Elżbieta Wołejko

Behaviour of mesotrione in maize and soil system and its influence on soil dehydrogenase activity

The aim of this study was to investigate the dissipation of mesotrione and effect on dehydrogenase activity (DHA) in maize and soil system. The paper for the first time describes behaviour of this herbicide applied at various doses (separately or in mixture with other herbicide) in acidic and alkaline environment. The experiments were conducted using the method randomized blocks in four repetition cycles. Chemical application in seven variants at recommended doses of herbicide were performed. The sample preparation was performed by a modified QuEChERS method and the concentrations of mesotrione in maize and soil were determined by the liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The limit of detection was 0.0005mgkg(-1) and quantification 0.001mgkg(-1). The dissipation of mesotrione were described according to first-order (FO) kinetics equation with R(2) were between 0.8794 and 0.9934. The initial deposit of herbicide in soil and maize was higher in an acidic environment (0.06-0.18mgkg(-1)). A positive correlation between an alkaline pH and the rate of dissipation in soil was observed. The results showed that the time after which 50% (DT50) of substance has been degraded was different for both plant and soil. DT50 for soil was within the range 3.2-6.0days and 2.9-4.4days, for the maize 3.9-4.8days and 3.4-4.5days in an alkaline and an acidic environment, respectively. Concentration of mesotrione at applicable MRL level of 0.05mgkg(-1) in maize was achieved at 0.5-5.9days and at proposed MRL of 0.01mgkg(-1) at 8.8-15.8days. The results indicate that the application of mesotrione affected on DHA in the soil. One day after application this herbicide, concentration of DHA in soil was lower than in control plots, but after 21days was observed trend of increasing DHA.

Evaluation of organochlorine pesticide residues in soil and plants from East Europe and Central Asia

AbstractAgriculture products such as cereals, fruit, and vegetables are often found to be contaminated with residues of persistent pesticides and other toxic substances. The major source of entry of these compounds to food chain is the contaminated soil. Therefore, the status of the residue level of most persistent organochlorinated pesticides (OCP) in soil and agricultural crops should be monitored regularly. The frequency of occurrence and contamination levels of OCP residues in samples of soils, cereals, fruit and vegetables from different geographical regions such as Central Asia and East Europe were determined. The samples of soil, fruit (black currant), vegetables (beans, carrots, celery, cucumbers, lupine, parsley, and tomatoes) and cereals collected from Kazakhstan and Poland contained residues of different OCPs like aldrine, dieldrine, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) complex. Endosulfan and dicofol were also found in some samples in the concentration rangin...

Advantages and potential risks of municipal sewage sludge application to urban soil

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate some advantages and potential risks of application of sewage sludge from the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in Sokolka to urban soils. The sewage sludge used in the research was free of Salmonella and viable helminth ova—Ascaris sp., Trichuris sp., Toxocara sp. The study also included the determination of concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in soil and in the aboveground parts of lawn grasses and selected physical and chemical properties of soils fertilized with different doses of sludge. The narrow ratio of carbon to nitrogen on test areas provides conditions for rapid decomposition of the organic matter and may cause a gradual release of metals into the soil solution, thus making them more available to the plants. The bioconcentration factor of heavy metals in the plants along the main streets of Bialystok is characterized by considerable local variation. Based on these results, it was found that plants absorbed small amounts of Mn, Ni and ...

Pesticide residues in berries fruits and juices and the potential risk for consumers

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the residues of pesticides in raw and processed berries from Poland and to propose the estimation of risk assessment for two populations: of adults and children as the most critical group. The 170 samples of berry fruits and their products were collected in 2011: gooseberry (11), blackcurrant (25) and redcurrant (35), raspberry (27), strawberry (62), and the concentrated juice of blackcurrant (3), redcurrant (1), raspberry (2), and strawberry (4). The study included 160 pesticides, among which 29 were detected. Pesticide residues were noted in 44.7% samples, 14.7% samples above the maximum residue level were found. During the study, the prohibited substances for protection of crops were found such as procymidone, flusilazole, tetraconazole, and trifloxystrobin. Procymidone was found in 10 samples of raspberry and blackcurrant, while flusilazole, tetraconazole, and trifloxystrobin were detected in gooseberry. About 34.1% of the samples contained more than one ...

The ways to increase efficiency of soil bioremediation

Abstract The aim of this paper was to present possibilities of using different substrates to assist the bioremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides and other substances. Todays bioengineering offers many solutions that enable the effective conduct of biological remediation, including both biostimulation and bioaugmentation. For this purpose, they are used to enrich various organic substances, sorbents, microbiological and enzymatic preparations, chemical substances of natural origin or nanoparticles. The use of genetic engineering as a tool to obtain microorganisms and plants capable of efficient degradation of pollutants may cause the risks that entails the introduction of transgenic plants and microorganisms into the environment. In order to determine the efficacy and possible effects of the various bioremediation techniques, it is required to conduct many studies and projects on a larger scale than only in the laboratory. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that bioremediation involves interdisciplinary issues and therefore, there is a need to combine knowledge from different disciplines, such as: microbiology, biochemistry, ecology, environmental engineering and process engineering.

The impact of pesticides on oxidative stress level in human organism and their activity as an endocrine disruptor

ABSTRACT Pesticides cause serious environmental and health problems both to humans and animals. The aim of this review is to discuss selected herbicides and fungicides regarding their mode of action and their influence on basic oxidative stress parameters and endocrine disruption properties tested in selected cell cultures in vitro. Because of numerous difficulties which animal studies are subject to, cell cultures are an excellent experimental model reflecting human exposure to different pesticides through all relevant routes. This experimental model can be used to monitor aggregate and cumulative pesticide exposures.

INFLUENCE OF SEWAGE SLUDGE ON THE CHOSEN SOIL PROPERTIES AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF URBAN GRASS MIXTURES RHIZOSPHERE

The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of municipal sewage sludge on selected microbiological parameters in the rhizosphere of lawn grass mixtures. Four experiments on the lawns along the main roads of Bialystok were founded. The factors in the experiment were three doses of sewage sludge (0 – control; 7.5 and 15 kg·m-2) and two grass mixtures (Eko and Roadside). The studied parameters were monitored twice during 2011 vegetation season by determining the total number of soil microorganisms, the total number of Gram-negative bacteria, the number of bacteria of Pseudomonas fluorescens species, the number of amylolytic and proteolytic bacteria. Sewage sludge amended to soil resulted in a change of physical-chemical properties of soil. The sewage sludge application to soil influenced significantly the number of proteolytic and Gram-negative bacteria.

The effect of sewage sludge on the growth and species composition of the sward and the content of heavy metals in plants and urban soil

Abstract The effect of sewage sludge on the growth and species composition of the sward and the content of heavy metals in plants and urban soil. The determination of the sludge fertilising infl uence for the growth and composition of the urban grasslands’ swards and heavy metals concentration in above-ground parts of the plants was the aim of the study. The study was conducted on four research plots along the main roads in Białystok. The plots were seeded with two mixtures of lawn grasses (Eko and Roadside) and three doses of sludge were applied: 0 (control), 7.5 and 15 kg/m2. The study also included the determination of concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in soil and in the above-ground parts of lawn grasses and selected physical and chemical properties of soils fertilized with different doses of sludge. The dose of 7.5 kg/m2 increased the plant dry matter on average by 53%, the dose of 15 kg/m2 - on average by 90%. The largest effect of fertilization was found for lightest soil. Under these conditions, grass dry matter fertilized with 7.5 kg/m2 sludge was almost doubled, and fertilized with the dose of 15 kg/m2 was almost three times larger than in not fertilized areas. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was the dominant species in the sward. Perennial ryegrass constituted on average 71% of all grass species in the areas fertilized with sewage sludge in the dose of 7.5 kg/m2, while on the areas fertilized with 15 kg/m2 - about 81%, and on not fertilized ones - 50% on average. Bioconcentration factor in the study allowed for estimating the plants ability to collect heavy metals present in the soil. Based on these results, it was found that the rate of bioconcentration of Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb was the highest in August, which may indicate the ease of downloading these metals by plants, particularly high mobility of metals during this period, and lower in October and June Streszczenie Wpływ osadu ściekowego na wzrost i skład gatunkowy runi oraz na zawartość metali ciężkich w roślinach i glebie. Celem badań było określenie wpływu nawożenia komunalnym osadem ściekowym z Miejskiej Oczyszczalni Ścieków w Sokółce na wzrost i skład gatunkowy runi trawników przyulicznych oraz zawartość metali w częściach nadziemnych tych roślin. Badania przeprowadzono na czterech powierzchniach badawczych, wzdłuż głównych ciągów komunikacyjnych na terenie Białegostoku. Zastosowano dwie mieszanki gazonowych odmian traw (Eko i Roadside) oraz trzy dawki osadu ściekowego: 0 (kontrola), 7,5 i 15 kg/m2. Dawka 7,5 kg/m2 zwiększyła masę części nadziemnych średnio o 53%, a dawka 15 kg/m2 - średnio o 90%. Największy efekt nawożenia stwierdzono na glebie najlżejszej. W tych warunkach siedliskowych masa runi nawożonej dawką 15 kg/m2 osadu była prawie dwukrotnie, a dawką 7,5 kg/m2 prawie 58% większa niż na powierzchniach nienawożonych. Gatunkiem dominującym w runi badanych powierzchni była życica trwała (Lolium perenne L.). Stanowiła ona w masie runi na powierzchniach nawożonych dawką 7,5 kg/m2 średnio 71%, dawką 15 kg/m2 - średnio 81%, a na powierzchniach nienawożonych - średnio 50%. Wartość wskaźnika biokoncentracji Cd, Cr, Cu i Pb była największa w sierpniu, co może świadczyć o łatwości pobierania tych metali przez rośliny i szczególnie dużej ruchliwości metali w tym okresie, najmniejsza natomiast w październiku oraz czerwcu

The Effect of Organic Substrates Application on the Amylolytic Activity of Urban Soils

The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of fresh and thermally treated sewage sludge on the amylolytical activity of the urban soils. Two experimental areas on the lawns along the main roads of Bialystok were prepared in 2011 and 2015. The factors taken into account in the experiment involved: the type of sewage sludge (mechanically dewatered – SS and thermally dried “Granbial” – G), three doses of sewage sludge (0 – control; 14.5 and 29 t DM/ha) and two grass mixtures (Eko and Roadside). The number of amylolytic bacteria in grass mixtures and rhizosphere and amylase activity in soil were monitored twice during 2011 and 2012 vegetation season (in July and October). The main properties of soil (soil pH, granulometric composition, total organic carbon – TOC, available phosphorus and total nitrogen content) after the application of organic substrates were also analysed. Addition of the dewatered sewage sludge to soil resulted in an increase in the number of amylolytic bacteria (from 7.4 to 18.8 ∙106 cfu/g DM) in July, while in the soil treatment with thermally dried sludge, the increased number of the bacteria (from 11.03 to 44.68 ∙106 cfu/g DM) was observed in October. The amylases activity in the soil treated with SS exhibited the highest average value in July (2.11 mg Glc/g DM ∙24 h), while in the soil treated with “Granbial”, it was stable in studied period (from 1.65 to 2.18 mg Glc/g DM ∙24 h).

THE INFLUENCE OF FERTILIZATION WITH SEWAGE SLUDGE AND BIOSOLIDS ON HEAVY METAL CONTENT IN WHITE MUSTARD SEEDS

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of fertilization with sewage sludge and biosolids on heavy metal content in white mustard (Sinapis alba) seeds. The study was conducted in 2012 on experimental plots in the State Higher Vocational School in Suwałki. Each research area was divided into 3 blocks 18 m2 each, constituting repetitions. The test areas were fertilized with three different fertilization variants with sewage sludge biosolids: K1 – sewage sludge, K2 – sludge subjected to a process of composting with a three-month compost organic waste and K3 – sludge subjected to the composting process with a three-month compost organic waste from the biological preparation Trigger – 4. The samples of sewage sludge were collected for the analysis and one determined its basic physical, chemical, microbiological and parasitological properties, in accordance with the requirements of the Decree of the Minister of the Environment of July 13th 2010 on municipal sewage sludge (Journal of Laws of 2010 No 137 item. 924). Based on these results, it was found that the cadmium concentrations in the seeds mustard ranged from 0.2 mg/kg s.m. on plots with the variant K3 to 0.93 mg/kg s.m. in the variant K1. On the other hand, lead content ranged from 0.3 to 4.25 mg/kg s.m. which shows that none of the analyzed samples met the standards for lead and cadmium contained in the Decree of the Minister of Health of January 13th 2003. The statistical analysis indicated that the concentrations of Cd in mustard seed was significantly correlated with the concentrations of Received: 2017.03.27 Accepted: 2017.05.02 Published: 2017.06.01