Herbicide Roundup Research Articles

Novel aroA of Glyphosate-Tolerant Bacterium Pseudomonas sp. Strain HA-09 Isolated from Roundup-Contaminated Garden Soils in Iran.

Background: Glyphosate is a non-selective systemic herbicide with a broad spectrum of weed control that inhibits a key enzyme, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase, in the shikimate pathway.Objectives: Isolation and analysis of the epsps (aroA) gene responsible for glyphosate-tolerance in bacteria from Roundup- contaminated soils was the aim of this study.Materials and Methods: Sampling was done from the soil of the gardens which were heavily contaminated by Roundup herbicide and then bacterial screening was performed in the presence of high concentrations of glyphosate. The genus of bacterium was identified via molecular methods such as 16S rRNA sequencing. The aroA gene of this bacterium (aroAHA-09) was isolated using the primers designed-upon specific regions of aroA genes available in NCBI GenBank database. The PCR product was cloned, sequenced and subcloned into pET28a as an expression vector and transferred into E. coli strain BL21(DE3). The cells were inoculated in liquid M9 minimal medium containing IPTG and different concentrations of glyphosate.Results: The genus of bacterium was identified as Pseudomonas sp. strain HA-09. The isolated aroAHA-09 gene from this bacterium was approximately 2.2 kb in size. Bioassay of E. coli expressing this gene showed high tolerance to glyphosate (up to 300 mM).Conclusion: The aroAHA-09 gene could be considered as a novel and efficient candidate for development of glyphosate-tolerant crop plants.

Bayer will settle Roundup lawsuits

Bayer says it will pay nearly $10 billion to settle over 125,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs alleging that their use of the herbicide Roundup contributed to incidences of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The c...

Molecular and biochemical responses of vitellogenin in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup® Power 2.0.

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) occur in aquatic ecosystems at concentrations of hundreds of micrograms per liter. As formulation adjuvants are suspected to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals, we assessed the effects of the recent GBH formulation Roundup® Power 2.0 on vitellogenin (VTG) in Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed for 7, 14, and 21days to two concentrations of the commercial formulation, corresponding to 100 and 1000μg/L of glyphosate. The expression of the vtg gene in gonads of females and males, as well as the levels of alkali labile phosphates (ALP) in gonads and non-gonadal tissues from the two sexes were measured. No significant alterations were observed in vtg expression values during the exposure. Conversely, a significant reduction in gonadal ALP levels was observed in females exposed for 21days and in males exposed for 7days. In addition, ALP levels increased significantly in gonads from males exposed for 21days to the two concentrations of Roundup®. As for non-gonadal tissues, ALP levels did not change significantly in females, whereas ALP levels decreased significantly in non-gonadal tissues from males exposed for 21days to the lowest concentration tested. An overall statistically significant difference in ALP levels was found between females and males. Although preliminary, our study suggests that GBH can affect reproduction-related parameters in mussels.

Agronomic Utilization of Precipitated Calcium Carbonate—Effect of PCC on Sugar Beet Root Aphid Control and Herbicide Dose Response of Kochia Grown on PCC Piles

Agricultural use of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), a byproduct of sugar clarification process, as a possible source of nutrients and pest and disease control in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris.) needs a careful examination of the risk and benefit assessment at various levels of management and production. A series of controlled environment studies were conducted in Scottsbluff, NE, to assess the 1) effect of PCC on root aphids in sugar beet, and 2) risk of the weed kochia spreading by applying PCC to agricultural land and its chemical control strategy, by conducting various dose-response studies. A replicated lab study was conducted twice to determine the effect of PCC on root aphid in sugar beet using three rates of PCC (9, 18, and 27 Mg ha−1) and a control. The results showed that root aphid populations in all PCC-amended treatments were significantly reduced when compared to the control (p < 0.05). Two cycles of dose-response studies using the herbicides Roundup and Clarity at 6 concentrations revealed that kochia biotypes grown on PCC piles at three western sugar production locations were effectively controlled (LD50) with the current rate recommendations administered in this region for both herbicides. More field experiments are needed to confirm the results of these controlled environment studies.

The development of fallow lands requires a systematic approach

Methods. The study of a set of measures for the involvement of fallow lands in active agricultural circulation was carried out in the south of the foreststeppe of the Non-chernozem zone in the Republic of Mordovia. The object of study was arable land that has not been cultivated for more than 14 years. In the experiment various forecrop of winter wheat, the methods of the main tillage separately and in combination with the herbicide roundup were studied. Evaluation of the effectiveness of measures was carried out on the output of grain units in a crop rotation.Results. The use of roundup in the development of the deposit contributed to a decrease in the abundance of perennial weeds in winter wheat crops from 40 to 60%, depending on the forecrop. The greater effect of the herbicide was noted on the options with soil cultivation by disk harrow. The reduction in weediness was here from 45 to 68%. The cultivation of the soil with a disk harrow together with the herbicide contributed to the better cutting and mixing of the plant residues of the sod and grinding of the rhizomes of the Elytrigia repens. The determination of the productivity of winter wheat in the crop rotation link revealed that the introduction of a continuous action herbicide roundup increased the collection of grain units for all forecrop. The maximum increase was during processing with a disc harrow for occupied fallow and barley — 0.95 and 1.44 t of grain units/ha, respectively. The profitability level for these options was also maximum and amounted to 41–42%, the conditional net income — 7842 and 8268 rubles/ha, respectively.

Genotoxic effects induced by glyphosate-based herbicide on two gammarid species: the invasive Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda) and the native Echinogammarus veneris (Heller, 1865)

Freshwater communities all over the world suffer from anthropogenic stresses such as pesticide contamination. This stress acts as a selective force, inducing alteration in both the composition of species and their relative abundances. In the present work, we tested the genotoxic effect of the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup® on two freshwater gammarid species. The tests were carried out on the native Echinogammarus veneris, and the invasive alien species, Dikerogammarus villosus. The latter is native to the Ponto-Caspian region and has now spread to many large European aquatic ecosystems. It has displaced native gammarids and is considered one of the most disruptive alien species in Europe. The genotoxic effect of Roundup® was measured by DNA fragmentation re- vealed by comet assay, after either 24 hours or 7 days of exposure. The results obtained demonstrate the genotoxic potential of Roundup® on both species and highlight the higher tolerance of D. villosus to its genotoxic potential.

Использование десикантов для подготовки кукурузного зерна к механизированной уборке

Изучена эффективность десикантов при возделывании кукурузы на зерно в агроклиматических условиях Чувашской Республики в 2016 – 2018 гг. Ресурсосберегающая обработка почвы под кукурузу состояла из разноглубинного осеннего дискования, лущения стерни яровой пшеницы и весенней предпосевной культивации. Обработка вегетирующих посевов кукурузы гербицидами Реглон супер, Раундап экстра, Зеро супер и Торнадо за 2 недели до планируемого сбора урожая позволяет довести зерно до оптимальных технологических параметров, снизив его исходную влажность с 39,0 – 40,0 до 31,9 – 34,4 %. Максимальное (5,6 %) снижение влажности кукурузного зерна к моменту уборки выявлено в варианте с использованием десиканта Зеро супер, а минимальное (3,1 %) — в варианте с применением Реглон супер. В среднем, к моменту уборки влажность кукурузного стебля снижалась на 6,0 – 9,5 %, стержня — на 3,5 – 5,5 %, ножки початка — на 9,0 – 10,5 %. Несколько меньшее влияние оказывали десиканты на листья и обертку початка, где влажность уменьшалась в среднем на 0,2 – 0,8 и 0,5 – 1,5 % соответственно.

Efficient removal of a glyphosate-based herbicide from water using ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs)

Though there may not be consensus regarding the toxicity of glyphosate, given the strong interest in its removal from water sources nanotechnology was used in this work to that end. Nanoparticles of zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs) were synthesized in a controlled manner by chemical route. The ZnO powders were then characterized by infrared and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. To evaluate the capacity for removal, aqueous solutions of the Monsanto herbicide Roundup 747 SG containing 679 g/kg of glyphosate were adjusted to obtain glyphosate-ZnO-NP suspensions of 250 ppm–250 ppm, 700 ppm–700 ppm, 1000 ppm–1000 ppm, 1000 ppm–250 ppm and 1000 ppm–700 ppm and these were used to carry out the tests. The % Removal curves obtained indicate that the ZnO-NPs removed between ~70% and 90% of the herbicide in the system. While the UV–Vis absorption spectra showed small displacements of the absorption maximum and the appearance of other small bands, indicating herbicide degradation, adsorption proved to be the most important removal mechanism. The kinetics of the process was suitably described by a pseudo second order equation, although it is not possible to rule out, for some glyphosate-ZnO-NP concentration ratios, the importance of intraparticle diffusion. These results indicate that the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were efficient in the removal of glyphosate in aqueous solutions at the laboratory level.

Effects of Roundup Herbicide at Low Concentration and of Thermal Stress on Physiological and Biochemical Parameters in Amur Sleeper Perccottus glenii Dybowski Juveniles

The effects of 30-day exposure to Roundup at concentration of 2 μg/L and of thermal stress on the intestinal glycosidase activities (maltase and amylolytic activities (AA)), brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and water-soluble protein (WSP) content in juvenile specimens of Amur sleeper Perccottus glenii Dybowski have been studied. Additionally, critical thermal maximum (CTM) and final selected temperature (FST) are determined in fish of control (exposure to 0 μg/L Roundup) and Roundup-exposed groups. After Roundup exposure AA and WSP content were 27 and 31% lower respectively, maltase and AChE activities did not change. An increase in water temperature at a rate of 8°C/h decreased AA by 60%, maltase activity by 18% and WSP content by 28% in fish of the control group; but decreased AA by 76%, AChE activity by 29%, WSP content by 40%, and increased maltase activity by 11% in fish of the Roundup-exposed group. The recovery treatment during 12 days in a thermal gradient with herbicide-free water (temperature range between 14 and 31°C) reduced the inhibitory effect of heating on AA, but increased it the on AChE and WSP content in fish from both control and Roundup-exposed groups (on maltase activity only in the fish of exposed group). No significant differences were noticed in CTM and FST values in fish of control and Roundup-exposed groups.

Oxidatively modified proteins in kidneys of rats fed with glyphosate-resistant genetically modified soybean and the herbicide Roundup

Genetic technologies have become a tool for achieving the desired properties of plant crops instead of traditional breeding in recent decades. They consist in artificial editing of a plant genome (genetic modification) by inserting the genes encoding desired features from the DNA of one organism in another, often unrelated, species. One of the most popular crops is soybean containing up to 38–42% of proteins in its seeds, and its most common type is GTS 40-3-2 (Monsanto Canada Inc.) line of transgenic soybean. The genetically modified soybean "Roundup Ready" is resistant to the action of herbicide "Roundup" (it continues to grow when it is cultivated with this herbicide). Therefore, the study of individual and combined effects of both factors on the free radical oxidation processes in biomolecules is very relevant. Experimental research was performed on 4-month Wistar rats to study the long-term effects of feeding with genetically modified soybean and herbicide "Roundup", both separately and together, on the rat kidneys. The results of the study showed that after 12 months of feeding with genetically modified soybean treated with herbicide "Roundup" (IV group) and receiving the herbicide with drinkable water (V group), there was an increase in the level of carbonyl derivatives in the rat kidney homogenates in the first (F0) and in subsequent generations (F1, F2) of rats. The research results showed that the highest level of carbonyl derivatives was noted in the kidneys of the third generation of rats. Along with the increase in oxidatively modified proteins in the rat kidney homogenates, there was a decrease in the content of sulfhydryl groups and proteolytic enzymes in the IV and V groups, the lowest level was observed in the third generation. The use of the same transgenic soybean variety not treated with any herbicide did not lead to an increase in the level of carbonyl derivatives and a decrease in the content of sulfhydryl groups compared to control group rats. Thus, the obtained experimental data indicate that both feeding with the genetically modified soybean treated with the herbicide and receiving the herbicide "Roundup" with drinkable water lead to the initiation of free radical processes in the kidneys of rats of all three generations and imbalance of the oxidant–antioxidant system, most notably in the third generation of rats. Such research results indicate the negative effects of the investigated factors and indicate that the herbicide "Roundup" may be accumulated in the seeds of transgenic soybean and also it may increase the oxidative modification of proteins in the rat kidneys. Hence, it is necessary to carry out a detailed study of the effects of these factors on histochemical changes in the kidney and liver structure and an investigation of antioxidant enzyme activity in these organs.

Roundup®, but Not Roundup-Ready® Corn, Increases Mortality of Drosophila melanogaster.

Genetically modified foods have become pervasive in diets of people living in the US. By far the most common genetically modified foods either tolerate herbicide application (HT) or produce endogenous insecticide (Bt). To determine whether these toxicological effects result from genetic modification per se, or from the increase in herbicide or insecticide residues present on the food, we exposed fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, to food containing HT corn that had been sprayed with the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup®, HT corn that had not been sprayed with Roundup®, or Roundup® in a variety of known glyphosate concentrations and formulations. While neither lifespan nor reproductive behaviors were affected by HT corn, addition of Roundup® increased mortality with an LC50 of 7.1 g/L for males and 11.4 g/L for females after 2 days of exposure. Given the many genetic tools available, Drosophila are an excellent model system for future studies about genetic and biochemical mechanisms of glyphosate toxicity.

Glyphosate-based herbicide exposure during pregnancy and lactation malprograms the male reproductive morphofunction in F1 offspring.

One of the most consumed pesticides in the world is glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide ROUNDUP®. Studies demonstrate that glyphosate can act as an endocrine disruptor and that exposure to this substance at critical periods in the developmental period may program the fetus to induce reproductive damage in adulthood. Our hypothesis is that maternal exposure to glyphosate during pregnancy and lactation in mice will affect the development of male reproductive organs, impairing male fertility during adult life. Female mice consumed 0.5% glyphosate-ROUNDUP® in their drinking water [glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) group] or filtered water [control (CTRL) group] from the fourth day of pregnancy until the end of the lactation period. Male F1 offspring were designated, according to their mother's treatment, as CTRL-F1 and GBH-F1. Female mice that drank glyphosate displayed reduced body weight (BW) gain during gestation, but no alterations in litter size. Although GBH male F1 offspring did not exhibit modifications in BW, they demonstrated delayed testicular descent. Furthermore, at PND150, GBH-F1 mice presented a lower number of spermatozoa in the cauda epididymis and reduced epithelial height of the seminiferous epithelium. Notably, intratesticular testosterone concentrations were enhanced in GBH-F1 mice; we show that it is an effect associated with increased plasma and pituitary concentrations of luteinizing hormone. Therefore, data indicate that maternal exposure to glyphosate-ROUNDUP® during pregnancy and lactation may lead to decreased spermatogenesis and disruptions in hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular axis regulation in F1 offspring.

Effects of the glyphosate-based herbicide roundup on the survival, immune response, digestive activities and gut microbiota of the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world and can be transported easily by surface runoff, air, and rivers, potentially affecting aquaculture. In this study, the survival rate, intestinal and hepatopancreatic immune and digestive functions, and the intestinal microbial diversity of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) were evaluated after 7 days of exposure to glyphosate (48.945 mg/L from 1/2 96-h LC50 value). The results showed that glyphosate significantly reduced the survival rate of E. sinensis. After exposure to glyphosate, the totoal antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the midgut and hindgut of E. sinensis was significantly decreased, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the midgut was significantly increased (P < 0.05). After glyphosate exposure, the activities of digestive enzymes (including lipase and amylase) in the intestinal tract were significantly decreased and trypsin was significantly increased, while three enzymes in the hepatopancreas were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Using high-throughput sequencing analysis of the gut microbiota, the results showed that glyphosate significantly decreased the diversity of E. sinensis gut microbiota, while significantly increasing the taxonomic richness of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria (P < 0.05). This study suggested that these bacteria may be involved in glyphosate effects on survival by regulation of immune and digestive function.

Técnicas para controle químico de palmeiras invasoras em Unidade de Conservação na região metropolitana de São Paulo

Espécies invasoras prejudicam as comunidades vegetais autóctones por eliminar diretamente as espécies nativas ou por inibir a sua regeneração. Há evidências de que as palmeiras exóticas Livistona chinensis e Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, que colonizam remanescentes de Floresta Atlântica, ameaçam os processos sucessionais da vegetação natural e, portanto, devem ser controladas. Neste estudo, avaliamos a eficácia do controle químico dessas palmeiras exóticas com o herbicida glifosato. Efetuamos o controle químico por meio da injeção de glifosato (ROUNDUP TRANSORB R 30%) no estipe de 30 indivíduos de cada espécie, em dosagens variáveis de acordo com o porte das palmeiras. Os sinais de senescência foram ilustrados, descritos e acompanhados semanalmente até a morte de todas as palmeiras, que demorou 18 semanas para L. chinensis e 29 semanas para A. cunninghamiana. O glifosato mostrou-se eficaz para ambas as espécies e recomendado para o controle de palmeiras adultas de grande porte, as quais devem ser priorizadas no manejo, a fim de eliminar as matrizes responsáveis pela oferta de propágulos.

Structural-functional state of kidneys of rats of two generations when using glyphosate-resistant genetically modified soy and herbicide Roundup

Due to the widespread use of transgenic soy and the herbicide, we conducted histological studies of the kidneys of two generations of rats that received genetically modified soybean Ready, not treated with a herbicide, the same genetically modified soybean, treated with a herbicide and the Roundup herbicide together with drinking water.Materials and methods. The subjects of the study were male rats of the Wistar line at the age of 4 months, weighing 180-200 g. The experimental animals were grouped into 5 groups of 12 rats each (6 females and 6 males): Group I - the intact animals (kept on a standard vivarium diet); Group II – the animals with up to 26% of standard diet nutritional value, replaced by traditional soybean; Group III - the rats with up to 26% of the standard diet, replaced by genetically modified soybeans, not treated with the herbicide Roundup; Group ІV – the rats, fed with feed containing up to 26% of genetically modified soybean, treated with the herbicide Roundup; Group V – the rats, received the herbicide with drinking water at a concentration (0.1 μg / L). After 42 days, all groups of rats were paired, and thus the second generation was obtained. At the age of 12 months, the rats of all groups were decapitated, and pieces, selected from the middle part of the kidneys (indicate which ones), then these pieces were fixed in 10 % neutral solution of formalin for 48 hours. At performing morphological studies, commonly used histological techniques were used.Results. The evaluation of histopathological changes in the kidneys of the experimental animals, fed with genetically modified soybean, not treated with the herbicide (Group III), the ones, fed with transgenic soybean, treated with a herbicide (Group IV), and the ones received the herbicide with water (Group V) was realized. The analysis of histological sections of the kidneys in all rat groups showed changes in the structure of the kidneys in the IV and V groups. As a result of the experiment, reversible swelling of the renal tubule epithelium in these groups and signs of necrosis of individual cells in the first generation of rats were noted, and in the second generation there was a destruction of the tubule cells and a violation of their functions.Conclusions. The use of genetically modified soybean, treated with the herbicide «Roundup» and herbicide, results in the loss of the structure of renal glomeruli and in the disruption of their functions, both in the first and second generation. Such results indicate a negative effect of the herbicide on the rat's organism and its ability to accumulate in soybean seeds

Effect of Roundup Herbicide on the Temperature Characteristics of Maltase of the Intestinal Mucosa in Juvenile Fish

The in vitro effect of Roundup herbicide at a concentration of 25 μg/L on the activity and temperature characteristics (temperature dependence, activation energy Eact, and Q10 temperature coefficient) of maltase in the intestinal mucosa of the juvenile sander, perch, roach, and common carp has been studied. The magnitude and direction of the effect depends on the fish species and the incubation temperature. Roundup does not affect the temperature optimum for maltase (60°C for perch and sander; 50°C for roach and carp). The lower relative activity of the enzyme in the temperature range of 0–30°C indicates a decrease in the efficiency of maltose hydrolysis, while lower Eact values indicate adaptive changes in this parameter in the presence of Roundup.

The impact of common herbicides in Tagus estuary ecosystem may be higher than expected

Introduction: Artemia spp. (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) is commonly used in aquaculture as a live feed for fish and crustaceans, as well as in toxicological studies of new chemicals in the aquatic environment [1]. In the wild, Artemia spp. occurs in saline areas, such as Salinas do Samouco - Alcochete, in the Tagus estuary, being a primary part of a large ecosystem [2]. A recent study showed the toxic effect of glyphosate, the active principle of several herbicides, on this organism [3]. This study aimed to investigate the effect on Artemia of three herbicides freely sold in Portugal. Materials and methods: Artemia cysts were hatched into nauplii after 16-18h at 26ºC, under day illumination, aeration being strong and continuous [1]. Ten nauplii were randomly collected for each vessel test, performed at 26°C in 100 mL of artificial seawater with 35 ppt of salinity, aeration of 5 mL/s, under 2000 lux illumination [3]. The assays were made in duplicate. The mortality of the naupliis was measured after 4, 16, 20, 24 and 48 hours exposure to 0.1 ppm of the herbicides Natria, Resolva and Roundup (10 µL/100mL), along with the control group. The mortality of the naupliis was measured after 24 and 48 hours exposure to 0.05 and 0.1 ppm of the 3 herbicides, along with the control group. Kit aquarium tests for pH, NH4, NO3, and NO2 were applied to the contents of the vessels after 0, 24 and 48 hours of toxicological testing. Results: The mean of 4 assays indicated that the time required to kill 50% of the organisms exposed to 0.1 ppm of herbicides Natria, Roundup and Resolva was 11h, 14h and 40h respectively (Figure 1). The reduction to 0.05 ppm of the Natria and Roundup herbicides maintained Artemia mortality higher than 50% in 24 hours of exposure. Ammonium kit tests showed no relevant difference between vessel control and vessels with herbicides. Figure 1. Effect of herbicides at 10 µL/100 mL along 4, 16, 20, 24 & 48h. Discussion and conclusions: Both Natria and Roundup herbicides showed acute toxicity to Artemia. The toxicity of the Roundup active ingredient (glyphosate) is known [3] but the active ingredients of Natria (octanoic and decanoic acids) are not considered to be toxic and are easily sold in Lisbon and around. The indiscriminate use of Natria can lead to large discharges into the Tagus river and have consequences for the Artemia and its trophic chain, as the scyphozoan Catostylus tagi. It is worrying that aquarium tests for ammonia have not been able to detect Natria at toxic concentrations, although it is composed of ammonia salts.

Comparative studies on endogenic stress hormones, antioxidant, biochemical and hematological status of metabolic disturbance in albino rat exposed to roundup herbicide and its active ingredient glyphosate.

There have been growing concerns and uncertainty about reports attributing the metabolic disturbance induced by a commercial formulation of glyphosate-based herbicide to its active ingredient. We therefore compared the effects of Roundup Original® and its active ingredient glyphosate on some hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hormones and oxidative stress markers, biochemical and hematological profiles in 56 adult male albino rats randomly assigned to seven treatments of eight rats per treatment. The rats were orally exposed to Roundup Original® and its active ingredient daily at 3.6mg/kg body weight (bw), 50.4 and 248.4mg/kgbw of glyphosate equivalent concentrations for 12weeks, while control treatment received distilled water. Serum concentrations of corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, aldosterone and concentration of oxidative stress marker, biochemical and hematological profiles in the blood were determined. Concentrations of corticosterone and aldosterone were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in rats treated with Roundup in a dose-dependent manner. Reduced glutathione concentration, catalase, and butyrylcholinesterase activities reduced significantly in rats treated with Roundup relative to those treated with the active ingredient. Lipid peroxidation was observed in rats treated with Roundup. Biochemical and hematological profiles of rats treated with Roundup were significantly altered (p < 0.05). However, significant changes in only acid phosphatase, lactase dehydrogenase, bilirubin, and white blood cells in rats treated with the active ingredient at 50.4mg/kg were observed. The severe metabolic disturbance and stress observed in rats treated with the commercial formulation of Roundup herbicide may not be associated with the mild changes induced by the active ingredient.

Foliar Roundup application has minor effects on the compositional and functional diversity of soil microorganisms in a short-term greenhouse experiment

The herbicide Roundup (and glyphosate, its active ingredient) is extensively used for weed control on a worldwide scale. It is absorbed after foliar application and quickly translocated inside the plant. In this study, we investigated the effects of Roundup speed, a commercial glyphosate formulation, on the structural composition (dominance of microbial groups, phospholipid fatty acid analysis - PLFA) and functional diversity (use of carbon sources, Multiple Substrate Induced Respiration - MSIR) of soil microorganisms. We specifically aimed at understanding the potential impact of biotic interactions on herbicide effects and included plants, earthworms, and endomycorrhizal fungi in the experimental setup. For this, we grew clover (Trifolium repens) in the greenhouse and added mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus mosseae) and earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) to the pots. Two weeks after foliar Roundup application and subsequent plant death, the pots were destructively sampled. The application resulted in a significant increase of microbial respiration (SIR) by approximately 30%. A multivariate analysis of the MSIR data exhibited small but significant differences between the microbial communities of treated and untreated pots, while no significant difference was apparent for the PLFA data. Bacterial PLFAs generally decreased following herbicide application, while mycorrhizal and fungal PLFAs were not affected. We did not find a consistent difference between the fatty acid markers of gram negative and gram positive bacteria. For all investigated parameters, there were highly significant differences between the upper (0–5 cm depth) and lower (5–10 cm) soil layers. The fact that rooting density differed by a factor of 3.5 between the two layers indicated that herbicide effects were especially pronounced in the clover rhizosphere and were likely due to changes in root exudate composition. We found significant, though very small, interactions between Roundup and other experimental factors (especially mycorrhizal inoculum).

31P NMR Investigations on Roundup Degradation by AOP Procedures

The reactions of (N-(PhosphonoMethyl)Glycine) PMG with H2O2 in homogenous systems were investigated using 31P NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance). These reactions were carried out in two reaction modes: without UV radiation and under UV radiation. The reactions of PMG with H2O2 without UV radiation were carried out in two modes: the degradations of PMG (0.1 mmol) by means of 5–10 molar excess of hydrogen dioxide (PMG-H2O2 = 1:5 and 1:10) and the degradation of PMG (0.1 mmol) in homogenous Fenton reactions (PMG-H2O2-Fe2+ = 1:10:0.05 and 1:10:0.1). All reactions were carried out at ambient temperature, at pH 3.5, for 48 h. The reactions of PMG (in Roundup herbicide composition, 12 mmol) with H2O2 under UV radiation (254 nm) were carried out using 5 × molar excess of H2O2 (60 mmol), in the pH range of 2 ≤ pH ≤ 12, for 6 h. In this mode of PMG oxidation, the splitting of C-P was observed in the ratios dependent on the applied pH of the reaction mixture.