Microbial amendments have received considerable interest in sustainable agriculture for enhancing crop productivity, improving soil quality, and reducing inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides (Hussain et al., 1999). Microbial amendments are also known as biofertilizers, biodynamic fertilizers or microbial inoculants, which are comprised of living microorganisms that can function as chem...

A microbial biosensor for rapid, sensitive, selective, and cost-effective determination of the total content of organophosphorus nerve agents with p-nitrophenyl substituent is reported. The biosensor consisted of genetically engineered PNP-degrader Pseudomonas putida JS444 expressing organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) on its cell surface immobilized on a dissolved oxygen electrode. Surface-expres...

Microorganisms interact with plants because plants offer a wide diversity of habitats including the phyllosphere (aerial plant part), the rhizosphere (zone of influence of the root system), and the endosphere (internal transport system) [3, 5]. Interactions of epiphytes, rhizophytes or endophytes may be detrimental or beneficial for either the microorganism or the plant and may be classified as...

The influence of 29 pesticides on CO(2) production and nitrification by soil microorganisms was determined. A few compounds were stable but without significant effect in soil (chlorinated hydrocarbons), some persisted and depressed respiration and nitrification (carbamates, cyclodienes, phenylureas, thiolcarbamates), and others displayed toxicity but were transformed by soil microorganisms (ami...

Objective: The objective of this study is to establish the quality standards of Safoof-e-Muhazzil (SEMZ), a polyherbal Unani formulation for the treatment of overweight and obesity. Methods: The quality standards of SEMZ were established as per WHO guidelines including heavy metal residues, pesticides residue, aflatoxins, microbial load, GC-MS analysis and HPTLC fingerprinting analysis. Results...

iologically based technologies (BBTs) pose certain risks, some better documented than others. The significance of these risks depends on how well the regulatory structure prevents the high impacts. Scientists who study the ecology of natural systems are most concerned about the effects of introduced classical biological control agents on the population dynamics of native species and the functio...

Prediction of the fate of pesticides in soil is of interest from an environmental (pollution) as well as an agricultural (efficacy, carryover) viewpoint. Two environmental parameters that control microbial degradation of pesticides in soil are moisture and temperature. This study was designed to quantify the impact of soil water content and temperature on microbial degradation rates of the inse...

Turfgrass soils vary considerably in physical and chemical composition. However, regardless of their properties, most contain a vast array of living organisms, ranging from larger creatures such as earthworms and insects, to microscopic invertebrates, bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, algae and protozoa. All of these organisms affect turfgrass health in important ways. However, perhaps th...

Tea crop damage is caused by mites and insect pests, each year a significant amount of loss occurring due to their damage. Synthetic pesticides' efficiency has allowed them be widely used as control tool for several decades. pesticides, on the other hand, have resulted in development pest resistance, pollution, pesticide residues finished product, among many issues, forcing planting community l...

Microbially based biocontrol of plant diseases differs fundamentally from chemical control, but pesticide regulations for microbial and chemical pesticides remain similar. In the United States, the Food, Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (19), like similar laws in other countries, requires any material making a pesticidal claim to be registered. The Act was in response to wides...