Nanoparticle applications in agriculture: overview and response of plant-associated microorganisms.

Globally, food security has become a critical concern due to the rise in human population and the current climate change crisis. Usage of conventional agrochemicals to maximize crop yields has resulted in the degradation of fertile soil, environmental pollution as well as human and agroecosystem health risks. Nanotechnology in agriculture is a fast-emerging and new area of research explored to improve crop productivity and nutrient-use efficiency using nano-sized agrochemicals at lower doses than conventional agrochemicals. Nanoparticles in agriculture are applied as nanofertilizers and/or nanopesticides. Positive results have been observed in terms of plant growth when using nano-based agricultural amendments. However, their continuous application may have adverse effects on plant-associated rhizospheric and endospheric microorganisms which often play a crucial role in plant growth, nutrient uptake, and disease prevention. While research shows that the application of nanoparticles has the potential to improve plant growth and yield, their effect on the diversity and function of plant-associated microorganisms remains under-explored. This review provides an overview of plant-associated microorganisms and their functions. Additionally, it highlights the response of plant-associated microorganisms to nanoparticle application and provides insight into areas of research required to promote sustainable and precision agricultural practices that incorporate nanofertilizers and nanopesticides.

Effect of extraction methods on phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of de-kernelled Sclerocarya birrea seeds.

BACKGROUND: Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) is an indigenous African fruit-bearing tree with many commercial uses; however, de-kernelled seeds generated from marula fruit-processing are wasted. The phytochemical constituents of de-kernelled marula seeds have not been investigated previously and its extract/tea may potentially serve as a promising source of antioxidants and phytochemicals. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different extraction methods (maceration and decoction) on the recovery of phenolic compounds, sugars, organic acids, and antioxidants from de-kernelled marula seeds. RESULTS: Extracts produced from decoction for 30 min contained the highest phenolic content (2253.93 ± 25.72 mg gallic acid equivalent kg-1 extract), flavonoid content (1020.99 ± 23.90 mg rutin equivalent kg-1 extract), as well as combined sugars and organic acids (1884.03 mg kg-1 extract). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups typically present in phenolic compounds, sugars, and organic acids in the extracts obtained from decoction. CONCLUSION: The characterization revealed that decoction extraction increased solubility, variety, and yield of phytochemical and antioxidant compounds recovered from de-kernelled marula seeds. The highest concentrations of phytochemicals were obtained using the decoction method. This study may therefore pave the way for extract composition and future utilization of de-kernelled marula seeds in the food industry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Corrigendum to "Development of a GIS-based knowledge hub for contaminants of emerging concern in South African water resources using open-source software: Lessons learnt" [Heliyon 9 (1) (January 2023) Article e13007].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13007.].

Bioaugmentation potential of inoculum derived from anaerobic digestion feedstock for enhanced methane production using water hyacinth.

The utilisation of water hyacinth for production of biogas is considered to be a solution to both its control and the global renewable energy challenge. In this instance, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the potential of water hyacinth inoculum to enhance methane production during anaerobic digestion (AD). Chopped whole water hyacinth (10% (w/v)) was digested to prepare an inoculum consisting mainly of water hyacinth indigenous microbes. The inoculum was incorporated in the AD of freshly chopped whole water hyacinth to set up different ratios of water hyacinth inoculum and water hyacinth mixture with appropriate controls. The results of batch tests with water hyacinth inoculum showed a maximal cumulative volume of 211.67 ml of methane after 29 days of AD as opposed to 88.6 ml of methane generated from the control treatment without inoculum. In addition to improving methane production, inclusion of water hyacinth inoculum reduced the electrical conductivity (EC) values of the resultant digestate, and, amplification of nifH and phoD genes in the digestate accentuates it as a potential soil ameliorant. This study provides an insight into the potential of water hyacinth inoculum to enhance methane production and contribute to the feasibility of the digestate as a soil fertility enhancer.

Development of a GIS-based knowledge hub for contaminants of emerging concern in South African water resources using open-source software: Lessons learnt.

With population growth and dwindling freshwater sources, protecting such sources has come to the forefront of water resource management. Historically, society's response to a problem is based on funding availability, current threat, and public outcry. Achieving this is largely dependent on the knowledge of the factors that are resulting in compromised water sources. These factors are constantly changing as novel contaminants are introduced into surface water sources. As we are in the information age, the interest in contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) is gaining ground. Whilst research is being conducted to identify contaminants in South African water sources, the research outputs and available information is not collated and presented to the science community and stakeholders in readily available formats and platforms. Current research outcomes need to be made known to regulators in order to develop environmental laws. By using fourth industrial revolution technology, we were able to collate available data in literature and display these in a user-friendly online format to regulatory bodies as well as researchers. A standardized excel spreadsheet was developed and uploaded to a PostgreSQL, running a PostGIS extension and was then processed in the GeoServer to allow for visualization on an interactive map which can be continuously updated. The near real-time access to information will reduce the possibility of duplication of research efforts, enhance collaboration in the discipline, and act as a CEC early warning system.

Exploring indigenous freshwater chlorophytes in integrated biophotovoltaic system for simultaneous wastewater treatment, heavy metal biosorption, CO2 biofixation and biodiesel generation.

The study explored the combined photosynthetic activities of two green microalgal species, Tetradesmus obliquus and Tetradesmus reginae, on an integrated biophotovoltaic (BPV) platform for simultaneous wastewater treatment, toxic metal biosorption, carbon biofixation, bioelectricity generation and biodiesel production. The experimental setup comprised of a dual-chambered BPV with copper anode surrounded by T. obliquus in BG11 media, and copper cathode with T. reginae in municipal wastewater separated by Nafion 117 membrane. The study reported a maximum power density of 0.344 Wm-2 at a cell potential of 0.415 V with external resistance of 1000 Ω and 0.3268 V maximum open-circuit voltage. The wastewater electrical conductivity and pH increased from 583 ± 22 to 2035 ± 29.31 mS/cm and 7.403 ± 0.174 to 8.263 ± 0.055 respectively, signifying increased photosynthetic and electrochemical activities. Residual nitrogen, phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead removal efficiencies by T. reginae were 100%, 80.68%, 71.91%, 47.6%, 88.82%, 71.24% and 92.96%, respectively. T. reginae accumulated maximum biomass of 0.605 ± 0.033 g/L with a CO2 biosequestration rate of 0.166 ± 0.010 gCO2/L/day and 42.40 ± 1.166% lipid content. Methyl palmitate, methyl undecanoate and 13-octadecenoic acid with relative abundances of 37.24%, 24.80% and 12.02%, respectively were confirmed.

Draft Genome Sequences of Three Identified Rhizobacteria Associated with Maize Rhizosphere.

In this study, we sequenced the entire genomes of three identified rhizobacterial strains associated with maize plantation. Genome annotation of the sequenced data revealed several putative growth-promoting proteins associated with the production of indoleacetic acids and siderophore, the assimilation of nitrogen, and phosphorus solubilization.

Insights into organic loading rates of anaerobic digestion for biogas production: a review.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production is affected by many factors that includes organic loading rate (OLR). This OLR appears to be closely linked to various other factors and understanding these linkages would therefore allow the sole use of OLR for process performance monitoring, control, as well as reactor design. This review's objective is to collate the various AD factor specific studies, then relate these factors' role in OLR fluctuations. By further analyzing the influence of OLR on the AD performance, it would then be possible, once all the other factors have been determined and fixed, to manage an AD plant by monitoring and controlling OLR only. Decisions on reactor design, process kinetics, biogas yield and process stability can then be made much more quickly and with minimal troubleshooting steps.

The Potential of Single-Cell Oils Derived From Filamentous Fungi as Alternative Feedstock Sources for Biodiesel Production.

Microbial lipids, also known as single-cell oils (SCOs), are highly attractive feedstocks for biodiesel production due to their fast production rates, minimal labor requirements, independence from seasonal and climatic changes, and ease of scale-up for industrial processing. Among the SCO producers, the less explored filamentous fungi (molds) exhibit desirable features such as a repertoire of hydrolyzing enzymes and a unique pellet morphology that facilitates downstream harvesting. Although several oleaginous filamentous fungi have been identified and explored for SCO production, high production costs and technical difficulties still make the process less attractive compared to conventional lipid sources for biodiesel production. This review aims to highlight the ability of filamentous fungi to hydrolyze various organic wastes for SCO production and explore current strategies to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the SCO production and recovery process. The review also highlights the mechanisms and components governing lipogenic pathways, which can inform the rational designs of processing conditions and metabolic engineering efforts for increasing the quality and accumulation of lipids in filamentous fungi. Furthermore, we describe other process integration strategies such as the co-production with hydrogen using advanced fermentation processes as a step toward a biorefinery process. These innovative approaches allow for integrating upstream and downstream processing units, thus resulting in an efficient and cost-effective method of simultaneous SCO production and utilization for biodiesel production.

Whole genome sequence of Serratia marcescens 39_H1, a potential hydrolytic and acidogenic strain.

Here, we report a high quality annotated draft genome of Serratia marcescens 39_H1, a Gram-negative facultative anaerobe that was isolated from an anaerobic digester. The strain exhibited hydrolytic/acidogenic properties by significantly improving methane production when used as a single isolate inoculum during anaerobic digestion of water hyacinth and cow dung. The total genome size of the isolate was 5,106,712 bp which corresponds to an N50 of 267,528 and G + C content of 59.7 %. Genome annotation with the NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline (PGAP) predicted a total of 4,908 genes of which 4,755 were protein coding genes; there were no plasmids detected. A number of genes associated with hydrolytic/acidogenic activities as well as other metabolic activities were identified and discussed.

Insights into the microbial composition and potential efficiency of selected commercial biofertilisers.

This study investigated 13-commercial biofertilisers for their microbial contents and potential functional capabilities using a culture-based approach. Isolates obtained were identified by sequencing the partial I6S rRNA gene and ITS 1 and 2 regions and screened for plant growth-promoting capabilities. A total of 58 bacterial and three fungal isolates were obtained from all biofertilisers, with major genera being Bacillus, Rhizobium, Pseudomonas, Candida and Aspergillus. Five of the biofertilisers had the microbes (all or some) listed in the label detected while eight products had none detected. All the products had more microbes than that declared in the labels, suggesting the presence of potential contaminants. Generally, all the identified microbes, including the potential contaminants, had different beneficial capabilities. Approximately 40% of the isolates showed potential for nitrogen-fixation, while 27% exhibited high phosphate-solubilisation ability. Additionally, 87% of the isolates produced indole acetic acid in the range of 0.1-114.4 µg/mL. High levels of siderophore production were mainly observed amongst Bacillus and Pseudomonas genera. The potential of the microbes, including those not listed in the label, to fix nitrogen and produce acid phosphatase, indole acetic acid and siderophore, was highest in four products. This suggests the products have multiple functional abilities in improving crop productivity. However, other qualities of biofertiliser, such as viable cell count and level of contamination, must always be within the acceptable standards. This will guarantee high product quality as well as efficiency when applied in the field. Overall, the results show that there is a high correlation between microbial compositions and potential capability of biofertilisers for plant-growth promotion.

Biases during DNA extraction affect bacterial and archaeal community profile of anaerobic digestion samples.

The anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste for biogas production has received much attention in recent years due to the increasing need for renewable energy and environmentally friendly waste management systems. Identification of the microbial community involved in AD aids in better understanding and optimising of the process. The choice of DNA extraction method is an integral step in any molecular biodiversity study. In the present study, potential biases introduced by DNA extraction methods were examined by comparing quality, quantity and representability of DNA extracted from AD samples using various extraction methods. In spite of the non-kit based method (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) yielding the largest quantity of DNA (approximately 44 µg DNA per gram dry weight), the extracted DNA contained PCR inhibitors. Furthermore, the quantity of extracted DNA was not proportional to species diversity. Diversity, determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), was strongly linked to the type of extraction method used. The spin-column filter-based kit that incorporated mechanical and chemical lysis (Macherey-Nagel kit) gave the best results in terms of bacterial and archaeal diversity (Shannon-Wiener indices: average 2.5 and 2.6, respectively). Furthermore, this kit was the most effective at lysing hard-to-lyse bacterial and archaeal cells. The choice of DNA extraction method significantly influences the reliability and comparability of results obtained during AD microbial ecology investigations. Moreover, the careful selection of the DNA extraction method is of particular importance when analysing AD samples since these samples are rich in PCR inhibitors and hard-to-lyse cells such as archaea and gram-positive bacteria.