Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the enhanced degradation of isofenphos [ 1methylethyl 24 [ethoxy[ (1-methylethyl)amino]phosphinothioyl]oxy] benzoate] in soil and to elucidate the microbiology of this phenomenon. [U-ring-'4CIIsofenphos was most rapidly degraded in Iowa cornfield soils that had a history of isofenphos insecticide use. Between 13 and 42% of an applied dose of ...

In soils, a multitude of inorganic, organic, and biological constituents build up extremely large, heterogeneous, and hierarchically organized biogeochemical interfaces (BGIs). These interfaces affect a variety of soil processes, such as the formation and the stability of soil aggregates; the movement and the spatial distribution of solutes, colloids, and gases; or the bioavailability of inorga...

Soil microorganisms have a primary catabolic role in the environment through degradation of plant and animal residues. The activities of microorganisms in soil are thus, essential to the global cycling of nutrients. As these pesticides are designed to be biologically active, their continuous use might affect soil microflora either by changing their properties or their numbers, which may lead to...

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...

Zinc is presently being used as a micronutrient essential for plant growth in agriculture in the form of zinc sulphate in fertilizers. Considering the importance of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in soil fertility and plant growth, and the toxic effects of zinc, this study aimed at isolating nitrogen-fixing microorganisms from the asparagus rhizosphere arable soil and examining the sensitivity ...

Soil microorganisms may be both sensitive and resilient to various disturbances. The effects of a single stressor on soil microorganisms have been well studied, but only limited research has been carried out to test the effects of simultaneous action of diverse stressors. Soil samples were collected from a long-term polluted zinc and lead site and an unpolluted site. Modeling studies assumed sp...

Soil microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), play crucial roles in plant growth, but their influence on plant water relations remains poorly explored. We studied the effects of native soil microorganisms and inoculation with the PGPR strain Aur6 of Pseudomonas fluorescens on water stress responses of seedlings of the drought-avoiding Pinus halepensis Mill. and the d...

Natural and synthetic steroidal hormones can be carried to agricultural soil through fertilization with municipal biosolids, livestock manure, or poultry manure. The persistence and pathways of dissipation of [4-(14)C]-testosterone and of [4-(14)C]-17beta-estradiol in organic-amended soils were investigated using laboratory microcosms. Testosterone dissipation was investigated over a range of a...

Although pileate saprobic ground fungi are primarily appreciated for their contributions to the bill of fare, their role in the mineralization of organic residues and xenobiotics in soil should not be underestimated. Enormous differences in their interactions with soil microorganisms and nonhost plants impair their artificial transfer to natural substrates. The paper reviews the impact of emana...

Plants in their environment face potential deleterious organisms such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, etc. Many of them are able to cause plant diseases, responsible of important losses in crop production worldwide. But often the outcome of these interactions is not disease, since plants have developed multiple mechanisms to protect themselves against pathogens attack. Moreover, benefic...