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The herbicide dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) is commonly used to control broadleaf weeds in soybeans. Dicamba, however, is susceptible to volatilization and drift, thereby causing significant plant damage to nontarget crops downwind. Dicamba was reformulated to reduce volatility and off-target movement. The effectiveness of the dicamba reformulation was assessed by quantifying dicamba emissions following spray application and investigated how meteorological factors influenced the off-target movement. The experiments were conducted at the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (UMORE Park) during the growing season of 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Multiple high-flow polyurethane foam air samplers were used to measure dicamba concentrations downwind from a 4-ha soybean field sprayed with dicamba. Dicamba emissions were estimated using backward Lagrangian modeling constrained by the air sample observations. The results indicate that dicamba emissions and downwind transport were significant for several days following application. Further, non-traited soybeans located within 15–45 m showed substantial dicamba-related damage. In warmer, drier seasons, increased dicamba emissions caused more severe damage to downwind soybeans, likely worsened by drought stress preventing recovery. Favorable atmospheric conditions that reduced potential drift can be difficult to achieve in terms of the typical weather experienced over agricultural sites in the Upper Midwest. These results indicate that the dicamba reformulation has not adequately prevented significant post-spray volatilization losses and downwind transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgenic, dicamba‐resistant soybean and cotton were developed to enable farmers to combat weeds that had evolved resistance to the herbicide glyphosate. The dramatic increases in dicamba use these crops facilitated have led to serious problems, including the evolution of dicamba‐resistant weeds and widespread damage to susceptible crops and farming communities. Disturbingly, this pattern of dicamba use has unfolded while the total herbicide applied to soybean has nearly doubled since 2006. Without substantive changes to agricultural policy and decision making, the next 'silver‐bullet' agrotechnology will likely be no more than another step on the transgene‐facilitated herbicide treadmill. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was conducted to investigate the anthelmintic potential of crude extracts from the stem, leaves, and flowers of two common weeds, Oxalis corymbosa DC. & O. pes-caprae L., of family Oxalidaceae, against gastrointestinal parasitic worm (helminth), Haemonchus contortus in polar & non-polar solvents, i.e. distilled water, ethanol, chloroform, and n-hexane. The time taken for the paralysis and ultimately the death of the worms by the crude extracts of both plants was found reasonably well as compared to that of the standard drug, Albendazole. However, the crude extracts of stem, leaves, and flowers of O. corymbosa in ethanol were found to be more effective than those of O. pes-caprae with paralysis (17.33, 14.20, and 10.13 min, respectively) and death time (18.16, 15.10, and 9.33 min, respectively) while Albendazole recorded paralysis and death time as 59.10 and 60.06 min, respectively. Likewise, the anthelmintic potential of stem, leaves, and flowers extracts of O. corymbosa in n-hexane, chloroform, and distilled water was noticeably higher such as in n-hexane, stem, leaves and flowers extracts of O. corymbosa had paralysis (29.20, 27.33 and 28.0, respectively) and death time (30.20, 30.16 and 30.06, respectively) while the same extracts of O. pes-caprae had paralysis (37.43, 36.40, and 34.06, respectively) and death time (39.10, 36.83, and 35.33, respectively). The results indicated sound anthelmintic potential of the two weeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Resistance to dicamba in Chenopodium album was first documented over a decade ago, however, the molecular basis of dicamba resistance in this species has not been elucidated. In this research, the resistance mechanism in a dicamba‐resistant C. album phenotype was investigated using a transcriptomics (RNA‐sequence) approach. RESULTS: The dose–response assay showed that the resistant (R) phenotype was nearly 25‐fold more resistant to dicamba than a susceptible (S) phenotype of C. album. Also, dicamba treatment significantly induced transcription of the known auxin‐responsive genes, Gretchen Hagen 3 (GH3), small auxin‐up RNAs (SAURs), and 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate synthase (ACS) genes in the susceptible phenotype. Comparing the transcripts of auxin TIR/AFB receptors and auxin/indole‐3‐acetic acid (AUX/IAA) proteins identified from C. album transcriptomic analysis revealed that the R phenotype contained a novel mutation at the first codon of the GWPPV degron motif of IAA16, resulting in an amino acid substitution of glycine (G) with aspartic acid (D). Sequencing the IAA16 gene in other R and S individuals further confirmed that all the R individuals contained the mutation. CONCLUSION: In this research, we describe the dicamba resistance mechanism in the only case of dicamba‐resistant C. album reported to date. Prior work has shown that the dicamba resistance allele confers significant growth defects to the R phenotype investigated here, suggesting that dicamba‐resistant C. album carrying this novel mutation in the IAA16 gene may not persist at high frequencies upon removal of dicamba application. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-jarosite, an iron mineral synthesized biologically using bacteria, is a substitute for iron catalysts in the Fenton oxidation of organic pollutants. Iron nanocatalysts have been widely used as Fenton catalysts because they have a larger surface area than ordinary catalysts, are highly recyclable, and can be treated efficiently. This study aimed to explore the catalytic properties of bio-jarosite iron nanoparticles synthesized with green methods using two distinct plant species: Azadirachta indica and Eucalyptus gunni. The focus was on the degradation of dicamba via Fenton oxidation. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited different particle size, shape, surface area, and chemical composition characteristics. Both particles were effective in removing dicamba, with removal efficiencies of 96.8% for A. indica bio-jarosite iron nanoparticles (ABFeNPs) and 93.0% for E. gunni bio-jarosite iron nanoparticles (EBFeNPs) within 120 min of treatment. Increasing the catalyst dosage by 0.1 g/L resulted in 7.6% and 43.0% increases in the dicamba removal efficiency for EBFeNPs and ABFeNPs with rate constants of 0.025 min−1 and 0.023 min−1, respectively, confirming their catalytic roles. Additionally, the high efficiency of both catalysts was demonstrated through five consecutive cycles of linear pseudo-first-order Fenton oxidation reactions.

Exploring the sugar and amino acid content variability and the influence of thermal processing on these in soybeans can help optimize their utilization in animal feed. This study examined 209 samples harvested in 2020 and 55 samples harvested in 2021 from across the U.S. to assess their sugar variability and amino acid variability. Harvest regions included the East Corn Belt, West Corn Belt, Mid-South, East Coast, and the Southeast of the U.S. In addition to the sugar and amino acid contents, protein, oil, and seed size were also analyzed. Samples from 2021 were evaluated for their sugar and amino acid contents before and after autoclaving the seeds at 105–110 °C for 15 min. For the samples harvested in 2020, sucrose (4.45 g 100 g−1) and stachyose (1.34 g 100 g−1) were the most prevalent sugars. For the samples harvested in 2021, L-arginine (9.82 g 100 g−1), leucine (5.29 g 100 g−1), and glutamate (4.90 g 100 g−1) were the most prevalent amino acids. Heat treatment resulted in an 8.47%, 20.88%, 11.18%, and 1.46% median loss of free lysine, sucrose, glucose, and fructose. This study's insights into the variability in sugar and amino acid content and the heat-induced changes in the nutritional composition of soybeans provide a reference for improving soybean quality assessment and optimizing its use in animal feed formulations in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbicide-resistant corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.) is one of the most important broadleaved weeds and the number of resistant cases is still growing. The aims of this study were to confirm the resistance of P. rhoeas from Tunisia to ALS inhibitors and auxin mimics and investigate the mechanisms of Target-Site Resistance (TSR) and Non-Target Site Resistance (NTSR) involved. Dose–response trials to determine cross-resistance patterns for ALS inhibitors and auxin mimics were conducted in a greenhouse. In this study, multiple resistance to tribenuron-methyl and dicamba but not to 2,4-D was found in P. rhoeas populations. Cross-resistance to imazamox was confirmed as well. Sequence analysis of the ALS gene detected target-site mutations in codon 197 of the ALS gene, namely, Pro197His, Pro197Thr, Pro197Leu, and Pro197Asn. In this study, the metabolism experiments with malathion (a cytochrome P450 inhibitor) showed that malathion reduced resistance to imazamox, indicating that P450 is involved in the resistance. TSR and NTSR mechanisms to ALS inhibitors likely coexist. The findings of this study revealed a significant synergistic interaction between malathion and dicamba in particular populations, suggesting that the resistance to auxin mimics can be conferred by enhanced metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farming with tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) in South Africa can be a highly profitable operation, provided the farmer starts the crop with the right variety of quality seedlings, suited for the specific growth area. Therefore, it is necessary to study tomato seedlings on the molecular level. This study was conducted to isolate and identify S. lycopersicum in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Therefore, this molecular study was conducted in 2022 at Limpopo University. To identify S. lycopersicum 28S rDNA marker was used. The DNA was extracted using the Chelex method. The tomato was identified as S. lycopersicum. The Nblast analysis showed South African S. lycopersicum has a 99.8% similarity with a population from Germany (OU640345) and a 99.7% similarity with a population from Sweden (OK073662). Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood placed this species with those molecularly identified as S. lycopersicum in the same clade with highly supported (83) bootstrap values. In conclusion, this species is identified using 28S rDNA properly. However, other DNA markers are recommended to understand Solanum spp. phylogeny better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowdsourcing involves the use of annotated labels with unknown reliability to estimate ground truth labels in datasets. A common task in crowdsourcing involves estimating reliabilities of annotators (such as through the sensitivities and specificities of annotators in the binary label setting). In the literature, beta or dirichlet distributions are typically imposed as priors on annotator reliability. In this study, we investigated the use of a neuroscientifically validated model of decision making, known as the drift-diffusion model, as a prior on the annotator labeling process. Two experiments were conducted on synthetically generated data with non-linear (sinusoidal) decision boundaries. Variational inference was used to predict ground truth labels and annotator related parameters. Our method performed similarly to a state-of-the-art technique (SVGPCR) in prediction of crowdsourced data labels and prediction through a crowdsourced-generated Gaussian process classifier. By relying on a neuroscientifically validated model of decision making to model annotator behavior, our technique opens the avenue of predicting neuroscientific biomarkers of annotators, expanding the scope of what may be learnt about annotators in crowdsourcing tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the evolution of resistant weeds to glyphosate, the new technologies Xtend® and Enlist® cropping systems are expected to boost the use of auxin herbicides dicamba and 2,4-D. This study examined the effects of two formulations of 2,4-D and dicamba in tank-mixtures with other pesticides on selected physico-chemical properties of the spray solution, such as stability and pH, as well as other characteristics, such as size in dropcard and surface tension. The research included two factors, factor A comprised the herbicides dicamba and 2,4-D amine and choline salts and a auxin herbicide-free treatment, while factor B comprised 12 pesticides commonly sprayed in Brazil (i.e., five formulations of glyphosate, clethodim, haloxyfop-p-methyl, trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole, azoxystrobin + benzovindiflupyr, mancozeb, chlorantraniliprole, and thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin). Stability and pH, surface tension, and droplet parameters of the tank-mixtures were analyzed. No incompatibility was observed in the tank mixtures tested. Mixing dicamba with clethodim and haloxyfop-p-methyl resulted in pH values below 4.5. Auxin herbicides did not show pH buffering capacity and did not prevent pH changes when the others pesticides were added to the tank-mixtures. All mixtures affected surface tension of herbicides relative to the single solutions. The results support the use of auxin herbicides with other pesticides, given that the use of auxin herbicides will probably increase, following the adoption of new dicamba and 2,4-D technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is widely used for detecting target species, including monitoring endangered species and detecting the presence of invasive species. Detecting targeted species using the eDNA approach is typically carried out with species-specific qPCR assays. Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) is classified as a State-Prohibited Matter Weed in NSW, Australia. It is a fast-growing perennial aquatic weed that outcompetes native aquatic plants, leading to a reduction in the habitats of aquatic animals. Early detection is crucial for the effective management of this species. In this study, we developed a qPCR assay for L. laevigatum based on the rpoB gene sequence. This assay was validated against 25 non-target aquatic and terrestrial species. It was found to be species-specific, with the positive signal exclusively detected in L. laevigatum. The assay was highly sensitive with the modelled detection limits of 3.66 copies of DNA/µL. Furthermore, our assay was validated using environmental samples collected from field sites with and without the presence of L. laevigatum. Our assay is an effective tool for targeted eDNA detection of L. laevigatum, which will enhance efforts to monitor and control this invasive aquatic weed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbicide volatility and drift are serious problems for chemical weed control. The extended use of dicamba, especially due to the commercial release of dicamba-resistant crops, revealed many off-target dicamba injury issues for sensitive crops. The objective of the present study is to give information on the chemical properties and volatility of dicamba and highlight some key issues, while a systematic review of the recently reported cases is attempted. Unfortunately, the problem is increasing, with a huge majority of the injuries reported in the USA, but it is also present in many other countries. Several arable, horticultural, and perennial crops suffer from such damage. Specific measures and approaches are suggested in order to quantify, reduce, and prevent such problems, while the training of farmers and stakeholders and further research are certainly required for the optimization of the several alternative options.

The recent release of 2,4-D- and dicamba-tolerant soybean traits has increased the risk of off-target herbicide injury and yield loss for specialty crop growers in the midwestern United States. Most dicotyledonous plants, including many specialty crops like pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), are susceptible to synthetic auxin herbicides; however, the relationship between off-target herbicide rate, visible crop injury, and eventual yield loss is not well documented. The objective of this 2-year field study in 2019 and 2020 was to determine the effect of sublethal herbicide rates of 2,4-D and dicamba on visible injury and crop yield loss in pumpkin when applied at the vegetative and flowering growth stages. Herbicides included 2,4-D choline salt (1066 g ae·ha21 labeled rate) and dicamba diglycolamine salt (560 g ae·ha21 labeled rate) ranging from 1/500 to 1/4 of the labeled rate. Visible injury ratings were recorded every 7 d after application and pumpkins were harvested and weighed when ripe. Injury and yield data were fit to a four-parameter log-logistic regression model to estimate effective doses (ED) required for 5% to 50% visible injury or yield loss. Pumpkin treated with the 1/10 and 1/4 rates of 2,4-D at both growth stages had visible injury (± 1 SE) ranging from 8% (± 3%) to 55% (± 3%), but injury did not always result in yield loss. Maximum yield loss from 2,4-D was 32% (± 2%), observed following the 1/4 rate at the vegetative growth stage in 2020 (estimated ED for 20% yield loss was ~1/50). Pumpkin treated at the vegetative growth stage with the 1/10 and 1/4 rates of dicamba resulted in 65% (± 6%) to 82% (± 1%) visible injury and 33% (± 2%) to 86% (± 14%) yield loss (estimated ED for 20% yield loss was ~1/10 in 2019 and ~1/15 in 2020). At the flowering stage, dicamba rates of 1/10 and 1/4 caused visible injury of 31% (± 2%) to 74% (± 5%) and yield loss of 26% (± 10%) to 60% (± 14%) (estimated ED for 20% yield loss was ~1/20 in 2019 and ~1/5 in 2020). Susceptibility of pumpkin to 2,4-D and dicamba suggests herbicide applicators and pumpkin growers should consider strategies that mitigate off-target movement, including using nozzles that increase droplet size, shielded sprayers, thorough tank cleanout, buffer zones, and programs that facilitate communication between applicators and growers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the property of recycled cotton staple yarn, recycled polyester filaments were wrapped around the outer layer of recycled cotton to produce recycled wrapped polyester cotton yarn with condensed yarn structure. In order to improve spinnability of the wrapped yarn, impact of key process parameters on yarn convergence points was analyzed. Through specific spinning experiments, drawing ratio of filament, the distance between filament and staple sliver and the twist factor of yarn were optimized. The results showed when using recycled cotton and recycled polyester filament as raw materials to spin wrapped yarn, the quality of the wrapped yarn was optimal under the process conditions of filament draft ratio was 1.03 times, the distance between filament and staple strips was 4 mm and twist factor of the yarn was 400. Making recycled cotton into yarn was an effective method to achieve the recycling and reuse of waste textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbicide volatility and drift are serious problems for chemical weed control. The extended use of dicamba, especially due to the commercial release of dicamba-resistant crops, revealed many off-target dicamba injury issues for sensitive crops. The objective of the present study is to give information on the chemical properties and volatility of dicamba and highlight some key issues, while a systematic review of the recently reported cases is attempted. Unfortunately, the problem is increasing, with a huge majority of the injuries reported in the USA, but it is also present in many other countries. Several arable, horticultural, and perennial crops suffer from such damage. Specific measures and approaches are suggested in order to quantify, reduce, and prevent such problems, while the training of farmers and stakeholders and further research are certainly required for the optimization of the several alternative options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are no known human biomonitoring studies that concurrently examine biomarkers of dicamba and 2,4-D. We sought to compare biomarkers of exposure to herbicides in pregnant women residing in the US Midwest before and after the adoption of dicamba-tolerant soybean technology using urine specimens obtained in 2010–2012 from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be (N = 61) and in 2020–2022 from the Heartland Study (N = 91). Specific gravity-standardized concentration levels for each analyte were compared between the cohorts, assuming data are lognormal and specifying values below the LOD as left-censored. The proportion of pregnant individuals with dicamba detected above the LOD significantly increased from 28% (95% CI: 16%, 40%) in 2010–2012 to 70% (95% CI: 60%, 79%) in 2020–2022, and dicamba concentrations also significantly increased from 0.066 μg/L (95% CI: 0.042, 0.104) to 0.271 μg/L (95% CI: 0.205, 0.358). All pregnant individuals from both cohorts had 2,4-D detected. Though 2,4-D concentration levels increased, the difference was not significant (p-value = 0.226). Reliance on herbicides has drastically increased in the last ten years in the United States, and the results obtained in this study highlight the need to track exposure and impacts on adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of dicamba and 2,4-D resistant crops may result in the widespread use of these herbicides in agricultural areas, potentially affecting nearby susceptible crops. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of bean, peanut, and cotton to different doses of Dicamba and 2,4-D. To do so, separate experiments were conducted for each crop and herbicide in a greenhouse, using a completely randomized design with four replications. Both herbicides were applied at different doses to plants with the second pair of true leaves. Phytotoxicity and dry biomass were evaluated. For cotton, 2,4-D showed high phytotoxicity at doses of up to 83.75 g ai ha-1, with a reduction in suppressive effect observed at 20.93 g ai ha-1. Dicamba exhibited a pronounced reduction in crop biomass up to a dose of 70 g ai ha-1, with 94 % phytotoxicity. For beans, the evolution of symptoms using 2,4-D occurred more slowly, but the highest doses resulted in phytotoxicity of up to 95 % and a 30 % reduction in biomass at 167.5 g ai ha-1, indicating a significant impact on the crop. Dicamba also had a high negative impact, with a 100 % reduction in biomass at 70 g ai ha-1. The peanut crop was more tolerant to herbicides, with 2,4-D doses of 670, 335, and 167.5 g ai ha-1 resulting in phytotoxicities of 69.5, 37.49, and 14.37 %, respectively. Dicamba significantly reduced dry biomass at doses of up to 70 g ai ha-1. The results show that, despite the differences in sensitivity of cotton, bean, and peanut to 2,4-D and Dicamba, even low doses of these herbicides applied early in development had a significant negative impact on these crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is great interest in exploring epigenetic modifications as drivers of adaptive organismal responses to environmental change. Extending this hypothesis to populations, epigenetically driven plasticity could influence phenotypic changes across environments. The canonical model posits that epigenetic modifications alter gene regulation and subsequently impact phenotypes. We first discuss origins of epigenetic variation in nature, which may arise from genetic variation, spontaneous epimutations, epigenetic drift, or variation in epigenetic capacitors. We then review and synthesize literature addressing three facets of the aforementioned model: (i) causal effects of epigenetic modifications on phenotypic plasticity at the organismal level, (ii) divergence of epigenetic patterns in natural populations distributed across environmental gradients, and (iii) the relationship between environmentally induced epigenetic changes and gene expression at the molecular level. We focus on DNA methylation, the most extensively studied epigenetic modification. We find support for environmentally associated epigenetic structure in populations and selection on stable epigenetic variants, and that inhibition of epigenetic enzymes frequently bears causal effects on plasticity. However, there are pervasive confounding issues in the literature. Effects of chromatin-modifying enzymes on phenotype may be independent of epigenetic marks, alternatively resulting from functions and protein interactions extrinsic of epigenetics. Associations between environmentally induced changes in DNA methylation and expression are strong in plants and mammals but notably absent in invertebrates and nonmammalian vertebrates. Given these challenges, we describe emerging approaches to better investigate how epigenetic modifications affect gene regulation, phenotypic plasticity, and divergence among populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work provides new evidence of the ongoing potential of surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) and surface-active quaternary ammonium salts (surface-active QASs). To achieve this, a series of compounds were synthesized with a yield of ≥85%, and their thermal analyses were studied. Additionally, antimicrobial activity against both human pathogenic and soil microorganisms was investigated. Subsequently, their surface properties were explored with the aim of utilizing SAILs and surface-active QASs as alternatives to commercial amphiphilic compounds. Finally, we analyzed the wettability of the leaves' surface of plants occurring in agricultural fields at different temperatures (from 5 to 25 °C) and the model plant membrane of leaves. Our results show that the synthesized compounds exhibit higher activity than their commercial analogues such as, i.e., didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB), for which the CMC values are 2 mM and 15 mM. The effectiveness of the antimicrobial properties of synthesized compounds relies on their hydrophobic nature accompanied by a cut-off effect. Moreover, the best wettability of the leaves' surface was observed at 25 °C. Our research has yielded valuable insights into the potential effectiveness of SAILs and surface-active QASs as versatile compounds, offering a promising alternative to established antimicrobials and crop protection agents, all the while preserving substantial surface activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupling coloration refers to a dyeing method that forms azo chromophore in-situ on fiber through coupling reaction, where some electron-donating groups on fiber are served as coupling components, when treated with a diazonium salt. Since the generated azo chromophores connect to the fiber by covalent bonds, dyed fabrics through coupling coloration usually have excellent fastness. In this paper, a dyeing method involving a fiber modification process and a coupling coloration procedure was proposed for cotton fabric. To achieve this goal, an aniline modifier was firstly designed and synthesized through combination of aniline and triazine structures. Chemical modification of cotton fabric using the aniline modifier successfully grafted aniline units onto cotton fiber. The modified cotton fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. Coupling coloration of the modified cotton fabric utilizing 2,6-dichloro-4-nitroaniline, p-nitroaniline or 2-amino-5-nitrothiazole diazonium salts successfully presented deep shades of orange, red or blue color, respectively, with good levelness property. The dyed fabric exhibited good color firmness property. For example, the dyed fabric showed good resistance to organic solvent extraction with color fixation values of higher than 90%. The color fastnesses to soaping and rubbing of the dyed cotton fabrics reached higher than grade 4. The dyed cotton fabrics also had excellent washing stability after 20 washing cycles. Besides, the migration values of the cotton fabrics through coupling coloration were lower than 3%, indicating excellent anti-migration property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to assess the possible endocrine disruptor effects on rat mammary tissue and reproductive organs during pregnancy and lactation when exposed to low doses of glyphosate and its combination with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and dicamba. The study involved the exposure of pregnant Wistar rats to various regulatory-relevant doses of glyphosate, ranging from gestational day 6 until fine of the lactation period. Glyphosate doses corresponded to the European Union's glyphosate-acceptable daily intake (ADI; 0.5mg/kg bw/day) and no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL; 50mg/kg bw/day). The dose of the mixture of glyphosate, dicamba, and 2,4-D was at the European Union ADI for each herbicide namely 0.5, 0.002, and 0.3mg/kg bw/day, respectively. In the animals exposed to glyphosate NOAEL serum estradiol levels were increased compared to untreated animals, along with an upregulation of TNF-?, MMP-2, and MMP-9 as measured in mammary gland homogenates compared to nontreated animals. Moreover, in this group, a focally acute inflammatory infiltrate was observed in the mammary gland. Our study showed that short-term exposure to glyphosate at doses that are set as safe by regulators and thus without risk corroborated with a particular physiological state as gestation and lactation, can give rise to inflammatory changes in breast tissue in rats. These findings support the need for further evaluation of glyphosate and mixtures of glyphosate with other pesticides for public health protection, especially for those categories vulnerable to the potential endocrine disruptor properties of these pesticides such as pregnant women, newborns, and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation was carried out to evaluate the influence of the dicamba (3,6-Dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) (DIC) and casein hydrolysate (CH) on the callus growth, shoot multiplication, and some biochemical constituents of date palm cv. Barhee cultured in vitro. Both DIC and CH were required for callus growth and shoots regeneration. The medium supplemented with 4.0 mg l−1 DIC in combination with 1.0 g l−1 CH gave the highest callus weight (287 mg), while the maximum response rate and the number of shoots per jar (86.67% and 15.07 shoots/jar) were found in MS media equipped with 4 mg l−1 DIC and 0.5 mg l−1 CH combination. The total amount of phenolic compounds was significantly reduced to 0.82 and 0.79 mg GAE g–1 in shoots cultured in the medium equipped with 4.0 mg l−1 DIC with 0.5 and 1.0 g l−1 CH, which is reflected in the rate of browning. The results showed that the highest shoots content of endogenous IAA (3.71 and 3.50 μg g−1), were obtained in response to 4 mg l−1 DIC + 1.0 g l−1 CH and 4.0 mg l−1 DIC + 0.5 g l−1 CH, respectively. The macronutrient K, P, Ca, and free amino acids content significantly increased in the in vitro shoots regenerated on the media supplemented with 4.0 mg l−1 DIC + 1.0 g l−1 CH. The genetic stability of this study was confirmed by the DNA-based fingerprinting method RAPD. The RAPD binding patterns indicated no variation among tissue culture-derived plants. The in vitro propagation protocol described herein can be introduced to the production of genetically stable date palm plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to corn, sorghum is more sensitive to the action of synthetic chemicals in the administered herbicides and most of the time the plant stagnates in growth for a few days, even if the application doses are moderate. As the spectrum of weeds is quite diverse in Romania, there are species that are difficult to control in sorghum culture, such as Sorghum halepense, Setaria ssp. or Echinochloa crus-gali L., in this research we tested several variants of weed control using herbicides applied in pre and post emergence. The most valuable variant in combating weeds in grain sorghum crop proved to be the variant with Dual Gold (S-metolachlor 960 g/l) 1.5 l/ha applied in pre-emergence + Trek P 334 SE (Pendimetalin 64 g/l + Terbuthylazine 270 g/l) 2.5 l/ha applied post-emergence, variant which had a calculated Abott's coefficient of 98.2%. The combination of Dual Gold (S-metolachlor 960 g/l) 1.5 l/ha + Casper 0.4 l/ha (5% prosulfuron+50% dicamba) also provided a high cultural hygiene assurance, and was close to the previous variant with a calculated coefficient of 97.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Label-free electrochemical biosensors have many desirable characteristics in terms of miniaturization, scalability, digitization, and other attributes associated with point-of-care (POC) applications. In the era of COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness, further development of such biosensors will be immensely beneficial for rapid testing and disease management. Label-free electrochemical biosensors often employ [Fe(CN)6]−3/4 redox probes to detect low-concentration target analytes as they dramatically enhance sensitivity. However, such Faradaic-based sensors are reported to experience baseline signal drift, which compromises the performance of these devices. Here, we describe the use of a mecaptohexanoic (MHA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified Au-interdigitated electrode arrays (IDA) to investigate the origin of the baseline signal drift, developed a protocol to resolve the issue, and presented insights into the underlying mechanism on the working of label-free electrochemical biosensors. Using this protocol, we demonstrate the application of MHA SAM-modified Au-IDA for POC analysis of human serum samples. We describe the use of a label-free electrochemical biosensor based on covalently conjugated SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for POC detection of COVID-19 antibodies. The test requires a short incubation time (10 min), and has a sensitivity of 35.4/decade (35.4%/10 ng mL−1) and LOD of 21 ng/mL. Negligible cross reactivity to seasonal human coronavirus or other endogenous antibodies was observed. Our studies also show that Faradaic biosensors are ~17 times more sensitive than non-Faradaic biosensors. We believe the work presented here contributes to the fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms of baseline signal drift and will be applicable to future development of electrochemical biosensors for POC applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxin‐mimic herbicides chemically mimic the phytohormone indole‐3‐acetic‐acid (IAA). Within the auxin‐mimic herbicide class, the herbicide fluroxypyr has been extensively used to control kochia (Bassia scoparia). A 2014 field survey for herbicide resistance in kochia populations across Colorado identified a putative fluroxypyr‐resistant (Flur‐R) population that was assessed for response to fluroxypyr and dicamba (auxin‐mimics), atrazine (photosystem II inhibitor), glyphosate (EPSPS inhibitor), and chlorsulfuron (acetolactate synthase inhibitor). This population was resistant to fluroxypyr and chlorsulfuron but sensitive to glyphosate, atrazine, and dicamba. Subsequent dose‐response studies determined that Flur‐R was 40 times more resistant to fluroxypyr than a susceptible population (J01‐S) collected from the same field survey (LD50 720 and 20 g ae ha−1, respectively). Auxin‐responsive gene expression increased following fluroxypyr treatment in Flur‐R, J01‐S, and in a dicamba‐resistant, fluroxypyr‐susceptible line 9,425 in an RNA‐sequencing experiment. In Flur‐R, several transcripts with molecular functions for conjugation and transport were constitutively higher expressed, such as glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs), UDP‐glucosyl transferase (GT), and ATP binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters). After analyzing metabolic profiles over time, both Flur‐R and J01‐S rapidly converted [14C]‐fluroxypyr ester, the herbicide formulation applied to plants, to [14C]‐fluroxypyr acid, the biologically active form of the herbicide, and three unknown metabolites. The formation and flux of these metabolites were faster in Flur‐R than J01‐S, reducing the concentration of phytotoxic fluroxypyr acid. One unique metabolite was present in Flur‐R that was not present in the J01‐S metabolic profile. Gene sequence variant analysis specifically for auxin receptor and signaling proteins revealed the absence of non‐synonymous mutations affecting auxin signaling and binding in candidate auxin target site genes, further supporting our hypothesis that non‐target site metabolic degradation is contributing to fluroxypyr resistance in Flur‐R. Significance Statement: Herbicide resistance is an ever‐present issue in weeds of cropping and rangeland systems. Every characterized herbicide resistance mechanism contributes to a working database used to address herbicide resistance in an agricultural or open‐space setting. Knowing the exact resistance mechanism helps public sector and industry researchers understand why herbicide applications are failing, and if resistant plants can still be controlled with other herbicide modes of action. In the kochia line Flur‐R, there is strong evidence to support a non‐target site resistance mechanism, specifically herbicide degradation via increased enzymatic activity. Increased fluroxypyr degradation represents a novel resistance mechanism to fluroxypyr in Bassia scoparia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sumatran fleabane (Conyza sumatrensis [Retz.] E. Walker) and Benghal dayflower (Commelina benghalensis L.) are among the most challenging weeds to control in agricultural crops. However, synthetic auxins present a potential solution. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of auxin herbicides in controlling C. sumatrensis and C. benghalensis using two spray volumes and two types of nozzles: Turbo TeeJet® Induction (TTI) and Extended Range (XR). The research comprised four experiments conducted in a greenhouse in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, from November 2019 to January 2020. For C. sumatrensis, no significant differences were observed between treatments at both stages of development. Consequently, it was not possible to identify the most effective herbicide, volume, or application nozzle. However, all treatments were found to be effective by the end of the evaluations. In contrast, for C. benghalensis, 2,4-D demonstrated higher efficacy than dicamba, irrespective of the developmental stages. The reduction in spray volume from 200 to 140 L ha−1, and the use of the TTI nozzle did not impact the effectiveness of the herbicides. The stage of development did not influence the herbicide control. In this case, the target species was the predominant factor in determining the effectiveness of control.

The present work provides new evidence of the ongoing potential of surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) and surface-active quaternary ammonium salts (surface-active QASs). To achieve this, a series of compounds were synthesized with a yield of ≥85%, and their thermal analyses were studied. Additionally, antimicrobial activity against both human pathogenic and soil microorganisms was investigated. Subsequently, their surface properties were explored with the aim of utilizing SAILs and surface-active QASs as alternatives to commercial amphiphilic compounds. Finally, we analyzed the wettability of the leaves’ surface of plants occurring in agricultural fields at different temperatures (from 5 to 25 °C) and the model plant membrane of leaves. Our results show that the synthesized compounds exhibit higher activity than their commercial analogues such as, i.e., didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB), for which the CMC values are 2 mM and 15 mM. The effectiveness of the antimicrobial properties of synthesized compounds relies on their hydrophobic nature accompanied by a cut-off effect. Moreover, the best wettability of the leaves’ surface was observed at 25 °C. Our research has yielded valuable insights into the potential effectiveness of SAILs and surface-active QASs as versatile compounds, offering a promising alternative to established antimicrobials and crop protection agents, all the while preserving substantial surface activity.

• Innovative method for automatic sensor drift detection and correction in low-cost WSNs. • Combines classical statistical techniques (EMA, TSKS, RUE) with clustering and IDW for enhanced calibration accuracy. • Reduces computational cost and power consumption, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments. • Extensive simulation experiments validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. • Demonstrates superior performance compared to state-of-the-art calibration techniques in terms of accuracy and efficiency.. The escalating use of low-cost sensors in environmental monitoring demands effective management of sensor drift and errors. To tackle this challenge, lightweight calibration techniques are essential for accurate sensor readings. This paper presents a novel calibration method for low-cost sensors, prioritizing the detection and correction of sensor drifts. The approach incorporates clustering for efficient task distribution and leverages Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) for calibration precision. Also, advanced statistical tools, including the Two-Sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (TSKS test) and Exponential Moving Average (EMA), assess and enhance sensor data stability based on historical measurements. Additionally, the Root Update Estimator (RUE) is utilized to adjust predicted values and improve the model's adaptability to changes in the underlying data distribution. Extensive simulation experiments using an Intel Berkeley Research Laboratory (IBRL) dataset affirm the method's effectiveness in swiftly addressing sensor drifts. These findings advance low-cost sensor calibration, boosting reliability and precision in environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Estimates for healthcare avoidance for fear of aeromedical certificate loss vary between 46% to 56% with up to 72% of pilots feeling concerned about the possible impacts of seeking medical care on their career or recreation. Rates of withholding or misrepresenting information on a written questionnaire, such as routine medical examinations, may be in the order of 26-27%. There are also tensions faced by aviation and other health professionals working with pilots, even where defined practical pathways for disclosure exist. Healthcare avoidance in combination with the absence of recognised pathways for disclosure to regulators can lead to major risks to safety of the aviation system. The most publicised example is the Germanwings accident but this is far from an isolated example. OVERVIEW: Confidential safe zones external to formal regulatory processes are integral to peer support programmes such as HIMS and PAN. This project expands this concept further for a system that applies to all health conditions that may affect the safety and well being of pilots. DISCUSSION: This presentation outlines the concept of a confidential reporting system incorporating a safe zone to encourage pilot disclosure of medical conditions outside the formal regulatory framework, but with some oversight. The management of reported conditions and the potential liability, safety risks and "safety drift" are discussed. Learning Objectives 1. The current magnitude of healthcare avoidance and non-disclosure of medical conditions by pilots concerned about potential consequences on their aeromedical certification status and careers. 2. The potential aviation system risks associated with pilot healthcare avoidance and non-disclosure of medical conditions. 3. A potential confidential system incorporating a safe zone to encourage pilot disclosure of medical conditions outside the formal regulatory framework, but with some oversight. The management of reported conditions and the potential liability, safety risks and "safety drift" are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ABS based on PPG 400 and [Ch] salts or ionic liquid were applied to extract pesticides from water. • PPG400/[Ch][DHP] and PPG400/[Ch][Cl] demonstrates highest efficiency (>90 %). • ABS based on [Ch] ionic liquids provides a more customizable extractive performance. • PPG 400/[Ch][Cl] showed extraction efficiencies up to 99 % from agricultural wastewater. • An efficient extraction platform with eco-friendly components was proposed. This study explores the use of a series of cholinium ionic liquids (ILs) or salts in combination with polypropylene glycol 400 to form aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) for extracting various polarity pesticides (dicamba, clomazone, pyraclostrobin, and deltamethrin) from water. We assessed five cholinium-based salting-out agents ([Ch][DHP], [Ch]Cl, [Ch][Ac], [Ch][Lac], and [Ch][Nic]), chosen for their structural diversity and unique properties, such as high salting-out potential and different ability to undergo specific interactions. Liquid-liquid equilibrium phase diagrams were established, and partition experiments were conducted to evaluate extraction efficiency. Different partition patterns were obtained for studied pesticides, with [Ch][DHP] demonstrating the highest efficiency exceeding 90 % for each target pesticide due to its strong salting-out ability. On the other hand, more diverse partition trends due to specific interactions were obtained for low-melting cholinium-ILs ABS. The effect of pH and temperature on the partitioning behavior in [Ch][Ac]-based ABS highlighted the cholinium ILs extraction system's customizable nature. Focusing on [Ch]Cl for its eco-friendly aspects, widespread availability and excellent extraction performance, we optimized parameters for the removal of pesticides from real samples, applying the technology to spiked agricultural wastewater with an extraction efficiency of over 99 %. Our findings demonstrate the potential of cholinium-based IL-ABS in reducing environmental pollution through efficient pesticide extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The off-target effects of herbicides present significant challenges in agricultural practices, posing serious threats to both ecological systems and human health. Dicamba, one of the most widely used herbicides, is particularly problematic due to its high volatility and water solubility, which can lead to rapid environmental dispersal, non-target toxicity, and groundwater contamination. To mitigate these issues, we synthesized a novel cocrystal of dicamba and phenazine (DCB-PHE cocrystal) through a combination of theoretical prediction and mechanochemical screening. The DCB-PHE cocrystal was characterized using single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermal analysis. Compared to pure dicamba, the DCB-PHE cocrystal exhibited a substantial reduction in volatility by 59 % and a decrease in equilibrium solubility by up to 5.4 times across various temperatures (15 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C). Additionally, the dissolution rates were significantly lowered by over 94 %. Leaching experiments demonstrated that the DCB-PHE cocrystal reduced total leachate by 4.9 % and delayed percolation. In greenhouse trials, the DCB-PHE cocrystal caused less damage to exposed soy plants and enhanced herbicidal activity against target weeds, with fresh weight reduction of chicory and ryegrass by 32 % and 28 %, respectively, at the highest dosage. Furthermore, safety assays confirmed that the DCB-PHE cocrystal's safety profile was comparable to that of dicamba in terms of its impact on wheat, and it did not exhibit increased genotoxicity to broad beans. These findings suggest that the DCB-PHE cocrystal is a promising candidate for reducing the environmental impacts of dicamba while maintaining its herbicidal efficacy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

3,6-Dichlorosalicylic acid (3,6-DCSA) is the demethylation metabolite of herbicide 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxy benzoic acid (dicamba). Previous studies have shown that anaerobic sludge further transformed 3,6-DCSA through decarboxylation and dechlorination. However, the anaerobe, enzyme, and gene involved in the anaerobic degradation of 3,6-DCSA are still unknown. In this study, an anaerobic sludge that efficiently degraded dicamba was enriched, and a 3,6-DCSA decarboxylase, designated chlorosalicylic acid decarboxylase (CsaD), was partially purified and identified from the anaerobic sludge. Metagenomic analysis showed that the csaD gene was located in a gene cluster of metagenome-assembled genome 8 (MAG8). MAG8 belonged to an uncultured order, OPB41, in the class Coriobacteriia of the phylum Actinobacteria , and its abundance increased approximately once during the enrichment process. CsaD was a non-oxidative decarboxylase in the amidohydrolase 2 family catalyzing the decarboxylation of 3,6-DCSA and 6-chlorosalicylic acid (6-CSA). Its affinity and catalytic efficiency for 3,6-DCSA were significantly higher than those for 6-CSA. This study provides new insights into the anaerobic catabolism of herbicide dicamba.IMPORTANCEDicamba, an important hormone herbicide, easily migrates to anoxic habitats such as sediment, ground water, and deep soil. Thus, the anaerobic catabolism of dicamba is of importance. Anaerobic bacteria or sludge demethylated dicamba to 3,6-DCSA, and in a previous study, based on metabolite identification, it was proposed that 3,6-DCSA be further degraded via two pathways: decarboxylation to 2,5-dichlorophenol, then dechlorination to 3-chlorophenol (3-CP); or dechlorination to 6-CSA, then decarboxylation to 3-CP. However, there was no physiological and genetic validation for the pathway. In this study, CsaD catalyzed the decarboxylation of both 3,6-DCSA and 6-CSA, providing enzyme-level evidence for the anaerobic catabolism of 3,6-DCSA through the two pathways. CsaD was located in MAG8, which belonged to an uncultured anaerobic actinomycetes order, OPB41, indicating that anaerobic actinomycetes in OPB41 was involved in the decarboxylation of 3,6-DCSA. This study provides a basis for understanding the anaerobic catabolism of dicamba and the demethylation product, 3,6-DCSA.

Biobeds are presented as an alternative for good pesticide wastewater management on farms. This work proposes a new test for in-situ biomonitoring of pesticide detoxification in biobeds. It is based on the assessment of visually appreciable injuries to Eisenia fetida. The severity of the injury to each exposed individual is assessed from the morphological changes observed in comparison with the patterns established in seven categories and, an injury index is calculated. A linear relationship between the proposed injury index and the pesticide concentration was determined for each pesticide sprayed individually in the biomixture. The five pesticides used were atrazine, prometryn, clethodim, haloxyfop-P-methyl and dicamba. In addition, a multiple linear regression model (i.e., a multivariate response surface) was fitted, which showed a good generalization capacity. The sensitivity range of the injury test was tested from 0.01 to 630 mg kg -1 as the total pesticide concentration. This index is then used to monitor the detoxification of these pesticides in a biomixture (composed of wheat stubble, river waste, and soil, 50:25:25% by volume) over 210 days. The results are compared with standardized tests (Eisenia fetida avoidance test and Lactuca sativa seed germination test) carried out on the same biomixture. The results are also compared with data on the removal of pesticides. The injury test showed a better correlation with the removal of pesticides than the avoidance test and seed germination test. This simple and inexpensive test has proved to be useful for decontamination in-situ monitoring in biobeds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:C. Zalazar reports financial support was provided by National Agency for the Promotion of Research Technological Development and Innovation. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Dicamba is a semivolatile herbicide that has caused widespread unintentional damage to vegetation due to its volatilization from genetically engineered dicamba-tolerant crops. Strategies to reduce dicamba volatilization rely on the use of formulations containing amines, which deprotonate dicamba to generate a nonvolatile anion in aqueous solution. Dicamba volatilization in the field is also expected to occur after aqueous spray droplets dry to produce a residue; however, dicamba speciation in this phase is poorly understood. We applied Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to evaluate dicamba protonation state in dried dicamba-amine residues. We first demonstrated that commercially relevant amines such as diglycolamine (DGA) and n , n -bis(3-aminopropyl)methylamine (BAPMA) fully deprotonated dicamba when applied at an equimolar molar ratio, while dimethylamine (DMA) allowed neutral dicamba to remain detectable, which corresponded to greater dicamba volatilization. Expanding the amines tested, we determined that dicamba speciation in the residues was unrelated to solution-phase amine p K , but instead was affected by other amine characteristics (i.e., number of hydrogen bonding sites) that also correlated with greater dicamba volatilization. Finally, we characterized dicamba-amine residues containing an additional component (i.e., the herbicide a -metolachlor registered for use alongside dicamba) to investigate dicamba speciation in a more complex chemical environment encountered in field applications.S -metolachlor registered for use alongside dicamba) to investigate dicamba speciation in a more complex chemical environment encountered in field applications.

White mustard, (Sinapis alba), a problematic broadleaf weed in many Mediterranean countries in arable fields has been detected as resistant to tribenuron-methyl in Tunisia. Greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted to characterize Target-Site Resistance (TSR) and the Non-Target Site Resistance (NTSR) mechanisms in two suspected white mustard biotypes. Herbicide dose-response experiments confirmed that the two S. alba biotypes were resistant to four dissimilar acetolactate synthase (ALS)-pinhibiting herbicide chemistries indicating the presence of cross-resistance mechanisms. The highest resistance factor (>144) was attributed to tribenuron-methyl herbicide and both R populations survived up to 64-fold the recommended field dose (18.7 g ai ha−1). In this study, the metabolism experiments with malathion (a cytochrome P450 inhibitor) showed that malathion reduced resistance to tribenuron-methyl and imazamox in both populations, indicating that P450 may be involved in the resistance. Sequence analysis of the ALS gene detected target site mutations in the two R biotypes, with amino acid substitutions Trp574Leu, the first report for the species, and Pro197Ser. Molecular docking analysis showed that ALSPro197Ser enzyme cannot properly bind to tribenuron-methyl's aromatic ring due to a reduction in the number of hydrogen bonds, while imazamox can still bind. However, Trp574Leu can weaken the binding affinity between the mutated ALS enzyme and both herbicides with the loss of crucial interactions. This investigation provides substantial evidence for the risk of evolving multiple resistance in S. alba to auxin herbicides while deciphering the TSR and NTSR mechanisms conferring cross resistance to ALS inhibitors. [Display omitted] • Cross resistance to four dissimilar ALS inhibitors chemistries reported are in Sinapis alba. • Two mutations Pro197Ser and Trp574Leu (first report) are found. • Ligand docking predicts resistance to tribenuron and imazamox for the Trp574Leu. • Pro197Ser confers resistance only to tribenuron. • Enhanced metabolism can contribute to resistance to tribenuron and imazamox. • Multiple resistance to dicamba could be evolving in S.alba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]