The response of photosynthesis to water deficit in atrazine-susceptible and resistant biotypes of Solanum nigrum

CO2 assimilation under photorespiratory and non-photorespiratory conditions and stomatal conductance responses to water deficit were examined in intact attached leaves of atrazine-susceptible (AS) and resistant (AR) biotypes of Solanum nigrum. We found that the AR biotype of S. nigrum plant acclimated better to water deficit than the AS one, as revealed by the measurements of stomatal conductance, CO2 assimilation and photorespiration rate

Chlorophyll fluorescence quenching analysis of Solanum nigrum in relation to water deficit

Chlorophyll fluorescence quenching was studied in intact attached leaves of atrazine-susceptible (AS) and atrazine resistant (AR) biotypes of Solanum nigrum in relation to water deficit. Comparative studies on light response changes of chlorophyll fluorescence showed that AR plants have a lower electrontransport rate (ETR) and photochemical quenching (qP), and a less effective non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). We observed that photosystem II (PSII) function of both biotypes of S. nigrum is tolerant to drought stress

Isolation of microbes for the bioaugmentation of pollutants from river water samples

A wide range of chemical pollutants occur in rivers, several of which may impair human health severely. The objectives of this study were the isolation, identification and characterization of xenobiotic-degrading microbes from ten different locations of the Romanian and Hungarian parts of River Maros in an international collaboration. High bacterial and fungal diversity was revealed by RISA (ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis) studies. Microbes were isolated from the water samples on media containing 1 mg/ml acetanilide, aniline-HCl, 2,6-dimethylaniline, 4-isopropylaniline, chlorpropham, diuron, Na-benzoate, 3,4- dihydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, methylparaben, phenol, m-cresol, p-cresol, resorcinol, phenoxiacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxiacetic acid separately. The isolates were deposited in the Pollutant-Degrading Microorganism Collection (PDMC) of the University of Szeged. The degradation of acetanilide was monitored by spectrophotometry and the three best degraders were all identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis. The xenobiotic-degrading microbes isolated in this study might be used for bioaugmentation purposes

Isolation of microbes for the bioaugmentation of pollutants from river water samples

A wide range of chemical pollutants occur in rivers, several of which may impair human health severely. The objectives of this study were the isolation, identification and characterization of xenobiotic-degrading microbes from ten different locations of the Romanian and Hungarian parts of River Maros in an international collaboration. High bacterial and fungal diversity was revealed by RISA (ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis) studies. Microbes were isolated from the water samples on media containing 1 mg/ml acetanilide, aniline-HCl, 2,6-dimethylaniline, 4-isopropylaniline, chlorpropham, diuron, Na-benzoate, 3,4- dihydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, methylparaben, phenol, m-cresol, p-cresol, resorcinol, phenoxiacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxiacetic acid separately. The isolates were deposited in the Pollutant-Degrading Microorganism Collection (PDMC) of the University of Szeged. The degradation of acetanilide was monitored by spectrophotometry and the three best degraders were all identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis. The xenobiotic-degrading microbes isolated in this study might be used for bioaugmentation purposes

The complete degradation of acetanilide by a consortium of microbes isolated from River Maros

Chemical pollutants occurring in rivers may have severe effects on human health along with being harmful to the environment. Bioaugmentation is a potential tool for the removal of xenobiotics from soil and water therefore the objectives of this study were the isolation, identification and characterization of microbes with acetanilide- and aniline-degrading properties from the River Maros. Microbes isolated on minimal media containing acetanilide or aniline-HCl as a sole carbon and nitrogen source were considered as acetanilide- or anilinedegraders. The decomposition of acetanilide and aniline were followed by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). An acetanilide-degrading bacterium, identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis, was able to convert acetanilide to aniline, which was further decomposed by the fungal isolate Aspergillus ustus when the two microbes were co-cultivated in a minimal medium containing acetanilide as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. The strains isolated in this study might be used in approaches addressing the biodegradation of acetanilide and aniline in the environment