Soil Type Affects Organic Acid Production and Phosphorus Solubilization Efficiency Mediated by Several Native Fungal Strains from Mexico.

Phosphorus (P) is considered a scarce macronutrient for plants in most tropical soils. The application of rock phosphate (RP) has been used to fertilize crops, but the amount of P released is not always at a necessary level for the plant. An alternative to this problem is the use of Phosphorus Solubilizing Microorganisms (PSM) to release P from chemically unavailable forms. This study compared the P sorption capacity of soils (the ability to retain P, making it unavailable for the plant) and the profile of organic acids (OA) produced by fungal isolates and the in vitro solubilization efficiency of RP. Trichoderma and Aspergillus strains were assessed in media with or without RP and different soils (Andisol, Alfisol, Vertisol). The type and amount of OA and the amount of soluble P were quantified, and according to our data, under the conditions tested, significant differences were observed in the OA profiles and the amount of soluble P present in the different soils. The efficiency to solubilize RP lies in the release of OAs with low acidity constants independent of the concentration at which they are released. It is proposed that the main mechanism of RP dissolution is the production of OAs.

Revealing chemophoric sites in organophosphorus insecticides through the MIA-QSPR modeling of soil sorption data.

Soil sorption of insecticides employed in agriculture is an important parameter to probe the environmental fate of organic chemicals. Therefore, methods for the prediction of soil sorption of new agrochemical candidates, as well as for the rationalization of the molecular characteristics responsible for a given sorption profile, are extremely beneficial for the environment. A quantitative structure-property relationship method based on chemical structure images as molecular descriptors provided a reliable model for the soil sorption prediction of 24 widely used organophosphorus insecticides. By means of contour maps obtained from the partial least squares regression coefficients and the variable importance in projection scores, key molecular moieties were targeted for possible structural modification, in order to obtain novel and more environmentally friendly insecticide candidates. The image-based descriptors applied encode molecular arrangement, atoms connectivity, groups size, and polarity; consequently, the findings in this work cannot be achieved by a simple relationship with hydrophobicity, usually described by the octanol-water partition coefficient.

Conformation-Independent QSPR Approach for the Soil Sorption Coefficient of Heterogeneous Compounds.

We predict the soil sorption coefficient for a heterogeneous set of 643 organic non-ionic compounds by means of Quantitative Structure-Property Relationships (QSPR). A conformation-independent representation of the chemical structure is established. The 17,538 molecular descriptors derived with PaDEL and EPI Suite softwares are simultaneously analyzed through linear regressions obtained with the Replacement Method variable subset selection technique. The best predictive three-descriptors QSPR is developed on a reduced training set of 93 chemicals, having an acceptable predictive capability on 550 test set compounds. We also establish a model with a single optimal descriptor derived from CORAL freeware. The present approach compares fairly well with a previously reported one that uses Dragon descriptors.

Effects of zinc addition to a copper-contaminated vineyard soil on sorption of Zn by soil and plant physiological responses.

The occurrence of high levels of Cu in vineyard soils is often the result of intensive use of fungicides for the preventive control of foliar diseases and can cause toxicity to plants. Nowadays many grape growers in Southern Brazil have replaced Cu-based with Zn-based products. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the increase in Zn concentration in a soil with high Cu contents can interfere with the dynamics of these elements, and if this increase in Zn may cause toxicity to maize (Zea mays L.). Soil samples were collected in two areas, one in a vineyard with more than 30 years of cultivation and high concentration of Cu and the other on a natural grassland area adjacent to the vineyard. Different doses of Cu and Zn were added to the soil, and the adsorption isotherms were built following the Langmuir's model. In a second experiment, the vineyard soil was spiked with different Zn concentrations (0, 30, 60, 90, 180, and 270mg Zn kg(-1)) in 3kg pots where maize was grown in a greenhouse for 35 days. When Cu and Zn were added together, there was a reduction in the quantities adsorbed, especially for Zn. Zn addition decreased the total plant dry matter and specific leaf mass. Furthermore, with the increase in the activity of catalase, an activation of the antioxidant system was observed. However, the system was not sufficiently effective to reverse the stress levels imposed on soil, especially in plants grown in the highest doses of Zn. At doses higher than 90Znmgkg(-1) in the Cu-contaminated vineyard soil, maize plants were no longer able to activate the protection mechanism and suffered from metal stress, resulting in suppressed dry matter yields due to impaired functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus and changes in the enzymatic activity of plants. Replacement of Cu- by Zn-based fungicides to avoid Cu toxicity has resulted in soil vineyards contaminated with these metals and damaging of plant photosynthetic apparatus and enzyme activity.

Adsorption of copper in oxisol and alfisol / Adsorção de cobre em Latossolo Bruno e Nitossolo Vermelho

The accumulation of copper (Cu) in soil can provide input in excess of these elements in the food chain through the contamination of soil and water. The study of the chemical behavior of Cu is needed for the knowledge of mobility of these elements in the soil profile. The aim of this study was to know the background Cu concentration, to evaluate the effect of pH, ionic strength (FI) and to quantify the maximum adsorption capacity (CMA) of Cu in Oxisol and Alfisol. The adsorption rate was evaluated at pH 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5 and the FI 15 and 150 mmol L-1 of Ca(NO3)2. To quantify the CMA were used rates of Cu concentrations of 0, 0.075, 0.15, 0.30, 0.60, 1.5 mmol L-1, final soil: solution l: 100. Raising the pH value increased the adsorption of Cu and increasing the ionic strength of the solution didnt reduce the adsorption of Cu. The CMA calculated for Cu in Alfisol was 3354 mg kg-1. It was not possible to calculate the CMA in Oxisol.

O acúmulo de cobre (Cu) no solo pode proporcionar a entrada em excesso desse elemento na cadeia alimentar através da contaminação do solo e água. O estudo do comportamento químico do Cu torna-se necessário para o conhecimento da mobilidade desse elemento no perfil do solo. O objetivo desse trabalho foi conhecer os teores nativos de Cu, avaliar o efeito de pH, força iônica (FI) e quantificar a capacidade máxima de adsorção (CMA) de Cu em Latossolo Bruno (LB) e Nitossolo Vermelho (NV). A adsorção foi avaliada em pH 4,5; 5,5 e 6,5 e na FI de 15 e 150 mmol L-1 de Ca(NO3)2. Para quantificar a CMA foram utilizadas doses de Cu nas concentrações de: 0, 0,075, 0,15, 0,30, 0,60, 1,50 mmol L-1, relação solo:solução final de 1:100. A elevação do valor de pH aumentou a adsorção de Cu e o aumento da força iônica da solução não diminuiu a adsorção de Cu. A CMA calculada para Cu no NV foi de 3354 mg kg-1. Não foi possível calcular a CMA para Cu no LB.

Adsorption of copper in oxisol and alfisol / Adsorção de cobre em Latossolo Bruno e Nitossolo Vermelho

The accumulation of copper (Cu) in soil can provide input in excess of these elements in the food chain through the contamination of soil and water. The study of the chemical behavior of Cu is needed for the knowledge of mobility of these elements in the soil profile. The aim of this study was to know the background Cu concentration, to evaluate the effect of pH, ionic strength (FI) and to quantify the maximum adsorption capacity (CMA) of Cu in Oxisol and Alfisol. The adsorption rate was evaluated at pH 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5 and the FI 15 and 150 mmol L-1 of Ca(NO3)2. To quantify the CMA were used rates of Cu concentrations of 0, 0.075, 0.15, 0.30, 0.60, 1.5 mmol L-1, final soil: solution l: 100. Raising the pH value increased the adsorption of Cu and increasing the ionic strength of the solution didnt reduce the adsorption of Cu. The CMA calculated for Cu in Alfisol was 3354 mg kg-1. It was not possible to calculate the CMA in Oxisol.(AU)

O acúmulo de cobre (Cu) no solo pode proporcionar a entrada em excesso desse elemento na cadeia alimentar através da contaminação do solo e água. O estudo do comportamento químico do Cu torna-se necessário para o conhecimento da mobilidade desse elemento no perfil do solo. O objetivo desse trabalho foi conhecer os teores nativos de Cu, avaliar o efeito de pH, força iônica (FI) e quantificar a capacidade máxima de adsorção (CMA) de Cu em Latossolo Bruno (LB) e Nitossolo Vermelho (NV). A adsorção foi avaliada em pH 4,5; 5,5 e 6,5 e na FI de 15 e 150 mmol L-1 de Ca(NO3)2. Para quantificar a CMA foram utilizadas doses de Cu nas concentrações de: 0, 0,075, 0,15, 0,30, 0,60, 1,50 mmol L-1, relação solo:solução final de 1:100. A elevação do valor de pH aumentou a adsorção de Cu e o aumento da força iônica da solução não diminuiu a adsorção de Cu. A CMA calculada para Cu no NV foi de 3354 mg kg-1. Não foi possível calcular a CMA para Cu no LB.(AU)