Abstract The demand for soybean tends to increase worldwide with population growth. Despite farmers adopting strategies such as crop rotation, soil preparation, and the application of chemical products, the most critical factor to increase productivity is choosing cultivars adapted to the region so that they are resistant to deceases. In addition, seed quality also directly influences crop productivity. To help a farmer select suitable cultivars and analyze the quality of soybean seeds, we present an application that uses the user’s location to identify suitable cultivars based on the edaphoclimatic characteristics of a region. The details of these cultivars are shown in text, images, and video, making it possible to compare the selected varieties. Our app also contains a trained convolution neural network capable of classifying the quality of soybean seeds based on an image captured by the user or stored on a smartphone. The convolutional neural network architecture allowed an excellent performance, with an accuracy of 94.06% in the classification of soybean seeds. All app functionality runs comfortably on mobile devices. Compared to others that have the same purpose, our application has a more significant number of features.

In recent years the terms “green chemistry” or “sustainable development” have become more popular as a new approach to chemical production around the world. Green chemistry is an expression of a set of principles that reduce or eliminate the use, production and release of hazardous substances during the production and application of chemical products. The article provides an explanation of the 12 principles of green chemistry proposed by the American scientist Anastas in 1988. At the same time, it highlights how to follow these principles during the complex processing of mineral raw materials. It is shown that traditional existing technologies do not meet the principles of modern “green chemistry” in the complex processing of difficult-to-enrich ores and selective concentrates. The article compares the processing of raw materials by pyro and hydrometallurgical methods and shows the advantages of the latter method. A collection and analysis of literature and articles related to modern problems of green chemistry was carried out. Finally, an assessment of the processing of 4 mineral resources (polymetallic sulfide ore, alunite ore, arsenic-containing cobalt ore waste and copper ore) existing in the territory of our Republic using green chemistry principles was carried out and an analysis of how to use these principles with technological schemes was given

Medium entropy alloys (MEAs) have emerged as a promising class of materials for electro¬catalysis due to their tunable properties and exceptional catalytic performance. This study successfully functionalized a bulk FeCoNiCu alloy using a combined anodic oxidation (AO) and nitridation (NT) approach to produce a highly porous, thin-film catalyst. The hierarchical structure formed during the surface treatments enhances the material's specific surface area and alters the oxidation states of the constituent metals, creating abundant active sites. The electrocatalytic performance of the modified bulk FeCoNiCu electrode was evalu¬ated for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) in an alkaline electrolyte. Remarkably, the AO-NT-treated catalyst exhibited superior activity for OER, surpassing commercial IrOx benchmarks with lower overpotential requirements. For GOR, the FeCoNiCu electrode demonstrated excellent performance by significantly reducing energy input compared to OER, highlighting its potential as a dual-purpose catalyst for alkaline water splitting. Post-reaction product analysis via NMR confirmed the formation of value-added chemicals, with formic acid identified as the main product. These results underline the feasibility of surface-modified MEAs for sustainable energy and chemical production applications, offering a cost-effective alternative to noble metal-based catalysts.

Subcellular effects of imidazolium-based ionic liquids with varying anions on the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis

<b>PHOSAGRO / UNESCO / IUPAC Partnership In Green Chemistry for Life</b>

Goal. To analyze the number of insecticides and acaricides during the cultivation of crops in Ukraine and in the central part of the Right Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine and to determine the degree of danger of their application.&#x0D; Methods. Analytical, economic and statistical, comparative analysis. The analysis of the amount of chemical plant protection products for 2018—2020 was conducted according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Ecotoxicological assessment of 23 chemicals was performed using the Methodologies of the Institute of Plant Protection of NAAS of Ukraine according to the safety data sheet of the preparations and the properties of the active ingredient. The assessment of the level of potential danger of insecticides and acaricides was performed according to the integrated classification of pesticides according to the degree of danger of their application, taking into account indicators of pesticide toxicity (LD50) and their half-life (T50) in soil.&#x0D; Results. In 2018—2020, on average, 1,750.5 thousand kg/ year of chemical pesticides were used in Ukraine, including 279.1 thousand kg in the territory of the Central Forest Steppe. The most common in Ukraine are preparations based on active agent chlorpyrifos (743.0 thousand kg/ year), active agent dimethoate (95 thousand kg/ year) and active agent lambda-cyhalothrin (80.2 thousand kg/ year), which are stable in soil and according to the indicator of acute oral toxicity are classified as hazard classes 2 and 3. The most common acaricides against ticks are those based on active agent clofentezine and pyridaben (3.01 and 3.08 thousand kg/ year, respectively). It was found that insecticides Danadim Mix, EC (Dimetoat, 400 g/ l + Gamma-Cyhalothrin, 4 g/ l), Lamdex, mc.s. (Dimetoat, 400 g/ l + Gamma-Cyhalothrin, 4 g/ l), Rimon Fast, SC (Novaluron, 50 g/ l + Bifenthrin, 50 g/ l), Cezar e.c. (Bifenthrin, 100 g/ l), Shaman, EC (Chlorpyrifos, 500 g/ l + Cypermethrin, 50 g/ l) and acaricide Sunmite, m.p. (Pyridabem, 200 g/ kg) with LD50 55—160 mg/ kg. Most preparations are highly resistant chemical compounds with half-life (Т50) in soil 51-386 days. These are: Aktara 25WG, w.g. (Thiamethoxam, 250 g/ kg), Ampligo 150 ZC, FC (Chlorantraniliprole, 100 g/ l + Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 50 g/ l), Voliam Flexi 300 SC, e.c. (Thiamethoxam, 200 g/ l + Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 100 g/ l), Engio 247 SC, s.c. (Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 106 g/ l + Thiamethoxam, 141 g/ l), Coragen 20, s.c. (Chlorantraniliprole, 200 g/ l), Lamdex, mc.s. (Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 50 g/ l), Mavrik, BE (Tau-fluvalinate, 240 g/ l), Rimon Fast, SC (Novaluron, 50 g/ l + Bifenthrin, 50 g/ l), Cezar e.c. (Bifenthrin, 100 g/ l), Shaman e.c. (Chlorpyrifos, 500 g/ l + Cypermethrin, 50 g/ l), Apollo, s.c. (Clofentesin, 500 g/ l), Sunmite, m.p. (Pyridaben, 200 g/ кg). Conclusions. In Ukraine and in the Central Forest-Steppe the amounts of chemical plant protection products are considerable, which increases the emergence of environmental risks in agrophytocenosis. Most pesticides contain active agent with a high rate of acute oral toxicity and are classified as hazard class 2. According to the degree of danger level, preparations Decis Profi WG (Deltamethin, 250 g/ кg), Decis f-Lux 25 EC (Deltamethin, 25 g/ l), Kalipso 480 SC (Thiacloprid, 480 g/ l), Kormoran, EC (Novaluron, 100 g/ l + Acetamiprid, 80 g/ l), Proclaim 5 SG (Emamectin benzoane, 50 g/ кg), Rubizh, e.c. (Dimetoat, 400 g/ l) belong to low-hazardper (danger level 6—7). According to the combination of ecotoxicological and sanitary-hygienic indicators, dangerous pesticides (3 degree) include preparations Ampligo 150 ZC, FK (Chlorantraniliprole, 100 g/ l + Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 50 g/ l), Engio 247 SC, s.c. (Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 106 g/ l + Thiamethoxam, 141 g/ l) and Masai, s.p. (Tebufenpyrad, 200 g/ кg), very dangerous — (2 degree) — Lamdex, mc.s. (Lambda-Cyhalothrin, 50 g/ l), Rimon Fast, SC (Novaluron, 50 g/ l + Bifenthrin, 50 g/ l), Cezar e.c. (Bifenthrin, 100 g/ l) and Sunmite, m.p. (Pyridabem 200 g/ kg). These preparations are highly toxic and decompose in agrophytocenosis slowly, and therefore their use should be limited to reduce environmental risks.

In 2015 the United Nations declared a framework comprising 17 aspirational goals known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which was meant to be adopted by governments, industries, and other stakeholders worldwide to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people live with peace and prosperity by 2030. It can make the environment sustainable, in other words. Chemistry can play an essential role in helping society achieve the SDGs and Green Chemistry (GC) specifically may be a key player in this regard. GC complements other streams of chemistry, including environmental chemistry. Environmental Chemistry is the ‘chemistry of the environment’ that explains nature and the impact of man on nature. At the same time, GC is ‘chemistry for the environment’ i.e., more environmentally friendly chemistry. GC may be defined as “invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances”. New chemical research, green and sustainable chemistry education, green and sustainable chemical manufacturing practices, and a sense of social responsibility are critical for all chemists worldwide as we work together to protect our planet Earth. SDGs including Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Industries, Innovation and Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action is directly related to chemistry at large and GC in precise. Therefore, if we rightly practice GC, it serves the purpose of environmental sustainability and will be useful in achieving the SDGs, which will ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity in the long run. Green Chemistry Education is quite important in this regard, which needs to be practiced more and more.

The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most cultivated vegetable in the world. China represents about 25 % of all world production, so there is a dependence and constant use of agricultural defensives in tomato crops. The application of chemical products banned in many parts of the world has as a side effect a major impact on human health and the ecosystem, therefore necessary to adopt other disease prevention strategies. Another method of combating tomato diseases is the use of microorganisms as a form of biological control, which is considered an alternative to agricultural defensives and antibiotics offering better sustainability and less toxicity. In this work, the agricultural defensives most used by producers were, Pyraclostrobin, Mancozebe, Copper oxychloride, and derivatives of DDT. For the antibiotics, Streptomycin and Oxytetracycline were the most used, whereas Bacillus spp. and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) was the microorganisms most cited as a form of biological control. Lastly the main phytopathogens of tomato were Xanthomonas spp., Clavibac t er michiganensis subsp. michiganensis and Ralstonia solanacearum . The objectives of this work were to identify the main types of agricultural defensives, antibiotics, and genera of microorganisms used to control tomato diseases and to compare their impact on human health and the environment.

Peach tree thinning, which aims at reducing plant load so as to ensure productivity and fruit quality, has been manually carried out within a short period of time in the stage of fruit development. Due to the need and shortage of qualified man power, chemical thinning is one of the alternatives that can solve these difficulties found in manual thinning. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of different products which have been applied – either alone or in combination – to fruit thinning of peach tree cultivars ‘Sensação’ and ‘Maciel’ in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in the 2015/2016 crop in a commercial peach orchard located in Morro Redondo, RS, Brazil. The following seven treatments were carried out 40 days after full bloom (DAFB): plants with no thinning, manual thinning, metamitron, benzyladenine, benzyladenine + metamitron, ethephon, ethephon + metamitron. Fruit abscission, effective fructification, number of fruits and production per plant, mean mass and fruit classification into caliber classes, epidermis color, pulp firmness and soluble solids were evaluated. Production and number of fruits per plant decreased excessively, whereas fruits placed in categories of higher caliber increased when ethephon was either used alone or in combination with metamitron. When both metamitron and benzyladenine were applied, either alone or in combination, they led to fruit abscission and resulted in mean fruit size and weight, at harvest time, similar to those found in manual thinning. Application of chemical products – either alone or in combination – may be an alternative of peach tree thinning in orchard management.

Enhancement of graffiti removal from heritage stone by combining laser ablation and application of a solvent mixture

While fundamental research into key mechanisms and interactions is important, the practical investigations that scientists also undertake have additional considerations, since the results are applicable in the real world but need disseminating in a way that reaches the intended audience. Worldwide, rapid population growth produces multiple pressures on land, meaning agriculture must become more efficient and productive. Other pressures on farmers are also increasing: to meet environmental quality standards, to follow legislation about application of chemical products, to remain financially viable against uncertain markets, and more. Applied research addresses specific aspects, but often reports do not describe local contexts or are too restricted, lacking details that enable an understanding of their wider application. We illustrate from our experience within UK agriculture, with a particular focus on soil, the identification of current shortcomings in many research publications; provide examples of good practice; and make suggestions for how scientists can help agriculturalists use their work to address the global issues currently faced. Specifically, we recommend that communication between science and agricultural communities is nurtured, to improve mutual understanding and facilitate two-way flow of ideas. In scientific publications, provision of as much contextual information as possible, and consideration for climatic/temporal/location influences, will enable investigations and results to be used for maximum practical effect and should increase citations.

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most important crops in the world. Domesticated V. vinifera cultivars frequently used for wine production are highly susceptible to different diseases, including downy mildew, one of the most destructive vineyard diseases, caused by Plasmopara viticola. Downy mildew affects all green parts of the vine, causing yield reduction and significant production losses. To cope with this threat, the application of chemical products is currently the mainly strategy, with severe environmental and economic costs. The development of alternative sustainable disease-control strategies is crucial. Early detection of infected plants is not easy, since observable disease symptoms normally appear 7-10 days after pathogen inoculation. Thus, the development of early detection techniques is very important to control downy mildew spread. In the present work, we followed an untargeted metabolomics approach using Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) to analyse the chemical profile of infected and non-infected grapevine leaves. Chemical formulas were used to build Van Krevelen diagrams and compositional space plots, which do not require full metabolite identification and provide an easy screening method. Based only on the chemical profile and representation plots, we were able to discriminate between infected and non-infected grapevine leaves as soon as 24 h post-inoculation. Moreover, our results show that lipids, carbohydrates and polyketides are the most altered metabolite groups in P. viticola-infected plants when compared with control samples.

Disease-tolerant varieties of Vitis vinifera are receiving great attention due to their great potential in significantly reducing the application of chemical products as well as the production costs in viticulture. The aim of this study was to characterise the chemical composition of wine produced from a wide selection of some promising disease-tolerant grape varieties grown in Italy and Germany in different years. Some of them were analysed for the first time and their characterisation was based on a comparison with traditional European varieties of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) to find out the similarities and also possible differences between them. A multi-targeted approach using different analytical techniques (GC–MS, HS-GC–PFPD, UPLC–MS/MS, NMR and FT-MIR analysis) was adopted to investigate the main classes of volatile and non-volatile compounds playing a key role in the organoleptic and sensory properties of wine. The results showed the strong influence of the vintage on the chemical composition of wine and good stability of the metabolite profile of wines produced from grape varieties grown in different vineyard locations. Overall, by providing broad coverage of grape composition and diversity, this study highlighted substantial overlapping of the chemical space of traditional and disease-tolerant varieties. The information gained can be used to select winemaking techniques aimed at improving the quality of the final wine to promote the use of disease-tolerant varieties for quality wine production.

The application of chemical products for pest control is one of the most widely used methods in agriculture worldwide despite their adverse effects on humans and the environment. This is a topic of interest due to the growing number of chemical products and their toxicity. The objectives of this research were to identify the most commercialized pesticides in the Ayuquila-Armería River basin (Mexico) and to determine their concentration in the surface water of the basin. The hypothesis of this work was that the current system of agricultural production in the basin is causing degradation of water quality due to the presence of a wide variety of pesticides. For the f irst objective, we visited 27 outlets of pesticides located in the main municipal capitals within the basin, obtaining a total of 143 commercialized active ingredients, mainly of chemical origin. For the second objective, we carried out two samplings in the dry season and two in the rainy season, in 30 sites distributed within the basin. The sampling sites were chosen in a directed way according to the problem of existing contamination and trying to cover the largest agricultural areas within the basin. The analyses were carried out through liquid chromatography coupled to mass-mass spectrometry. The results showed that 66% of the samples contained at least one pesticide. The most frequent pesticides were ametrine, dimethoate and diazinon. The sites that presented the highest number of pesticides in the four samplings were Palo Blanco, Antes Manantlán, Tuxcacuesco and Ayuquila. The sites near the area of intensive agriculture had a higher number of pesticides than those located in areas with rainfed agriculture. This study is the f irst to analyze the presence of pesticides in surface waters of the basin.

ABSTRACT: Eucalyptus plants are sensitive to stress during their initial development, and water deficit is the most important one. Thus, the hormetic effect caused by the application of chemical products may be a factor that allows plants to tolerate such stresses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of trinexapac-ethyl on the initial growth of Eucalyptus urophylla (Clone I-144), under water deficiency, at two application timings (before planting - BP; and after planting - AP). Two experiments were conducted simultaneously in a greenhouse for 74 days after planting (DAP) eucalyptus in 15 L pots. Treatments consisted of three trinexapac-ethyl doses (0.0, 30, and 60 g a.i. ha-1) and two water conditions (with and without water deficit). A complete randomized block design was used, in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement, with five replications. At the BP application timing, trinexapac-ethyl was sprayed at 0 DAP, and at the AP timing, at 24 DAP. In both experiments, plant height, diameter, leaf area, dry matter, total relative chlorophyll content and gas-exchange were evaluated. There was a positive effect for the net CO2 assimilation rate at 27 and 40 DAP, for AP and BP, respectively. Eucalyptus plants, without water deficit, presented higher growth, regardless of the application timing. In conclusion, the application of trinexapac-ethyl before planting caused a positive effect on the height and diameter of eucalyptus; and the application timing influenced, in different ways, the evaluated characteristics, not having harmful effects on any of them.

ABSTRACT: One of the difficulties faced by organic food farming families is weed management without the application of chemical products. Thus, this study aimed to establish the design specifications for the development of a heat applicator device for small organic family farms. The implemented methodology allowed the division of the project to phases composed by different tasks. This paper addresses the informational phase, which identifies client needs, according to the lifecycle of the product, in order to establish the design specifications. The declared needs of 40 customers were identified and converted to the requirements of 24 clients. This resulted in 26 design specifications, displayed in order of importance, and distributed along the product’s entire life cycle. Nine requirements were considered to be the most important; namely working speed, target applied temperature, application height variables, weed elimination, production costs, operation costs, energy consumption, weight, and main crop damage.

Screening passion fruit genotypes to target resistance to scab and bacterial blight may play an important role in reducing the application of chemical products and losses caused by the diseases. It is likely that resistant genotypes may be found in ongoing breeding programs targeting production traits. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the host status of eighteen passion fruit genotypes from the Breeding Program of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (CRP 01-12 to CRP 16-12, CRP 19-12 and CRP 20-12) and two cultivars (FB 200 Yellow Master and FB 300 Araguari) of yellow passion fruit to the scab (Cladosporium herbarum) and bacterial blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. passiflorae). The fungus and the bacterium were artificially inoculated on wounded leaves at the concentrations of 1 x 106 spores mL-1 and 1 x 108 cfu mL-1. Scab incidence and severity were assessed at 7, 14, 21 and 31 days after inoculation (DAI); whereas the bacterial blight evaluations were performed at 10, 20, 28 and 44 DAI. The genotypes CRP 01-12 to CRP 16-12 and CRP 19-12 are moderately resistant to scab. The genotype 20-12 and the FB 200 Yellow Master cultivar are susceptible to the fungus. All genotypes are highly susceptible to bacterial blight.

Farmers must meet an array of demands and challenges every day: growing crops that have minimal disease and insect damage, protecting the environment and providing food for communities across the globe. In modern agriculture, farmers pursue continuous improvement through new technologies that help them face these obstacles in a sustainable way. This includes the responsible use of crop protection products (insecticides, herbicides and fungicides), applied to the soil, seeds or the growing crop. Seed treatment specifically refers to the application of chemical products and/or biological organisms to the seed prior to sowing in order to suppress, control or repel pathogens, insects and other pests that attack seeds, seedlings or plants. Seed treatment through seed coating formulations offer an increasingly precise mode of applying products in the field, and provide a high level of protection against insects and disease while reducing potential exposure of humans and the environment to crop protection products.

Chemicals continuously arriving to the environment apparently affect biological communities and freshwater ecosystems. Still, chemicals co-occur with a myriad of stressors of diverse nature. Recognizing the complexity behind multiple stress situations requires refining the current knowledge and coupling it to ongoing policies so that conservation of freshwater ecosystems can go hand in hand with the application of chemical products and its necessary innovation. Sergi Sabater Catalan Institute for Water Research Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona Institute of Aquatic Ecology University of Girona Girona, Spain

In the pursuit towards attaining sustainability, arrays of greener pathways are being carved to address the needs of the diverse chemical universe. The evolving area of green and sustainable chemistry envisions minimum hazard as the performance criterion while designing new chemical processes. Green Chemistry is defined as "the utilization of a set of principles that reduces or eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and application of chemical products" [1]. Sustainable processes are being sought to explore alternatives to conventional chemical syntheses and transformations. Among several thrust areas for achieving this target includes: the utility of alternative feedstocks, preferably from renewable materials or waste from other industries; unconventional efficient reaction conditions and eco-friendly reaction media to accomplish the desired chemical transformations with minimized by-products or waste generation, and ideally avoiding the use of conventional volatile organic solvents, wherever possible. Other avenues for achieving this objective are to explore the generation of efficient catalytic processes, particularly magnetically retrievable nano-catalysts [1,2,3,4]. In addition to greener synthesis, the recyclability and reuse aspects for catalytic systems are extremely significant particularly when it boils down to the use of endangered elements and precious catalysts. Several friendlier applications in catalysis have been advanced via magnetically recoverable and recyclable nano-catalysts for oxidation, reduction, and multi-component condensation reactions [1,2,3,4] and this has made a terrific impact on the development of green chemical pathways [1]. The greener preparation of nanoparticles has been exemplified via the use of vitamins B1, B2, C, and tea [5] and wine polyphenols [6], beet juice [7] and other agricultural residues which function both as reducing and capping agents. This avoids the need to deploy toxic reducing agents, such as borohydrides or hydrazines and empowers simple and aqueous green synthetic methods to produce bulk quantities of nano-catalysts without the requirement for large amounts of insoluble templates [8]. [...]