Bacterial Community of the Rice Floodwater Using Cultivation-Independent Approaches.

In agricultural systems, interactions between plants and microorganisms are important to maintaining production and profitability. In this study, bacterial communities in floodwaters of rice fields were monitored during the vegetative and reproductive stages of rice plant development using 16S amplicon sequencing. The study was conducted in the south of Brazil, during the crop years 2011/12 and 2012/13. Comparative analyses showed strong differences between the communities of floodwaters associated with the two developmental stages. During the vegetative stage, 1551 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected, while less than half that number (603) were identified in the reproductive stage. The higher bacterial richness observed in floodwater collected during the vegetative stage may have been favored by the higher concentration of nutrients, such as potassium, due to rhizodeposition and fertilizer application. Eighteen bacterial phyla were identified in both samples. Both communities were dominated by Gammaproteobacteria. In the vegetative stage, Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were more abundant and, in contrast, Bacilli and Clostridia were the more dominant classes in the reproductive stage. The major bacterial taxa identified have been previously identified as important colonizers of rice fields. The richness and composition of bacterial communities over cultivation time may contribute to the sustainability of the crop.

Evaluation of the Toxicity of Silver/Silica and Titanium Dioxide Particles in Mammalian Cells

ABSTRACT The increasing concern over the spread of diseases has lead to a high consumption of antimicrobial additives in the medical and industrial fields. Since these particles can lixiviate from loaded materials, the contact between this additive and mammalian cells can occur during manufacture, use and disposal of the products. Silver on fumed silica (AgNP_SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be used as antimicrobial additives that are applied in polymeric formulation. While these additives can inhibit bacteria, fungus and virus proliferation; they may also be harmful to humans. Standard toxicological studies were undertaken using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide), CBPI (cytokinesis-block proliferation index) and micronucleus assay using different sets of additive concentrations. The nanosize of the samples evaluated was confirmed by transmission electronic microscopy. No significant micronucleus frequency increase or cell viability reduction were observed with the exposure of L-929 murine fibroblast cells to AgNP_SiO2 and TiO2 particles at any of the tested concentrations. The non toxic effect of the analyzed particles can be explained by considering its agglomeration tendency, composition, and crystalline form. Further investigations should be done to understand the interference of agglomeration and how it affects the toxicological study.

Diversity of culturable Gram-negative bacteria isolated from irrigation water of two rice crop regions in Southern Brazil.

In this study, we assessed the diversity of Gram-negative bacteria found in water used for irrigation of rice crops in two growing areas of southern Brazil. Samples were collected from the main irrigation channel and field drain area. Twenty-two bacterial species were found in Cachoeirinha and 28 in Camaquã. In both areas, the most frequent bacterial families were Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonadaceae. Differences in microbial diversity were observed in both study areas. Thirty-five Gram-negative species were identified; however, only 15 were common in both locations. In addition, there were found pathogenic and drug-resistant species, such as Acinetobacter sp., Brucella spp., and Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. This study demonstrates the existence of a number of pathogenic species in aquatic ecosystems analyzed in three consecutive crop years, especially water used for rice production.