Photolysis of fluometuron in the presence of natural water constituents

International audiencePhototransformation of the herbicide fluometuron (1 ΜM) in natural sunlight was investigated in neutral Milli-Q water and in synthetic waters containing either fulvic acids, nitrate ions or both in order to mimic reactions taking place in aquatic environments. Fluometuron degradation followed a pseudo-first order kinetics. The reaction was faster in synthetic than in Milli-Q water. Fulvic acids (10 mg L-1) increased the rate of fluometuron photolysis by a factor 2.5 and nitrates (25 mg L-1) by a factor 15. Identification of major photoproducts was conducted under laboratory conditions using LC-ESI-MS. Numerous photoproducts were detected and tentatively characterized. In the presence of nitrates, hydroxylation of the aromatic ring with or without hydrolysis of CF3 into CO2H and oxidation of the urea chain leading to demethylation were observed. In the presence of fulvic acids, hydroxylation of the aromatic ring was the major reaction route

Grape marc extract acts as elicitor of plant defence responses

International audiencePlant protection based on novel alternative strategies is a major concern in agriculture to sustain pest management. The marc extract of red grape cultivars reveals plant defence inducer properties. Treatment with grape marc extract efficiently induced hypersensitive reaction-like lesions with cell death evidenced by Evans Blue staining of tobacco leaves. Examination of the infiltration zone and the surrounding areas under UV light revealed the accumulation of autofluorescent compounds. Both leaf infiltration and a foliar spray of the red grape extract on tobacco leaves induced defence gene expression. The PR1 and PR2 target genes were upregulated locally and systemically in tobacco plants following grape marc extract treatment. The grape extract elicited an array of plant defence responses making this natural compound a potential phytosanitary product with a challenging issue and a rather attractive option for sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly practices

Small microplastics as a main contributor to plastic mass balance in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Estimates of cumulative plastic inputs into the oceans are expressed in hundred million tons, whereas the total mass of microplastics afloat at sea is 3 orders of magnitude below this. This large gap is evidence of our ignorance about the fate of plastics, as well as transformations and sinks in the oceans. One of the current challenges consists of identifying and quantifying plastic particles at the microscale, the small microplastics (SMP, 25–1000 μm). The aim of the present study is to investigate SMP concentration in count and in mass at the sea surface in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre during the sea campaign Expedition 7th Continent. After isolation, SMP were characterized by micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Microplastic distribution was modeled by a wind-driven vertical mixing correction model taking into account individual particle properties (dimension, shape and density). We demonstrate that SMP buoyancy is significantly decreased compared to the large microplastics (LMP, 1–5 mm) and consequently more susceptible to vertical transport. The uncorrected LMP concentration in count was between 13 000 and 174 000 pieces km–2, and was between 5 and 170 times more abundant for SMP. With a wind-driven vertical mixing correction, we estimated that SMP were 300 to 70 000 times more abundant than LMP. When discussing this in terms of weight after correction, LMP concentrations were between 50 and 1000 g km–2, and SMP concentrations were between 5 and 14 000 g km–2

Consecuencias económicas de la prohibición del Plástico en Colombia

Trabajo de InvestigaciónEl plástico es un material orgánico y que durante su fabricación son muchos los usos para obtener diferentes formas, además de su utilización económica para la industria y su bajo costo de fabricación, es inevitable no estar rodeados de artículos hechos a base de este componente. Sin embargo, el plástico se ha convertido en un problema que con el pasar de los días se va creciendo, dado que se encuentra en casi todos los productos que utilizamos a diario, ya sea en consumo personal o en las actividades y hasta en los alimentos. La producción y consumo de plásticos en el mundo durante los últimos años ha aumentado de forma acelerada, alcanzando cifras alarmantes y cuya consecuencia principal es la contaminación del entorno y el medio ambiente, poniendo en peligro las especies que habitan los ecosistemas del planeta, principalmente los océanos, mares y ríos; razón por la cual se es necesario empezar a revisar este tema y así tomar las diferentes decisiones que permitan dar una solución de fondo y así reducir el consumo, apoyándose en programas para la reutilización y el reciclaje de desechos impulsados por el Estado y la población en general.1. Capítulo 1: Introducción 2. Capítulo 2: Marco de Referencia 3. Resultados y Discusión de resultados 4. Conclusiones 5. ReferenciasPregradoEconomist

Nanoplastics: A Complex, Polluting Terra Incognita

International audienc

Plastics in the North Atlantic garbage patch: A boat-microbe for hitchhikers and plastic degraders

International audienc

Phototransformation of pesticides on plant leaves: the case of sulcotrione.

Photochemistry is one of the main ways of pollutants degradation in the environment. There is an obvious lack of data concerning the photostability of agrochemicals on plant foliage. We report here the first photodegradation study of a triketonic herbicide (sulcotrione) used as a substitute of atrazine. To mimic surface Leaves, we used films made of carnauba grey wax or of cuticular wax extracted from maize Leaves. Under simulated solar light, sulcotrione was rapidly phototyzed. The phototysis was much faster on cuticular wax films than in aqueous phase. Moreover, the formulated sulcotrione (Mikado) disappeared even more quickly than the pure active ingredient. Sulcotrione mainly underwent an intramolecular cyclization. To validate these observations, sulcotrione and its main photoproduct were monitored after maize field treatment. The day after the treatment the main photoproduct was detected on the maize leaves and suLcotrione had already significantly disappeared. This experiment demonstrates that phototysis can be a relevant process in real conditions after field treatment

Reactivity of cycloxydim toward singlet oxygen in solution and on wax film.

International audienceThe reactivity of the herbicide cycloxydim (CD) toward singlet oxygen was studied in organic solution and on wax films to mimic the leaf surface. Experiments in solution were conducted in acetonitrile using phenalenone as a sensitizer. For the experiments in the solid state, phenalenone was included in paraffinic wax films and CD deposited at the film surface. By laser flash photolysis we observed that the triplet of phenalenone reacts with CD with a bimolecular rate constant of (9.6 ± 1) 106 M 1 s 1. However, scavenging experiments using b-carotene as a singlet oxygen quencher showed that the observed CD degradation in aerated acetonitrile involves singlet oxygen essentially. The bimolecular rate constant of reaction of CD with singlet oxygen was evaluated to (1.0 ± 0.2) 107 M 1 s 1. Phenalenone included in the wax films also significantly increased the rate of CD photodegradation, the involvement of singlet oxygen being very likely. The photoproducts formed via the singlet oxygen pathway resulted from the oxidation of the thiol group and/or the cyclohexene ring. This study should help to better understand the fate of CD after its spraying on crops

Photodegradation of Bentazon, clopyralid, and triclopyr on model leaves: Importance of a systematic evaluation of pesticide photostability on crops

International audiencePhotolyses of three herbicides, bentazon, clopyralid, and triclopyr, were studied on plant leaves after crop treatment. The experiments were carried out on cuticular wax films, which are good models for leaf surfaces. The pure compounds and their commercial formulations were investigated under simulated solar light. At the recommended agricultural application rates, the three formulated herbicides photolyzed more rapidly on films than on soil or in water. Their photolysis is likely to be an important dissipation path from crops after treatment. The effects induced by the adjuvants in formulations were varied. Adjuvants slowed the photodegradation of bentazon slightly. In Garlon, in which triclopyr and clopyralid are combined, the adjuvants did not affect the photolysis of clopyralid even though they accelerated the rate of photolysis of triclopyr by a factor of 7. The kinetics were also affected by the application rates. This work also underscores the importance of assessing the photoreactivity of active ingredients in conditions similar to those of their application

Understanding mesotrione photochemistry when applied on leaves

International audienceWe developed a methodology to perform laboratory studies that approach field conditions. To demonstrate our methods, we used the herbicide mesotrione. Simulated solar light irradiation experiments were conducted on several cuticular wax films. Adjuvants greatly favoured the rate of mesotrione photolysis. Specifically, the photolytic transformation of formulated mesotrione was 15 times faster than that of pure mesotrione. The morphology and composition of the wax films had a greater effect on the photolysis of formulated mesotrione than of pure mesotrione, which formed aggregates on the waxes. This shows the importance of considering the formulation when studying pesticide photolysis on crops. To corroborate our model, we conducted experiments on detached leaves. The rates of photolysis on leaves and on wax films were of the same order of magnitude. Finally, the mesotrione rate of photolysis on leaves is much higher compared with data from the literature in water and on soils. Photolysis is likely to be a fast dissipation process on crops. The photodegradation of pesticide on crops should be systematically evaluated