Biodegradation of pesticides by compost-isolated microorganisms

Agricultural intensification is always associated with increased pest problems, which lead to increased use of pesticides. Being relatively cheap, effective and easy to use, farmers resort to chemical pesticides to overcome their pest problems. However, over-dependence and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides have generated adverse effects on humans and the environment, causing resistance in pests and the destruction of natural enemies. For example, the indiscriminate use of pesticides resulted in outbreaks of brown planthoppers which destroyed rice worth US$2.4 million in Malaysia in the late 1970s.

Pesticides and fertilizers are widely used to enhance agriculture yields, although the fraction of the pesticides applied in the field that reaches the targets is less than 0.1%. Such indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides is disadvantageous due to the cost implications and increasing human health and environmental concerns. In recent years, the utilization of nanotechnology to create novel formulations has shown great potential for diminishing the indiscriminate use of pesticides and providing environmentally safer alternatives. Smart nano-based pesticides are designed to efficiently delivery sufficient amounts of active ingredients in response to biotic and/or abiotic stressors that act as triggers, employing targeted and controlled release mechanisms. This review discusses the current status of stimuli-responsive release systems with potential to be used in agriculture, highlighting the challenges and drawbacks that need to be overcome in order to accelerate the global commercialization of smart nanopesticides.

One of the important objectives of this manuscript is to focus on the place of erectile dysfunction as an important factor for infertility. The review is about correlating the indiscriminate use of pesticides and to find out and highlight the evidences for mechanism of action of these pesticides for erectile dysfunction and find out the most used and most dangerous pesticide from erectile dysfunction point of view. The review suggests that erectile dysfunction is having a significant place as a causal factor for infertility. Study infers that pesticides are having multiple mechanisms of action through which these cause erectile dysfunction. It also reflects that acetamiprid is having most devastating effect causing erectile dysfunction as it acts through multiple inhibitory pathways. The review successfully highlights the indiscriminate regional use of pesticides.

The rapidly growing industrialization along with an increasing population has resulted in the accumulation of a wide variety of chemicals. Thus, the frequency and widespread use of man-made xenobiotic” chemicals has led to a remarkable effort to implement new technologies to reduce or eliminate these contaminants from the environment. Commonlyused pollution treatment methods (e.g. land-filling, recycling, pyrolysis and incineration) for the remediation of contaminated sites have also had adverse effects on the environment, which can lead to the formation of toxic intermediates (Debarati et al., 2005). Furthermore, these methods are more expensive and sometimes difficult to execute, especially in extensive agricultural areas, as for instance pesticides (Jain et al., 2005). One promising treatment method is to exploit the ability of microorganisms to remove pollutants from contaminated sites, an alternative treatment strategy that is effective, minimally hazardous, economical, versatile and environment-friendly, is the process known as bioremediation (Finley et al., 2010). Thereafter, it was discovered that microbes have the ability to transform and/or degrade xenobiotics, scientists have been exploring the microbial diversity, particularly of contaminated areas in search of organisms that can degrade a wide range of pollutants. Hence, biotransformation of organic contaminants in the natural environment has been extensively studied to understand microbial ecology, physiology and evolution due to their bioremediation potential (Mishra et al., 2001). The biochemical and genetic basis of microbial degradation has received considerable attention. Several genes/enzymes, which provide microorganisms with the ability to degrade organopesticides, have been identified and characterized. Thus, microorganisms provide a potential wealth in biodegradation. The ability of these organisms to reduce the concentration of xenobiotics is directly linked to their long-term adaptation to environments where these compounds exist. Moreover, genetic engineering may be used to enhance the performance of such microorganisms that have the preferred properties, essential for biodegradation (Schroll et al., 2004). About 30% of agricultural produce is lost due to pests. Hence, the use of pesticides has become indispensable in agriculture. The abusive use of pesticides for pest control has been widely used in agriculture. However, the indiscriminate use of pesticides has inflicted serious harm and problems to humans as

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural purposes and indiscriminate use of pesticides resulted in unintentional harming of the environment. Lack of consciousness and education coupled with indifferent attitude also contributed to indiscriminate use of pesticides. Enormous amount of these toxic pesticides and other chemicals reaches in the aquatic environment by the runoff and other sources and polluted the water, air and soil for any living organisms. One of the fastest growing food producing sectors is aquaculture, supplying approximately 40% of the world’s fish food. Pesticides may be used in aquatic ecosystem to control the fish parasites, diseases, and other pests that have also adversely affected the aquatic ecosystem. Nuvan is an organophosphorus pesticide is widely used due to low persistence in environment but also affects the non-targeted organisms including fish. Synthetic chemicals generate environmental problems; researchers have been leaning towards pest control with natural or plant based substances. Protection of water quality is possible when rationalize the use of natural pesticides and promote biopesticides. Neem oil is a natural or mixtures of chemicals obtained from neem plant (Azadirachta indica) which has many significant benefits to overcome from the chemicals or synthetic pesticides. By making the health beneficial uses of neem oil accessible to the farmers in the society, the use of chemicals in agriculture can be reduced. The aim of the current study is to observe the impacts of nuvan and neem oil on the survival and health status of fishes which also affected the other animals by the food chain. Changes in blood parameters of fish are related to the response of the whole animal, which affect on survival, reproduction and growth of fish. Some alterations in cholesterol and triglycerides in serum of treated fish Clarias batrachus with 1/20 and 1/10 LC50 concentrations of nuvan and neem oil separately compared with non-treated one after 7, 15, 30 and 60 days of exposure were recorded and discussed. Also, this assessment may be essential for encourage suitable methods of application in aquatic organism production facilities to be fully explored in future.

The indiscriminate use of pesticides in developing countries has impacted negatively on the environment and public health. Despite that informal households in Uganda carry a high pest burden, the safe use and disposal of pesticides is poorly studied. We determined the prevalence and pesticide use practices among the informal households in Mulago, a suburb of Kampala city. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among heads of informal households in Mulago II parish, using a semi-structured interview questionnaire. Out of the 56 households in the parish, twenty 20 household met the inclusion criterion for an informal household. Household heads were interviewed on the pest burden and the practices on safe use and disposal of pesticides. Data was analyzed using SPSSv21 software; the chi-square test was used for Univariate analysis. The mean pest burden per household was 4 ± 0.7 pests: mosquitoes 20 (100%), bedbugs 18 (90%; p < 0.001), rats and houseflies 16 (80%; p = 0.007), and cockroaches 15 (75%; p = 0.025). Most households, 17 (85%, p = 0.002) had used a pesticide within the last 2 weeks. The most commonly used pesticides were synthetic pyrethroid in form of aerosols 18 (90%) or insecticide coils 10 (50%) and organophosphate solutions 15 (75%). Pesticides were applied on walls 15 (75%; p < 0.001) and in open air 12 (60%; p = 0.086). Pesticides were stored in lockable cupboards in 6 (30%; p = 0.645) households. The use of pesticides was associated with having livestock, cost of pesticide and the burden of pest infestation. Informal households in Mulago parish have a high pest burden and usage of pesticides. The use, storage and disposal of pesticides are largely inappropriate. Public health interventions that promote the access to quality and safe use of pesticides at informal households are critical. Keywords: Prevalence, Pesticide Use, determinants of pesticide, Uganda.

Biodegradation of pesticide in agricultural soil employing entomopathogenic fungi: Current state of the art and future perspectives

Water pollution has been increasing at an alarming rate due to indiscriminate use of pesticides (PINKOVSKI 1972). Organophosphorus pesticides are widely used since they are biodegradable and seldom leave residues but for a short time (BOOKHOUT & MONROE 1977). Much work has been conducted by earlier workers on the metabolism and biodegradation of pesticides in different animals (O'BRIEN et al. 1961; HULLINGWORTH et al. 1967; CAPPON & NICHOLAS 1975). In the present investigation, the changes in the carbohydrate metabolism in selected tissues of freshwater mussel were studied during induced toxicity of phosphamidon, an organophosphorus pesticide. These mussels are not only indicators of local pesticide distribution, because they do'not migrate extensively within or from their native stream, but also as filter feeders, they are exposed to particulate components and can sorb toxic materials as well as dissolved substances in water (CHAISEMARTIN 1977). Apart from this, these mussels have some economic value, since they are consumed by some poor people in certain areas of south India.

Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar o uso indiscriminado de agrotóxico e seus impactos na saúde do trabalhador rural no município de Crisópolis-BA. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, exploratório, transversal, de campo com abordagem quantitativa. A população pesquisada foi constituída de 40 trabalhadores rurais que fazem uso de agrotóxicos nas lavouras e pastagens. O estudo foi realizado entre janeiro a junho de 2015. Foram apurados que 27,5 % dos entrevistados encontravam-se na faixa etária de 60 anos e mais, 42,5% cursaram o ensino fundamental incompleto, e todos possuíam renda familiar de até um salário mínimo, fatores socioeconômicos predisponentes para uso exacerbado de produtos agrotóxicos. Sendo que 100,0% adquirem esses produtos agrícolas sem receituário agronômico. Contudo, 82,5 % dos entrevistados usam equipamentos de proteção individual parcialmente, mas este fator torna-se ineficaz, na medida em que 62,5% apresentaram sintomatologia características de intoxicações agudas. E 95,0% relatam que nunca receberam nenhum tipo de assistência à saúde. Conclui-se que existe o uso indiscriminado de agrotóxico pela referida população, proveniente de fatores diversificados, os quais culminam em trâmites irreversíveis para a saúde humana e ambiental.

The indiscriminate use of pesticides in fruit and vegetables can have serious public health problems and environmental issues. There is a lack of information on security measures for handling these products and their adverse effects on the entire production chain. The aim was to report the impact of indiscriminate use of pesticides in fruits and vegetables based on survey of scientific literature and data from National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). The results indicate a high percentage of irregularities in the use of pesticides. The presence of prohibited waste or excess of allowable limits, with consequent harm to the environment and public health point to the need for policy-making more efficient control and monitoring of pesticide use.

The indiscriminate use of pesticides is one of the main factors contributing towards the chemical contamination of human beings, causing various types of intoxications. However, accessing information about pesticides and the consequences of their use, has proven difficult. Therefore, the present paper describes the development of an ontology which has the purpose of structuring knowledge in the field of health, focusing on diseases caused by the improper and indiscriminate use of pesticides. The ontology developed, called OntoTox was based on documents with a pesticide classification and the intoxication caused by their use. OntoTox was constructed according to the Methontology method, as well as some steps of the 101 method and implemented in the Protege environment. This ontology was evaluated by the Data-Driven method as well as the response to questionnaires administered to experts in the fields of health and agriculture. They considered it a valid source of knowledge in aiding the diagnosis of poisoning and health problems related to the use of pesticides. This ontology can be used in providing aid to victims of poisoning and in research involving pesticides and poisoning.

The use of pesticides is a potential threat to local groundwater. Once groundwater is contaminated, it is very difficult to clean. Thus, it is of importance to assess the risk of contaminating local groundwater at an early stage when pesticides are found in soils. This knowledge will also help in remediation strategies. Traditional methods of deterministic analysis cannot explicitly account for the sometimes large uncertainties that exist at this stage in the work, whereas probabilistic analyses are better suited for dealing with these problems. In this paper, we have combined contaminant transport with a 1st-order reliability approach. Pesticide concentrations in soil have been studied to estimate the probability of failure--that is, of pesticides exceeding established critical levels in groundwater. Results indict that failure probability increases rapidly within a certain range of pesticide concentrations in soil for different critical levels. In given aquifer conditions and contaminants, probabilities of contaminants exceeding particular critical levels can easily be obtained according to various water usage scenarios. The distribution of importance factors among variables indicates the contribution their relative weights make to the failure probability. Hence, authorities can easily form sensitivity factors to take action and reduce the risk of contaminating the groundwater.

Promising bacterial genera for agricultural practices: An insight on plant growth-promoting properties and microbial safety aspects

This study evaluated the incidence of predators and anthropogenic activities affecting beekeeping in Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States in the Forest Vegetation and Kaduna, Niger and Kano States in the Savanah vegetation zones of Nigeria. Data obtained were analyzed with parametric statistical tool of mean. The result showed that the largest populations of beekeepers were Bachelor Degree and National Certificate in Education NCE holders (25.0% each), MSc (8%), National Diploma ND (8%) and Postgraduate Diploma PGD (9%). Assessment of human activities that were harmful to beekeeping identified by respondents in the forest vegetation zones revealed indiscriminate use of pesticide (16.67%), theft (33.33%) and herdsmen activity (cattle rearing) (31.82%) while savannah vegetation zones had the following record, indiscriminate use of pesticide (25.00%), theft (35.33%) and herdsmen activity (35.71%). Avoidance of scattering honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) combs around the apiary was found as the most effective method in preventing spread of insect pests. Other methods include: hive sanitation, hive positioning, handpicking of insects, the use of spent engine oil, regular weeding, fencing of apiary and use of bee pen. The hives painted with green coloured paint was reported by respondent to control wasp, spider, termites and lesser wax moth. Beekeepers reported weeding as the most effective method used in controlling predators as it was noted that apiaries regularly weeded controlled the following predators with their respective incidence level: rat (8.33%), snake (12.50%), toad (29.7%), frog (20.83%) and ghecko (37.50%) while the most significant was lizard incidence which was 54.17%. Report from respondents on traditional methods to detect apiary problems categorized into predator and human activities include: decreasing size of colony, majority of bees staying outside the hive, sighting of pests in the apiary and abscondment of bees while human interference was noticed with dead bees found in and outside the hive, inactive bees, trace of burnt grasses and shrubs in the apiary and felled hives from stands.

Chapter 23 - Application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in remediation of pesticides contaminated stressed soil