aceite esencial de tres sustancias (Cymbopogon citratus y los componentes citral y mirceno) contra Streptococcus mutans ATCC UA159, así como su citotoxicidad sobre queratinocitos y fibroblastos humanos. A través de Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido, se observó la morfología típica de S. mutans, y una formación característica de polisacáridos, con una disposición más estructurada a las 48 h. El efecto de viabilidad bacteriana contra S. mutans en biofilms se evaluó a través de la exposición a las tres sustancias mediante el uso de la técnica de alto rendimiento MBEC, a concentraciones de 1, 0.1 y 0.01 μg/ml y clorhexidina como control positivo. La citotoxicidad de los compuestos se evaluó sobre queratinocitos y fibroblastos, mediante la técnica de reducción de MTT, utilizando 0.5 mM de H2O2 como control de muerte celular (control negativo) y etanol 1 % como control del vehículo (control positivo). Las tres sustancias evaluadas, tuvieron efectos sobre la viabilidad bacteriana de S. mutans con una mortalidad entre 74 y 96 %, sin diferencia significativa entre ellos (P > 0.393); adicionalmente, no fue evidente la citotoxicidad sobre queratinocitos y fibroblastos en un tratamiento de 24 h. Las sustancias evaluadas mostraron efectos antimicrobianos significativos; por lo tanto, estos deben estudiarse más a fondo como posibles coadyuvantes para prevenir la caries dental que causa efectos adversos menores.(AU)

Abstract Dental caries is a pathology of multifactorial origin and currently natural products are an efficient alternative treatment. The work sought to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the three substances (Cymbopogon citratus essential oil and the citral and myrcene components) against Streptococcus mutans ATCC UA159, as well as their cytotoxicity on keratinocytes and human fibroblasts. Through Scanning electron microscopy, the typical morphology of S. mutans was observed and, a characteristic formation of polysaccharides, with more structured arrangement at 48 h. The bacterial viability effect against S. mutans on biofilms was evaluated through exposure to the three substances by using the MBEC technique-high-throughput at concentrations of 1, 0.1, and 0.01 µg/mL and chlorhexidine as positive control. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was evaluated on keratinocytes and fibroblasts through the MTT reduction technique, using 0.5 mM H2O2 as cell-death control (negative control) and ethanol 1 % as vehicle control (positive control). The three substances evaluated had effects on the bacterial viability of S. mutans with mortality between 74 and 96 %, without significant difference among them (P > 0.393); additionally, no cytotoxicity was evident on keratinocytes and fibroblasts in a 24 h treatment. The substances evaluated showed significant antimicrobial effects; hence, these should be studied further as potential co-adjuvants to prevent dental caries that cause minor adverse effects.(AU)

Spiking solvent, humidity and their impact on 2,4-D and 2,4-DCP extractability from high humic matter content soils.

The 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a hormone-like herbicide widely used in agriculture. Although its half life in soil is approximately two weeks, the thousands of tons introduced in the environment every year represent a risk for human health and the environment. Considering the toxic properties of this compound and its degradation products, it is important to assess and monitor the 2,4-D residues in agricultural soils. Furthermore, experiments of phyto/bioremediation are carried out to find economic and environmental friendly tools to restore the polluted soils. Accordingly, it is essential to accurately measure the amount of 2,4-D and its metabolites in soils. There is evidence that 2,4-D extraction from soil samples seriously depends on the physical and chemical properties of the soil, especially in those soils with high content of humic acids. The aim of this work was to assess the variables that influence the recovery and subsequent analysis of 2,4-D and its main metabolite (2,4-dichlorophenol) from those soils samples. The results showed that the recovery efficiency depends on the solvent and method used for the extraction, the amount and kind of solvent used for dissolving the herbicide and the soil water content at the moment of spiking. An optimized protocol for the extraction and quantification of 2,4-D and its main metabolite from soil samples is presented.