Increasing Atrazine Concentration Research Articles

Screening of Atrazine Tolerant Aquatic Plant and Roles of Plant Growth Regulators on Plant Growth and Atrazine Tolerance

The extensive use of atrazine to control weeds in agricultural areas has contaminated atrazine in surface water and groundwater. Atrazine contamination in water resources causes human health concerns. Thus, this study investigated the possible use of aquatic plants for removing atrazine from contaminated water. The experiment was performed under plant nursery conditions and divided into two parts: (1) the atrazine-tolerant plants were screened, and (2) the most atrazine-tolerant plant was used for atrazine phytoremediation stimulated by plant growth regulators. The results showed that atrazine was toxic to all aquatic plants, as the dry weight of the plants was significantly decreased when exposed to 20 mg/L of atrazine (P<0.05). Based on five aquatic plants grown under 2.5–20 mg/L atrazine-contaminated water, <i>Azolla microphylla</i> Kaulf. was the most tolerant aquatic plant and was more suitable for use in atrazine phytoremediation than the other aquatic plants (<i>Ceratophyllum demersum</i> L., <i>Eichhornia crassipes</i> (Mart.) Solms, <i>Hydrilla verticillata</i> (L. f.) Royle, and <i>Salvinia cucullata</i> Roxb. ex Bory). The total chlorophyll, carotenoid, and proline contents in the biomass of <i>A. microphylla</i> cultured in 2.5–20 mg/L of atrazine did not significantly differ between the atrazine concentrations (P>0.05). Meanwhile, the proline contents in the other four aquatic plants increased with increasing atrazine concentrations, and the chlorophyll content significantly decreased with an increase in the atrazine concentration. However, <i>A. microphylla</i> could not remove atrazine from contaminated water, and the application of plant growth regulators (6-benzyladenine, gibberellic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, and salicylic acid) did not improve the atrazine removal from water. Atrazine in the water was around 21–26 mg/L on day five of <i>A. microphylla</i> cultivation compared to the initial concentration (25 mg/L). Using a plant growth regulator was ineffective for stimulating growth and atrazine removal by <i>A. microphylla</i>. Future research should explore other potential mechanisms for enhancing atrazine removal by <i>A. microphylla</i>.

The Growth, physiological and biochemical response of foxtail millet to atrazine herbicide.

Foxtail millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is a vital crop that is planted as food and fodder crop around the globe. There is only limited information is present for abiotic stresses on the physiological responses to atrazine. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different atrazine dosages on the growth, fluorescence and physiological parameters i.e., malonaldehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (H2O2 and O2) in the leaves to know the extent of atrazine on oxidative damage of foxtail millet. Our experiment consisted of 0, 2.5, 12.5, 22.5 and 32.5 (mg/kg) of labeled atrazine doses on 2 foxtaill millet varieties. High doses of atrazine significantly enhanced ROS and MDA synthesis in the plant leaves. Enzymes activities like ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD) activities enhanced, while catalase (CAD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities reduced with increasing atrazine concentrations. Finally atrazine doses at 32.5 mg/kg reduced chlorophyll contents, while chlorophyll (a/b) ratio also enhanced. Biomass, plant height, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, minimal and maximal fluorescence (Fo, Fm), maximum and actual quantum yield, photochemical quenching coefficient, and electron transport rate are decreased with increasing atrazine doses.

Chattonella subsalsa (Raphidophyceae) growth and hemolytic activity in response to agriculturally-derived estuarine contaminants

The potential for toxic contaminants and nutrient pollution to alter natural cycles of estuarine phytoplankton blooms is well known, yet few studies have examined how these combined stressors affect harmful algal species. Here, a robust testing protocol was developed to enable an ecotoxicological assessment of responses to commonly co-occurring estuarine contaminants by harmful algal bloom species. The population growth and toxicity (as cell density and hemolytic activity, respectively) of a cultured strain of the toxigenic raphidiophycean, Chattonella subsalsa, were assessed in two experiments (duration 10 days and 28 days) across a gradient of atrazine concentrations and N:P ratios simulating nutrient-rich versus nutrient-depleted regimes. The response of this large-celled, slowly growing alga to atrazine × nutrients depended on growth phase; atrazine was most inhibitory during early exponential population growth (day 10), whereas nutrient regime was a more important influence during later phases of growth (day 28). Without atrazine, toxicity toward fish was highest in low-P cultures. At atrazine levels >25 μg L−1, hemolytic activity was highest in low-N cultures, and increased with increasing atrazine concentration in all nutrient-limited cultures. Hemolytic activity varied inversely with atrazine concentration in N,P-replete conditions. Overall, atrazine inhibitory effects on population growth of this C. subsalsa strain depended on the growth phase and the nutrient regime; hemolytic activity was higher and further enhanced by atrazine in low N-P regimes; and atrazine inhibited hemolytic activity in nutrient-replete conditions. The data suggest that, depending on the growth phase and nutrient regime, atrazine can help promote toxic C. subsalsa blooms.

Physiological and molecular responses of pearl millet seedling to atrazine stress

ABSTRACTPearl millet has been recommended beneficial for several therapeutic purposes. However, little is known of the physiological responses to abiotic stressors, especially of atrazine. In order to elucidate the physiological and molecular responses of pearl millet to atrazine stress, we studied the response of various biomarkers under increasing herbicide concentrations (0, 5, 10, and 50 mg/kg). We also quantified the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (H2O2 and O2•−) produced in the leaves to evaluate the extent of oxidative damage. Increasing atrazine concentrations significantly increased ROS and MDA production in the plant leaves. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD) activities increased, while catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase activities reduced with increasing atrazine concentrations. Generally, atrazine applied at 50 mg/kg suppressed chlorophyll contents, whereas, chlorophyll (a/b) ratio was increased. Atrazine applied at 50 mg/kg significantly suppressed antioxidant gene expressions to the lowest. The APX gene showed overall low response to the atrazine treatments. The chloroplastic psbA gene showed highest expression with 10 mg/kg atrazine, whereas atrazine at 50 mg/kg significantly suppressed the gene expression to its lowest. Pearl millet was able to suppress oxidative stress under low atrazine levels, but high atrazine concentration could induce more oxidative damage.

Enzymatic antioxidant defense in resistant plant: Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum during long-term atrazine exposure

Plants belonging to the genus Pennisetum have been reported to be resistant to atrazine, a widely used herbicide that also can cause serious pollution of soil and water. To evaluate the enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanism to the oxidative stress of atrazine, experiments focusing on the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and antioxidant enzyme in the leaf and root of Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum (P. americanum) during long-term (68days) atrazine exposure were carried out. The test plant had not suffered obvious lipid membrane peroxidation, which was further confirmed by the result that the MDA content in the root and the leaf of the test plant did not significantly increase when treated with various concentrations of atrazine. The activity of the well-known antioxidases, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), was increased when the plants were exposed to atrazine, especially at moderate concentrations (20mgkg−1 or below). These results revealed that antioxidant enzymes played important roles in protecting P. americanum from the oxidative damage induced by atrazine. The increased and more stable SOD activity in the leaf compared to in the root portion of the plant under increasing atrazine concentrations and increasing exposure time indicated that the leaf exhibited more pronounced superoxide radical scavenging ability than the root. Furthermore, correlation analysis showed that the studied antioxidases were positively correlated with the exposure time, suggesting that the antioxidant defense in P. americanum seedlings might become stronger as the plant matures. In conclusion, the increasing antioxidant enzyme activities enable P. americanum seedlings to cope with the oxidative stress induced by moderate concentrations (20mgkg−1 or below) of atrazine.

Phytotoxicity assessment of atrazine on growth and physiology of three emergent plants

The emergent plants Acorus calamus, Lythrum salicaria, and Scirpus tabernaemontani were exposed to atrazine for 15, 30, 45, and 60days in a hydroponic system. Effects were evaluated investigating plant growth, chlorophyll (Chl) content, peroxidase (POD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Results showed that selected plants survived in culture solution with atrazine ≤8mgL(-1), but relative growth rates decreased significantly in the first 15-day exposure. Chla content decreased, but MDA increased with increasing atrazine concentration. S. tabernaemontani was the most insensitive species, followed by A. calamus and L.salicaria. The growth indicators exhibited significant changes in the early stage of atrazine exposure; subsequently, the negative impacts weakened and disappeared. Plant growth may be more representative of emergent plant fitness than physiological endpoints in toxicity assessment of herbicides to emergent plants.

Toxicity of atrazine and its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in a green microalga, Chlamydomonas mexicana.

This study evaluated the toxicity of herbicide atrazine, along with its bioaccumulation and biodegradation in the green microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana. At low concentration (10 μg L(-1)), atrazine had no profound effect on the microalga, while higher concentrations (25, 50, and 100 μg L(-1)) imposed toxicity, leading to inhibition of cell growth and chlorophyll a accumulation by 22 %, 33 %, and 36 %, and 13 %, 24 %, and 27 %, respectively. Atrazine 96-h EC50 for C. mexicana was estimated to be 33 μg L(-1). Microalga showed a capability to accumulate atrazine in the cell and to biodegrade the cell-accumulated atrazine resulting in 14-36 % atrazine degradation at 10-100 μg L(-1). Increasing atrazine concentration decreased the total fatty acids (from 102 to 75 mg g(-1)) and increased the unsaturated fatty acid content in the microalga. Carbohydrate content increased gradually with the increase in atrazine concentration up to 15 %. This study shows that C. mexicana has the capability to degrade atrazine and can be employed for the remediation of atrazine-contaminated streams.

Atrazine Degradation in the Ultraviolet (UV) Irradiation/Hydrogen Peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) Treatment

The degradation of atrazine in UV/H2O2advanced oxidation process was studied. The combined UV/H2O2process could effectively degraded atrazine, which is attributed to the strong oxidation strength of hydroxyl radical produced. Results show that atrazine degradation rate was affected by H2O2concentration and initial atrazine concentration. The degradation rate constant (k) increased with H2O2concentration from 20 to 80 mg/L and decreased when H2O2concentration exceeded 120 mg/L. The degradation rate of atrazine decreased with increasing atrazine concentration. NO3-¡¢Cl-¡¢HCO3-have inhibitory action on atrazine degradation. The higher inorganic anions concentration was, the stronger inhibitory action would be. When their concentrations were 0.5¡¢5 and 20 mmol/L, respectively, their inhibitory action order is HCO3-> NO3->Cl-all the time.

DNA damage and effects on glutathione‐S‐transferase activity induced by atrazine exposure in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

This study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect of atrazine (2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-S-triazine) on the activity of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and DNA damage in males and females of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish were exposed to control and three treatments (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/L) of atrazine for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days. The results indicated that, for males, the GST activity at lower atrazine concentrations (0.01 and 0.1 mg/L) was markedly higher than that of the controls throughout the duration of the experiment while there was a significant inhibition of the GST activity at 1 mg/L atrazine at days 5 and 20. For females, a significant increase was detected at 0.1 mg/L on the days 5 and 15 and at 0.01 mg/L on day 20. The DNA damage in zebrafish was evaluated using the comet assay; the olive tail moments obtained for hepatopancreas were enhanced after treatment with different concentrations of atrazine on days 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25. The DNA damage increased with increasing atrazine concentrations, indicating that genotoxicity of atrazine and significant differences was found compared to the controls. In conclusion, these findings provide further evidence of the effects of atrazine on aquatic ecosystems.

Will climate change reduce the effects of a pesticide on amphibians?: partitioning effects on exposure and susceptibility to contaminants

AbstractSeveral studies suggest that global climate change could increase the toxicity of contaminants, but none of these studies explicitly integrate the effects of climate change on both susceptibility and duration of exposure to pollution. For many amphibian and aquatic insect species, exposure to contaminants is probably greatest during their fully aquatic embryonic and larval stages because these stages cannot readily escape water bodies where many contaminants accumulate and concentrate. Hence, by accelerating embryonic and larval development, global warming might reduce the duration of contaminant exposure for these taxa. To test this hypothesis, we isolated the effects of a temperature gradient (13–25 °C) on susceptibility (toxicity at a controlled exposure duration) and exposure of the streamside salamander, Ambystoma barbouri, to the herbicide atrazine (0, 4, 40, and 400 μg L−1) by quantifying growth, survival, hatching, and metamorphosis under an atrazine exposure duration that was either constant or that depended on time to metamorphosis (and thus temperature). Increasing atrazine concentrations reduced growth, delayed hatching and metamorphosis, and decreased embryonic and larval survival. Increasing temperatures enhanced growth, accelerated development, and reduced survival for embryos but not larvae. With the exception of growth, increasing temperatures generally did not enhance the toxicity of atrazine, but they did generally ameliorate the adverse effects of atrazine by accelerating development and reducing the duration of atrazine exposure. The actual effects of climate change on contaminants remains difficult to predict because temperature changes can affect chemical use, uptake, excretion, biotransformation, fate, transport, and bioavailability. However, this work highlights the importance of explicitly considering how climate change will affect both exposure and toxicity to contaminants to accurately assess risk.

Use of fluorimetry to evaluate atrazine toxicity to phytoplankton communities

Toxicity of atrazine was determined for natural phytoplankton communities in lake water samples from Missisquoi Bay (Lake Champlain, CA, US) at monthly intervals from May to August 2005 in order to assess how this herbicide could affect phytoplankton dynamics. Atrazine was added at 0, 5, 20, and 50 μ g L− 1 in 14 L treatments and incubated under simulated ambient light conditions (43 μ mol m− 2 s− 1). Phytoplankton community composition changes in the treatments were followed using a phytoplankton-specific fluorometer (FluoroProbe) and size fractionated filtration and analysis of extracted chlorophyll-a. Phycocyanin-rich Cyanobacteria decreased with increasing atrazine concentration in June and July and increased with atrazine concentration in August. Further experimentation utilizing a fast repetition rate fluorometer revealed that atrazine impacts on phytoplankton autofluorescence can impair FluoroProbe measurements over the short term (1 h to < 7 days).

Inhibitory effects of atrazine on Chlorella vulgaris as assessed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction

Atrazine, a highly toxic herbicide, is frequently detected in surface water because of its heavy application. Algae are among the aquatic organisms most susceptible to atrazine pollution in water. In the present study, the aquatic alga Chlorella vulgaris Beijerinck was chosen to assess the acute toxicity of atrazine (48-96 h) in terms of gene transcription and physiological changes. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to quantify transcript levels of three photosystem genes in C. vulgaris. The diel patterns for regulation of the psaB (photosystem I reaction center protein subunit B), psbC (an integral membrane protein component of photosystem II), and rbcL (large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase) gene transcripts were successfully quantified. Results showed that atrazine reduced the transcript abundances of three target genes and that the abundances decreased with increasing atrazine concentration. The determined smallest transcript levels of psaB, psbC, and rbcL, which occurred at the highest atrazine concentration tested (400 mug/L), were only 34.6, 34.6, and 8.1%, respectively, of the control sample value. Exposure to atrazine increased the level of malondialdehyde by 1.74-fold (the highest value) in C. vulgaris, suggesting potential oxidative damage to the alga. The activities of antioxidation enzymes (e.g., superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) also increased markedly in the presence of atrazine, with maximum increases of 1.82-, 1.59-, and 2.31-fold, respectively. These elevated activities may help to alleviate the oxidative damage. Our results demonstrate that atrazine is highly toxic to this alga and that real-time PCR is an efficient technique for assessing the toxicity of xenobiotic compounds in algae.

Reproductive and developmental effects of atrazine on the estuarine meiobenthic copepod Amphiascus tenuiremis.

Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. Atrazine concentrations in coastal environments chronically range from 90 ng/L to 46 microg/L, with rare but measured concentrations near 60 microg/L at edge-of-field conditions. Chronic atrazine effects on estuarine benthos exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations are unknown. The purpose of this research was to assess atrazine reproductive and developmental effects over multiple-generation exposures of the copepod Amphiascus tenuiremis. Copepods were chronically exposed to two environmentally relevant nominal atrazine concentrations (2.5 and 25 microg/L, and to an environmentally unrealistic concentration (250 microg/L). Chronic exposures were performed using a 96-well microplate life cycle bioassay. Individual stage I copepodites (C1, n = 60/treatment) were reared through two generations (F0 and F1) to sexual maturity and individually mated in microwells containing 200 microl of atrazine solution. Copepod survival across all treatments and generations was >95%. Atrazine did not affect development to reproductive maturity, time to egg extrusion, or time to egg hatch (p > 0.05). However, reproductive failures increased across generations with increasing atrazine concentrations. Reproductive failures in the 0-, 2.5-, 25-, and 250-microg/L atrazine treatments were 11, 11, 20, and 24% for the F0 and 4, 9, 26, and 38% for the F1, respectively. Compared to controls, total nauplii production per female was reduced by approximately 22% in F0 females exposed to 250 microg/L atrazine (p < 0.05), and by approximately 23%, approximately 27%, and approximately 32% in F1 females exposed to 2.5-, 25-, and 250-microg/L atrazine treatments, respectively (p < 0.05). The combined effect of reproductive failure and reduced offspring production significantly reduced total population growth in the F1 generation (p < 0.05) even at atrazine concentrations lower than that considered safe for seawater chronic exposure (26 microg/L).

Effects of atrazine on embryos, larvae, and adults of anuran amphibians

AbstractWe examined the effects of atrazine (0–20 mg/L) on embryos, larvae, and adult anuran amphibian species in the laboratory. Atrazine treatments did not affect hatchability of embryos or 96‐h posthatch mortality of larvae of Rana pipiens, Rana sylvatica, or Bufo americanus. Furthermore, atrazine had no effect on swimming speed (measured for R. pipiens only). However, there was a dose‐dependent increase in deformed larvae of all three species with increasing atrazine concentration. In adult R. pipiens, atrazine increased buccal and thoracic ventilation, indicating respiratory distress. However, because atrazine had no affect on hemoglobin, this respiratory distress was probably not indicative of reduced oxygen‐carrying capacity of the blood. Frogs exposed to the highest atrazine concentration stopped eating immediately after treatment began and did not eat during the 14‐d experiment. However, no decreases in mass were measured even for frogs that were not eating, probably because of compensatory fluid gain from edema. Atrazine concentrations found to be deleterious to amphibian embryos and adults are considerably higher than concentrations currently found in surface waters in North America. Therefore, direct toxicity of atrazine is probably not a significant factor in recent amphibian declines.

Atrazine in a Stream‐Aquifer System: Estimation of Aquifer Properties from Atrazine Concentration Profiles

AbstractLincolns municipal wellfield consists of 44 wells developed in an alluvial aquifer adjacent to the Platte River near Ashland, Nebraska Induced recharge from the river is the primary source of water for the wellfield. Wafer samples were collected on a periodic basis from the Platte River arid two transects of monitoring wells. These samples were analyzed for the herbicide atrazine, which was used as a tracer of induced recharge in this stream‐aquifer system. Atrazine concentrations in the river and aquifer were much less than 1.0 ppb during late fall and winter, but increased to as high as 18.9 ppb during spring and summer, associated with runoff from upgradient agricultural lands. There was approximately a 21‐day lag time from the first detection of increasing atrazine concentration in the river to the first detection in monitoring wells immediately adjacent to the river. This lag time was relatively constant throughout the year and from one year to the next, even with major fluctuations of river stage and wellfield production. This consistency of lag time indicated that the travel times from the river to the first set of monitoring wells immediately adjacent to the river were fairly constant.Paths of preferential flow were identified in the aquifer at a depth of 25 to 35 feet below land surface. This aquifer zone appeared to play a significant role in movement of water from beneath the river into the wellfield.Aquifer dispersivity was calculated using a method described by Hoehn and Santschi (1987). Macrodispersivity (AL) was shown to increase linearly over the scale of the wellfield. Calculated values of AL were within limits of other reported values for this type of aquifer material and agreed well with values reported by Hoehn and Santschi (1987); These findings will be extremely beneficial for planning and management of the municipal wellfield.

Statistical characterizations of the atrazine-induced photosynthetic inhibition of Cyclotella meneghiniana (Bacillariophyta)

The effect of the triazine herbicide, atrazine, on the photosynthetic O 2 evolution of 3 distinct geographical races of Cyclotella meneghiniana Kütz, was investigated. Cells from Arizona, Iowa, and Minnesota races were removed from steady-state semi-continuous cultures, placed within a reaction vessel possessing a Clark-type, O 2 electrode, and subjected to increasing atrazine concentrations at 305 μE·m 2·s −1 of photosynthetically active radiation. Percent photosynthetic inhibition, as measured by decline in O 2 evolution, was statistically characterized for each race using regression, probit, and logit models. A differential sensitivity to increasing atrazine concentration was observed among the 3 geographical races; the Arizona and Iowa races exhibited immediate and similar asymptotic, inhibitory responses while the Minnesota race exhibited a delayed linear, inhibitory response. The EC 50 values estimated by regression models were greater than values estimated by probit and logit models for all races. However, since atrazine-induced, photosynthetic inhibition is a continuous, rather than a quantal response, the use of probit and logit models to statistically characterize herbicidal effects on algal photosynthetic capability is not recommended.