Do fungicides affect the physiology, reproductive development and productivity of healthy soybean plants?

Enhancing Corn (Zea mays L.) Productivity under Varying Water Regimes with At-Plant Application of Xyway Fungicide

A fungicide's ingredients can play a physiological role in crop water-management decisions. Our greenhouse study in 2021 demonstrated that Xyway LFR@FMC at-plant fungicide can significantly improve water-saving potential in corn. In 2022 and 2023, a field study was conducted to validate this finding. The 1.11 L ha-1 of Xyway LFR@FMC and no-fungicide/check were the main plot effects. Three water regimes, high (HI) and low (LO) numbers of irrigation events and rainfed (RF), were the subplot effect. Plants treated with Xyway LFR@FMC had significantly higher plant height, stem diameter, and leaf water potential (LWP), and had 11.9, 13.4, and 18.3% higher yield under RF, LO, and HI, respectively, in 2022. In 2023, there were no significant differences for the yield components and growth parameters when the combined effect of fungicide treatments and water regimes was considered. However, plants treated with the fungicide had a higher number of rows per ear, kernel number per row, and cob diameter compared to the check. There was no significant separation for yield among the water regimes in 2023, but the crop yield was overall higher for the fungicide-treated plots. Our results indicate that Xyway LFR@FMC fungicide has the potential to improve plant growth and protect the yield when limited water is applied.

Impact of pre-harvest fungicide application on the storage performance of tomato fruits

To examine the impact of pre-harvest fungicide applications on the postharvest storage performance of tomato fruits, we measured the lycopene content, hardness, soluble solids content, rotting rate, and weight loss rate of the fruits, as well as conducted a sensory assessment. Protective and systematic fungicides were sprayed on tomatoes 20 days before harvest in order to prevent rotting and weight loss during storage. Our findings showed that, the fungicide-treated tomatoes had a significantly lower rotting rate of 16.00% and a weight loss rate of 3.96%. However the control group experienced 65.33% rotting rate and 6.90% weight loss rate on 12th days of storage. Out of the pre-harvest applications, 'Zineb' a protective fungicide significantly delayed the loss of hardness and soluble solids accumulation in tomato fruits during storage, but it had no significant effect on lycopene content. On the other hand, when comparing to the examined treatment, the systemic fungicides did not have any significant effect on the postharvest storage performance of tomato fruits. Sensory evaluation results indicated that systemic fungicides improved the aroma of the fruits, while protective fungicides had a greater impact on the appearance and juiciness of the fruits. This study offers a potential novel solution for preserving fruits and vegetables which have been frequently infected by phytopathogens during storage, and consequently mitigate/reduce postharvest losses.

Formulations of synergistic microbial consortia for enhanced systemic resistance against Fusarium wilt in cumin

The study aimed to understand the dynamic interplay between plants and their associated microbes to develop an efficient microbial consortium for managing Fusarium wilt of cumin. A total of 601 rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria and fungi were screened for antagonistic activity against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cumini (Foc). Subsequently, ten bacteria and ten fungi were selected for characterizing their growth promotion traits and ability to withstand abiotic stress. Furthermore, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the bioefficacy of promising biocontrol isolates-1F, 16B, 31B, and 223B in mono and consortium mode, focusing on disease severity, plant growth, and defense responses in cumin challenged with Foc. Promising isolates were identified as Trichoderma atrobruneum 15F, Pseudomonas sp. 2B, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 9B, and Bacillus velezensis 32B. In planta, results revealed that cumin plants treated with consortia of 15F, 2B, 9B, and 32B showed highest percent disease control (76.35%) in pot experiment. Consortia of biocontrol agents significantly enhanced production of secondary metabolites and activation of antioxidant-defense enzymes compared to individual strain. Moreover, consortium treatments effectively reduced electrolyte leakage over the individual strain and positive control. The four-microbe consortium significantly enhanced chlorophyll (~ 2.74-fold), carotenoid content (~ 2.14-fold), plant height (~ 1.8-fold), dry weight (~ 1.96-fold), and seed yield (~ 19-fold) compared to positive control in pot experiment. Similarly, four microbe consortia showed highest percent disease control (72.2%) over the positive control in field trial. Moreover, plant growth, biomass, yield, and yield attributes of cumin were also significantly increased in field trial over the positive control as well as negative control.

Effect of Triazole Fungicides Titul Duo and Vintage on the Development of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Symbiotic Nodules

Triazole fungicides are widely used in agricultural production for plant protection, including pea (Pisum sativum L.). The use of fungicides can negatively affect the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. In this study, the effects of triazole fungicides Vintage and Titul Duo on nodule formation and, in particular, on nodule morphology, were studied. Both fungicides at the highest concentration decreased the nodule number and dry weight of the roots 20 days after inoculation. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the following ultrastructural changes in nodules: modifications in the cell walls (their clearing and thinning), thickening of the infection thread walls with the formation of outgrowths, accumulation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrates in bacteroids, expansion of the peribacteroid space, and fusion of symbiosomes. Fungicides Vintage and Titul Duo negatively affect the composition of cell walls, leading to a decrease in the activity of synthesis of cellulose microfibrils and an increase in the number of matrix polysaccharides of cell walls. The results obtained coincide well with the data of transcriptomic analysis, which revealed an increase in the expression levels of genes that control cell wall modification and defense reactions. The data obtained indicate the need for further research on the effects of pesticides on the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis in order to optimize their use.

Difenoconazole Exposure Induces Retinoic Acid Signaling Dysregulation and Testicular Injury in Mice Testes

Difenoconazole (DFZ) is a broad-spectrum triazole fungicide that is widely utilized in agriculture. Although DFZ has been demonstrated to induce reproductive toxicity in aquatic species, its toxic effects on the mammalian reproductive system have yet to be fully elucidated. In vivo, male mice were administered 0, 20 or 40 mg/kg/d of DFZ via oral gavage for 35 days. Consequently, DFZ significantly decreased testicular organ coefficient, sperm count and testosterone levels, augmented sperm malformation rates, and elicited histopathological alterations in testes. TUNEL assay showed increased apoptosis in testis. Western blotting results suggested abnormally high expression of the sperm meiosis-associated proteins STRA8 and SCP3. The concentrations of retinoic acid (RA), retinaldehyde (RE), and retinol (ROL) were increased in the testicular tissues of DFZ-treated groups. The mRNA expression level of genes implicated in RA synthesis significantly increased while genes involved in RA catabolism significantly decreased. In vitro, DFZ reduced cell viability and increased RA, RE, and ROL levels in GC-2 cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed a significant enrichment of numerous terms associated with the RA pathway and apoptosis. The qPCR experiment verified the transcriptome results. In conclusion, our results indicate that DFZ exposure can disrupt RA signaling pathway homeostasis, and induce testicular injury in mice testes.

Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes and Their Application in Food Safety Analysis: Recent Developments and Future Prospects

Food safety issues are a major threat to public health and have attracted much attention. Therefore, exploring accurate, efficient, sensitive, and economical detection methods is necessary to ensure consumers' health. In this regard, cyclodextrins (CDs) are promising candidates because they are nontoxic and noncaloric. The main body of CDs is a ring structure with hydrophobic cavity and hydrophilic exterior wall. Due to the above characteristics, CDs can encapsulate small guest molecules into their cavities, enhance their stability, avoid agglomeration and oxidation, and, at the same time, interact through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Additionally, they can selectively capture the target molecules to be detected and improve the sensitivity of food detection. This review highlights recent advances in CD inclusion technology in food safety analysis, covering various applications from small molecule and heavy metal sensing to amino acid and microbial sensing. Finally, challenges and prospects for CDs and their derivatives are presented. The current review can provide a reference and guidance for current research on CDs in the food industry and may inspire breakthroughs in this field.

Effects of Pymetrozine and Tebuconazole with Foliar Fertilizer Through Mixed Application on Plant Growth and Pesticide Residues in Cucumber

The mixed application of pesticides and foliar fertilizer has been widely used in the production of cucumber, however, their effects on plant growth and pesticide dissipation are still unclear. In this study, the effects of mixed application of pymetrozine, tebuconazole and foliar fertilizer on the cucumber plant growth and pesticide dissipation were investigated simultaneously. The results show that the mixed use of pymetrozine, tebuconazole, especially adding foliar fertilizer, improved the physiological indexes (i.e., area, nitrogen content and chlorophyll content of the leaves, and root growth) of cucumber plants compared to those with the application of single pesticide. Meanwhile, it can significantly affect the dissipation of pymetrozine even in the slower growth matrices (lower leaves, stems, and plants). The residue of tebuconazole in cucumber plants was affected by the combination of formulation type and foliar fertilizer. This study can provide data for scientifically guiding the mixed application of pesticide and fertilizer.

Cyclodextrin-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of fungicides in water, juice, and vinegar samples via HPLC

Cyclodextrin-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (CD-DLLME) was developed for the determination of triazole and strobilurin fungicides in water, juice, and vinegar samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). Undecanol, which is a green solvent, was selected as the extraction solvent. A cyclodextrin aqueous solution was chosen as the dispersion solvent and demulsifier to avoid the use of a toxic dispersion solvent and eliminate the centrifugation step. Dispersion and phase separation were completed within 1 and 60 s, respectively. The linear range of this method was 1 to 100 µg L^-1. The limits of detection were 0.3 μg L^-1 along with the preconcentration factor of 133 and enrichment factor of 124. The recovery was 83.2% to 103.2%. This pretreatment method was fast, simple, and environmentally friendly and was successfully applied to the analysis of triazole and strobilurin fungicide residues in water, juice, and vinegar samples.