New technologies in agricultural biotechnology

Technologies that emerged during the last decade as new tools occasionally represent fundamentally new means of genome modification, which, in addition to the scientific novelty, faces legislators with new challenge by giving a new meaning to both the biochemical/molecular biological and legal meaning to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Emerging plant genetic technologies are categorized as zinc finger nuclease technology; oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis; cisgenesis and intragenesis; RNA-dependent DNA methylation by RNA interference; grafting on genetically modified rootstock; reverse breeding; agro-infiltration; and synthetic genomics. Although all these methods apply biotechnology processes to create new plant varieties, it is debated whether all result in GMOs according to the current legal definition. Official risk assessment of these technologies is a task of outstanding weight of the authorit

A review of the book ’The Chemical Age. How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth’ by Frank A. von Hippel

This paper summarizes the views of the author on the new book ’The Chemical Age. How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth’ by Frank A. von Hippel

Development of a Modular, Induced Fluorescence-based Instrument Family – The Aquafluosense Project

In the scope of our recently completed AQUAFLUOSENSE research and development project, the design and construction of a prototype of an electron excitation fluorescence-based analytical instrument family has been carried out for water quality measurement applications. The objective of the project was to develop a new water analysis system for natural and artificial waters, allowing complex, systematic and for main parameters in situ assessment and monitoring of water quality, by developing a modular instrument family that can be individually configured for target tasks at each monitoring point. Within the instrument family, created in a collaboration of working groups of a number of research and development institutions, different modules allow for the determination of key water parameters. A common optical characteristic of these modules is that they measure the target parameter on the basis of an induced (excitation) fluorescence signal generated in the test sample. The modules allow the determination of individual biological or chemical components based either on measuring their fluorescence directly (direct fluorescence) or by relying on detection of the fluorescence of a coupled dye (indirect fluorescence). Thus, the instrument modules provide experimental data on the algal density and the total organic carbon content, as well as the presence of certain organic micropollutants in the given water body studied, the latter target analytes detected by direct fluorescence measurement or by an immunofluorescence measurement modality

Passive sampling for pesticides and PAHs in the SIMONA project

Passive samplers (solid phase extraction, SPE disks and Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler, POCIS) were tested to monitor 85 pesticides (including glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid, AMPA), 19 polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) components, metals in the Drava river. Among pesticides the time weighted average concentrations of terbuthylazine, S-metolachlor and tebuconazole were the highest. Some chlorophenoxy acids (2,4-D, mecoprop-P and MCPA) also appeared at lower levels. Bentazone, DEET and diuron were detected in all samples at low levels. Among the 19 PAHs phenanthrene occurred at the highest concentrations, but fluoranthene, pyrene and naphthalenes also contributed to the total PAH concentration. In the case of the POCIS sampler selective for glyphosate and AMPA, the levels of AMPA metabolite exceeded significantly that of the parent herbicide compound

Levels and origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fluvial sediment of Drava river

Within the scope of an international monitoring program to assess water and sediment quality in the Danube basin, sediment samples (river bottom/bank, suspended and active floodplain/overbank) were collected in the summer of 2020 at a sampling site in the Drava river to monitor 19 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as apparent water contaminants. Among these, 8 PAHs were specified as priority pollutants in the corresponding EU Directive on environmental quality standards (2008/105/EC). The highest levels were measured for fluoranthene (1.73 µg/g), benzo(b)fluoranthene+benzo(k)fluoranthene (0.765 µg/g) and anthracene (0.528 µg/g) sampled from the upper 5 cm layer of the bottom sediment on 5th August 2020

Determination of surfactants used in agrochemicals

Examples for determination of surfactants used in agrochemicals will be presented by using different instrumental analytical methods. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is more convenient for characterization of these mixtures compared to gas chromatographic (GC) methods. However, due to better separation of GC it allows more detailed information about the composition of the mixtures analysed, but usually prior to GC derivatisation is required. Two chemical modifications for GC-MS measurements were investigated in detail: conversion of sulfonates to trifluoroacyl esters as well as silylation of hydroxy compounds

Detailed cytotoxicity assessment of the formulated herbicide roundup classic and its constituents

Cytotoxicity of the globally market-leading herbicide ROUNDUP CLASSIC formulation and its components such as the active ingredient glyphosate and the formulating agent POEA (a mixture of polyethoxylated tallow amines) were investigated on the murine neuroectodermal stem cell-like (NE-4C) and osteoblastic (MC3T3-E1) cell lines. The cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on cell viability and cell cycles were evaluated based on the results of flow cytometry, enzymatic-assays, and alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) assays, furthermore, the effects on cell morphology and dynamic mass redistribution of cellular contents were assessed with the use of the label-free Epic BenchTop optical biosensor on MC3T3-E1 cells adhered on the surface of the biosensor. Differences in the sensitivity of the investigated cell lines were detected, while the MC3T3-E1 cell line indicated less sensitivity to the effects of the treatments. Furthermore, differences were also observed in the sensitivity of the performed assays. The order of the inhibitory potency of the investigated compounds was as follows: glyphosate IPA salt << ROUNDUP CLASSIC < POEA. The applied Epic technique provides an effective tool for the real-time detection of cytotoxicity

A newly identified specific biological activity of glyphosate - inhibition of RGD-binding integrins

In this study we investigated the inhibitory effect of the widely used broad-spectrum herbicide active ingredient glyphosate and its related analogues on αVβ3 integrin binding to the shortest oligopeptide recognizing motif of integrins, the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) sequence. Integrin binding characteristics were assessed in a modified enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by a label-free optical biosensor technique. At 22 mM, glyphosate reached full inhibition of αVβ3, and the inhibitory activity of its main metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) was also above 95%, while another environmentally relevant metabolite, sarcosine exerted only a weaker effect, approximately 35% inhibition. In turn, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of glyphosate and AMPA were reported to be 2.7±0.5 mM and 1.3±0.2 mM, respectively. The inhibitory effects of the other related compounds investigated (acetylglycine, glycine and iminodiacetic acid) at the same concentration, 22 mM were below 50%. Inhibitory effects on cell adhesion to RGD-modified surfaces by whole cells containing several types of RGD-binding integrins including αVβ3 were detected using the biosensor technique, where the integrin antagonist activity of glyphosate was also demonstrated

Determination of DDT and its metabolites in soil, tree bark and earthworm samples near the Budapest chemical works

An abandoned industrial site of the former Budapest Chemical Works (BVM) company has been found to contain 2000-3000 tonnes of leaking industrial waste and dangerous chemicals in corroded barrels on bare ground. The waste lot includes general industrial reagents and intermediates, some 100-200 tonnes of sulphuric acid, several hundred tonnes of 1.2 dichlorobenzene and isopropanol, and numerous other substances falling into toxicity categories from toxic to very toxic or carcinogenic, such as dinitrobenzoic acid, as well as chemical wastes from the pesticide production of the company. BVM used to manufacture numerous pesticide active ingredients, including chlorinated hydrocarbons. Thus, it produced the insecticide DDT in large quantities until the ban of the compound in 1968 and derogated approval for sales until 1974. The premises of the company has been reported previously to be contaminated, therefore, in the scope of our pesticide residue monitoring surveys between 2015 and 2019, we carried out sampling in its immediate vicinity. In our study, soil (8 samples), surface water (2 samples), tree bark (Robinia pseudoacacia, Sambucus nigra, Populus nigra) and common reed (Phragmites australis, (6 samples), as well as earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris; 1 sample) sampled next to BVM were analyzed for DDT and metabolite (~DDT) levels. Exceedingly high ~DDT levels above the accepted limit (0.1 mg/kg) were detected in soil samples: nearly 1.5 mg/kg in one sample and 0.11-0.484 mg/kg in other 5 cases. Among the biological samples (tree bark, common reed and earthworm) 0.184 and 0.190 mg/kg concentrations of ~DDT were determined in a black poplar and in an earthworm sample. These findings indicate that the wellknown persistency problem related to chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, particularly to DDT remains actual to our days

Attempts for undoing the ecological incompatibility of agricultural technologies: from ecological pest management to agroecology

Current agroecology is often categorized into three facets, science, practice, and movement. While the latter two aspects currently play significant and varying roles in different regions of the world, the fundamental aspect is the first one, the scientific approach that subsequently provided the possibility of the birth of the other two. The concept of integrated plant protection i.e., the emphasis on ecological considerations in chemical pest control emerged as a revolutionary novel concept in the middle of the last century. Among the priority principles, there are several similarities between ecological plant protection suggested by the pioneering Hungarian researcher Barnabás Nagy in 1957 and integrated pest management (IPM) initiated by US scientists Stern et al. in 1959, in given aspects such as the use of natural enemies, forecasting, and environmentally friendly strategies. In turn, the principles of ecological plant protection and IPM overlap on numerous points, but differences are also apparent. Neither of these strategies, however, emphases with due vigor the significance of persistence, pesticide residues, and chronic health-damaging effects. By today, properly assessing the environmental fate, behavior and chronic side effects of pesticides have become as important as taking the rapidly changing composition of local communities into consideration by the above three aspects of agroecology. The current pesticide re-registration strategy of the European Union focuses on prolonged changes from chronic effects. Ecological plant protection and IPM set preferences of sustainability e.g., the use of mechanical or biological protection methods and lowering the rate of agrochemical protection, but they have failed to establish transparent sustainability requirements that are easy to comprehend by general consumers. In contrast, ecological (organic) agriculture managed to formulate such clear regulations (a complete ban on synthetic pesticides), which is well-reflected in their rising preference by consumers but failed to prove that observed health benefits of organic produce is indeed due to the lack of the residues of those pesticides banned. In turn, the ecological approach currently has a strong presence in the form of the determined agroecological objectives of the European Green Deal. In retrospect, it is particularly impressive to observe the path of IPM, sustainable agriculture and all three aspects agroecology all rooted in the establishment of the ecological initiatives in the late fifties as their common historical scientific starting point