Tailoring Ca-Based Nanoparticles by Polyol Process for Use as Nematicidals and pH Adjusters in Agriculture

The remarkable progress in nanotechnology has extended the application of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) in the agriculture sector, as both economically sustainable and environmentally sound alternatives. Root knot nematodes are undoubtedly a foremost problem of agriculture, and research strives to develop effective materials to tackle this issue. Herein, the microwave-assisted selective polyol synthesis of different compositions of Ca-based NPs, Ca(OH)2, Ca(OH)2/CaCO3, and CaCO3 is reported and the products were evaluated as nematicides and pH adjusters. Two precursors (CaCl2 and Ca(NO3)2) and three polyols (1,2-propylene glycol (PG), tetraethylene glycol (TEG), polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000)) that differ in their redox potential have been utilized to provide selectivity over composition. On the basis of the utilized polyols, NPs are produced as inorganic/organic hybrid formulations with a biocompatible organic coating that provides increased colloidal stability and controlled release of active components. Characterization of NPs has been carried out by XRD, TGA, FTIR, TEM, and pH-metry. Each composition exhibited different pH changing ability, an essential feature for agrochemical applications. The in vitro nematicidal activity of Ca(OH)2, Ca(OH)2/CaCO3, and CaCO3NPs was evaluated on second stage juveniles (J2) of two Meloidogyne species (Meloidogyne incognita and Meloidogyne javanica) based on nematode paralysis experiments. Results unveiled nematicidal activity for all evaluated Ca-based NPs, while Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3 NPs appeared to be the most and the least effective ones, respectively. The nematicidal effect appears to be boosted by the release of [OH]- anions, as indicated by pH-metric measurements, displaying the crucial role of [OH]- anions in their nematicidal activity

Nematicidal Carboxylic Acids and Aldehydes from Melia azedarach Fruits

Melia azedarach is a species gaining scientific interest mostly concerning its range of biological activities against agricultural target pests. The nematicidal melia methanol extract (MME) obtained from the fruits, acting against the phytonematode Meloidogyne incognita, is herein reported to contain hexadecanoic, acetic, and hexanoic acids as well as furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 5-methylfurfural, and furfurol. All compounds were tested individually for nematicidal activity against the nematode second-stage juveniles, in paralysis experiments. The nematicidal activity was studied both after nematodes’ immersion in treatment solutions and after exposure to test substance vapors. Clear dose and time response relationships were established at the dose ranges of 31.2-500 and 1-100 μg/mL, concerning the aldehydes and carboxylic acids, respectively, implementing analogous predominance of nematicidal activity. Nevertheless, no synergistic effects were observed in respective mixture interaction bioassays among furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 5-methylfurfural, and furfurol. Furfural was the most active bionematicidal compound reported herein for the first time as a natural constituent of M. azedarach

Land spreading of wastewaters from the fruit-packaging industry and potential effects on soil microbes: Effects of the antioxidant ethoxyquin and its metabolites on ammonia oxidizers

Thiabendazole (TBZ), imazalil (IMZ), ortho-phenylphenol (OPP), diphenylamine (DPA), and ethoxyquin (EQ) are used in fruitpackaging plants (FPP) with the stipulation that wastewaters produced by their application would be depurated on site. However, no such treatment systems are currently in place, leading FPP to dispose of their effluents in agricultural land. We investigated the dissipation of those pesticides and their impact on soil microbes known to have a key role on ecosystem functioning. OPP and DPA showed limited persistence (50% dissipation time [DT50], 0.6 and 1.3 days) compared to TBZ and IMZ (DT50, 47.0 and 150.8 days). EQ was rapidly transformed to the short-lived quinone imine (QI) (major metabolite) and the more persistent 2,4-dimethyl-6-ethoxyquinoline (EQNL) (minor metabolite). EQ and OPP exerted significant inhibition of potential nitrification, with the effect of the former being more persistent. This was not reflected in the abundance (determined by quantitative PCR [qPCR]) of the amoA gene of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). Considering the above discrepancy and the metabolic pattern of EQ, we further investigated the hypothesis that its metabolites and not only EQ were toxic to ammonia oxidizers. Potential nitrification, amoA gene abundance, and amoA gene transcripts of AOB and AOA showed that QI was probably responsible for the inhibition of nitrification. Our findings have serious ecological and practical implications for soil productivity and N conservation in agriculturally impacted ecosystems and stress the need to include metabolites and RNAbased methods when the soil microbial toxicity of pesticides is assessed. © 2016, American Society for Microbiology