Cultivating a greener future: Exploiting trichoderma derived secondary metabolites for fusarium wilt management in peas

This study aimed to identify efficient Trichoderma isolate(s) for the management of Fusarium wilt in peas. Four different pea germplasms (Sarsabz, Pea-09, Meteor and Supreme) were evaluated for resistance against Fusarium oxysporum in pot assay. Resistant germplasm exhibits a varying range of disease severity (23%) and percent disease index (21%), whereas susceptible and highly susceptible germplasm exhibit maximum disease severity (44-79%) and percent disease index (47-82%). The susceptible germplasm Meteor was selected for in vivo experiment. Five different Trichoderma spp. (Trichoderma koningii, T. hamatum, T. longibrachiatum, T. viride, and T. harzianum) were screened for the production of hydrolytic extracellular enzymes under in vitro. In-vitro biocontrol potential of Trichoderma spp. was assayed by percentage inhibition of dry mass of Fusarium oxysporum pisi (FOP) with Trichoderma spp. metabolite filtrate concentrations. Maximum growth inhibition was observed by T. harzianum (50-89%). T. harzianum metabolites in filtrate conc. (40%, 50%, and 60%) exhibited maximum reduction in biomass and were thus used for in vivo management of the disease. The pot experiment for in-vivo management also confirmed the maximum inhibition of FOP by T. harzianum metabolites filtrate at 60% by reducing disease parameters and enhancing growth, yield, and physiochemical and stress markers. Trichoderma strains led to an increase in chlorophyll and carotenoids (34-26%), Total phenolic 55%, Total protein content 60%, Total Flavonoid content 36%, and the increasing order of enzyme activities were as follows: CAT > POX > PPO > PAL in all treatments. These strains demonstrate excellent bio-control of Fusarium wilt in pea via induction of defense-related enzymes. The present work will help use Trichoderma species in disease management programme as an effective biocontrol agent against plant pathogens.

Biochemical and physiological changes in Zea mays L. after exposure to the environmental pharmaceutical pollutant carbamazepine

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is a matter of great concern. They are consistently found in the environment, raising concerns regarding human exposure through dietary intake. In this study, we observed the effect of the application of carbamazepine at 0.1, 1, 10, and 1000 μg per kg of soil contamination levels to assess stress metabolism in Zea mays L. cv. Ronaldinio at the 4th leaf, tasselling, and dent phenological stages. The transfer of carbamazepine to the aboveground and root biomass was assessed, and uptake increased dose-dependently. No direct effect on biomass production was observed, but multiple physiological and chemical changes were observed. Major effects were consistently observed at the 4th leaf phenological stage for all contamination levels, including reduced photosynthetic rate, reduced maximal and potential activity of photosystem II, decreased water potential, decreased carbohydrates (glucose and fructose) and γ-aminobutyric acid in roots, and increased maleic acid and phenylpropanoids (chlorogenic acid and its isomer, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid) in aboveground biomass. A reduction in net photosynthesis was observed for the older phenological stages, whereas no other relevant and consistent physiological and metabolic changes related to contamination exposure were detected. Our results indicate that Z. mays can overcome the environmental stress caused by the accumulation of carbamazepine with notable metabolic changes at the early phenological stage; however, older plants adapted and only exhibited minor effects in the presence of the contaminant. The potential implications for agricultural practice could be associated with the plant's response to simultaneous stresses due to metabolite changes associated with oxidative stress.

Investigating the degradation behavior of Cypermethrin (CYP) and Chlorpyrifos (CPP) in peach orchard soils using organic/inorganic amendments

Reducing toxic effects of pesticide residues in agricultural soils through organic amendments is an eco-friendly technique. Cypermethrin (CYP) and Chlorpyrifos (CPP) are widely used pesticides in peach growing orchards in Swat valley of Pakistan. The aim of the current study was to investigate the degradation behavior of CYP and CPP in soil by the application of different combination of organic/inorganic amendments. A total of 36 soil samples were used in the current incubation study which was collected from 4 peach orchards in district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Different amendments including urea, farm yard manure (FYM) and saprofil were applied alone and in various combinations. The initial concentrations of CYP and CPP in the tested soil was range from 0.94 to 4.8 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.024 to 4.12 to mg kg⁻¹. Soil samples were taken at 5, 15, 30 and 45 days after exposure to different treatments. The extraction of pesticides from soils was done through quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method. Soils amended with urea, FYM and saprofil individually and in combinations significantly reduced the concentrations of CYP and CPP. However, the concentration of CYP (24.6) and CPP (27.0) in soil showed higher reduction through the application of FYM. While the concentrations of CYP and CPP were declined with the 5, 15, 30 and 45 days intervals, however, reduction at day 30 and 45 was faster for CYP (16.7 to 8.46) than CPP (20.2 to 12.3). At day 5 and 15, the CYP (42.5 to 30.7) was slightly lower than CPP (42.9 to 32.7).The highest half-life value (t ½) of CYP was in control treatment (32 days) and the shortest was soil amended with FYM (18.6 days). While the longest half-life value (t ½) of CPP was maximum in control treatment (42 days) and the minimum was in FYM (22 days). Based on our findings, it was concluded that soil application of FYM is recommended for the degradation of CYP and CPP.

The residual effect of sewage sludge biochar on soil availability and bioaccumulation of heavy metals: Evidence from a three-year field experiment

Conversion of sewage sludge (SS) into biochar through pyrolysis is an alternative to make this residue useful for agricultural purposes. Despite advances in interpreting the functions of SS biochar (SSB) for improving soil quality, it is still necessary to understand its residual effect on the dynamics of heavy metals (HM), especially under field conditions in tropical soils. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the residual effect of the application of SSB obtained at different pyrolysis temperatures on the accumulation, availability and bioaccumulation of HMs by corn cultivated in a tropical soil. For this purpose, a field experiment was conducted for three years to assess the total and available levels of HMs in the soil and the leaf concentration after suspending the application of 30 t ha^-1 of SSB produced at 300 °C (BC300) and 500 °C (BC500). In general, the HM contents were below the maximum allowed by environmental legislation in several countries. SSB, regardless of temperature, was effective in immobilizing non-essential HMs for plants, such as Cd, Co, Cr and Pb, in the soil. On the other hand, SSB was able to supply micronutrients to corn plants after amendment ceased. Thus, the lack of negative long-term effects confirms the feasibility and safety of using SSB in agricultural areas with regards to contamination by HM, and makes it an alternative for the disposal of domestic SS.

Peroxidases from an invasive Mesquite species for management and restoration of fertility of phenolic-contaminated soil

Phenolics drive the global economy, but they also pose threats to soil health and plant growth. Enzymes like peroxidase have the potential to remove the phenolic contaminants from the wastewater; however, their role in restoring soil health and improving plant growth has not yet been ascertained. We fractionated efficient peroxidases (MPx) from leaves of an invasive species of Mesquite, Prosopis juliflora, and demonstrated its superiority over horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in remediating phenol, 3-chlorophenol (3-CP), and a mixture of chlorophenols (CP-M), from contaminated soil. MPx removes phenolics over a broader range of pH (2.0-9.0) as compared with HRP (pH: 7.0-8.0). In soil, replacing H₂O₂ with CaO₂ further increases the phenolic removal efficiency of MPx (≥90% of phenol, ≥ 70% of 3-CP, and ≥90% of CP-M). MPx maintains ~4-fold higher phenolic removal efficiency than purified HRP even in soils with extremely high contaminant concentration (2 g phenolics/kg of soil), which is desirable for environmental applications of enzymes for remediation. MPx treatment restores soil biological processes as evident by key enzymes of soil fertility viz. Acid- and alkaline-phosphatases, urease, and soil dehydrogenase, and improves potential biochemical fertility index of soil contaminated with phenolics. MPx treatment also assists the Vigna mungo test plant to overcome toxicant stress and grow healthy in contaminated soils. Optimization of MPx for application in the field environment would help both in the restoration of phenolic-contaminated soils and the management of invasive Mesquite.

Synergistic construction of green tea biochar supported nZVI for immobilization of lead in soil: A mechanistic investigation

Biochar-based nanocomposites with functional materials provide an excellent prospect in reactivity and stability. Most biochar reported have no reusability upon aging and offer the risk of release of immobilized components after short-term immobilization. To overcome this, we developed nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) impregnated magnetic green tea biochar (nZVI@GTBC) and studied its performance in immobilizing Pb and long-term effectiveness in the soil. The reactive nZVI units were obtained from iron oxide solution by reducing with polyphenol solution (green tea extract) and were successively stabilized by impregnation onto the remaining green tea waste matrix through co-precipitation technique. Finally, the magnetic biochar was developed from the above nZVI impregnated green tea waste through oven drying and slow pyrolysis technique in different temperature range (150-650 °C). The synthesized nZVI@GTBC biochar was characterized and studied by XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV-Vis, TG/DSC, XPS, SEM, and TEM. The nZVI@GTBC obtained with a particle size of 130 nm and surface charge of +2.8 C/m² at 450 °C. Moreover, colloidal stability and mobility experiments were considered to explain the transport behavior and stability of bare nZVI and magnetic nZVI@GTBC in the soil. The immobilization of Pb by pristine nZVI, GTBC, and nZVI@GTBC was compared and explained under different soil pH conditions. The bioavailability of Pb content before and after immobilization was investigated through leaching experiments. Further, thirty days of soil incubation were carried out to examine different species of Pb according to the Tessier sequential extraction scheme. The study suggested that nZVI@GTBC enhanced the immobilization efficiency by 19.38% in comparison with pristine nZVI and 57.14% in comparison with bare GTBC biochar.