Pesticide residues analysis in farm gate vegetables of agricultural areas in Tumakuru district, Karnataka, India

The main purpose of this experiment was to understand pesticide residues persistence and their toxicity level in vegetables. In the present study pesticide residues in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and capsicum (Capsium annuum L.) vegetables cultivated in Tumakuru, Gubbi, Kunigal and Pavagada taluks in Tumkur district were analysed. In methodology, samples of 1 kg each were collected, cut into small pieces, macerated in a grinder and used for the analysis. Pesticides were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed tomato samples of Pavagada recorded acephate (0.346 mg/kg), dichlorvos (0.189 mg/kg), fenvalerate (0.057 mg/kg) and Tumakuru samples recorded phorate (0.072 mg/kg) residues higher than MRLs (Maximum residue levels). Chlorpyrifos, cyhalothrin-g and cypermethrin were below detection level (BDL) in all the samples. Cyfluthrin-β recorded highest in Kunigal samples (0.294 mg/kg), Tumakuru and Gubbi samples showed BDL. Deltamethrin was highest in Pavagada (0.296 mg/kg) samples and Tumakuru and Kunigal samples revealed BDL. Pavagada samples (0.026 mg/kg) showed monocrotophos residues higher than MRLs. In capsicum samples, acephate residue was highest in Tumakuru samples (0.333 mg/kg), highest chlorpyrifos (0.153 mg/kg) in Kunigal samples, deltamethrin (0.381 mg/kg), fenvalerate (0.168 mg/kg) and phorate (0.089 mg/kg) residues were higher than MRLs in Pavagada samples. Cyfluthrin-β (0.045 mg/kg) was high in Tumakuru and dichlorvos (0.042 mg/kg) high in Pavagada samples. Cyhalothrin-g, cypermethrin and monocrotophos were BDL in all the samples. An attempt has been made to assess the different pesticides usage and their adverse impacts on vegetables, which are backbone to afford assistance for an extensive array of investigators.

ACCEPTABILITY OF DEVELOPED YAMBO (SYZYGIUM JAMBOS)FRUIT AS TEA-SUBSTITUTE

This study was conducted to determine the acceptability of developed yambo (Syzygiumjambos) fruit as tea-substitute as evaluated by the taste panelists based on its sensory quality. The researcher harvested ripe fruits of yambo from different barangays of Cavinti, Laguna, along the river side and lake shore. Boiled tea was submitted for microbial analysis to test the safety of the product.This research emphasizes that underutilized fruits like yambo can be developed into other products which serve as an eye opener for its value. This study sought answers to the following questions: (1) Is yambo fruit can be made or developed as tea? (2) Is yambo fruit tea safe to drink by the panelists in terms of microbial present? (3) What are the levels of acceptability of yambo fruit tea-substitute in terms of color, aroma, flavor, consistency and general acceptability? (4) Is there significant difference in the acceptability of developed yambo based on the profile of the panelists? and (5) Is there significant difference in the degree of acceptability of developed yamboas tea-substitute according to its level in grams?Yambo fruit was developed into tea. Experimental method was employed to answer the above stated problems. There are 4 treatments. Each one has variation of tea content per bag but mixed with same amount of sugar. A score- sheet was used to test its acceptability using the five parameters. Yambo fruit tea was prepared by applying the following procedures: collection of yambo fruit, weighing, blanching, cutting, cabinet drying, pin milling, and packaging. Findings of the study disclosed that all the treatments are acceptable but the treatment which has 10 grams of yambo emerged as the most highly acceptable among the taste panelists irrespective of sex and age.Further, the study limits its scope only on the microbial analysis of yambo as fruit tea-substitute. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct further studies on the toxicity level and shelf - life of the tea.

Water Quality Assessment Using Daphnia: A Brief Review

Due to the need to discover methods that can measure the toxicity level of fresh and marine water quality, this study aimed to present a systematic review of the literature, indicating the culture conditions and toxicological tests used for different Daphnia species in the evaluation of water quality. Thus, the applied methodology was a systematic review that identified studies that addressed the application of Daphnia in the assessment of water quality. The results obtained from this research consisted of a compilation of articles, which presented the parameters most analyzed in Daphnia species, such as mobility and mortality, which can change when exposed to different chemical substances.

Herbicides for lamb's quarters control in soybean crops

The results of the study of toxicity level for the lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album L.) of well-known herbicides used in soybean crops as well as herbicides promising for soybean production in the Far East are presented. Lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album L.) is a highly noxious weed species that is widespread in the south of the region. Weediness monitoring conducted in 2006-2020 showed that this species was present in the Primorsky Territory on 63-100% of fields occupied by soybeans with an average growth density of 3-117 pcs/m2. In 2013-2020 in a series of experiments, conducted in the conditions of the vegetation house and on the experimental fields of the institute, the toxicity level for Common lamb's quarters was determined by 20 herbicides (based on 14 active substances) used in soybean crops. It was found that the control of this weed species is most effective when applying herbicides in the soil and treating plants with a height of up to 4-11 cm at the early stages of development - 1-3 pairs of leaves. Reliable suppression of lamb's quarters in experiments was provided by the soil (before sowing or before soybean seedlings) use of herbicides containing active substances metribuzin, imazetapir, trifluralin, pendimetalin and acetochlor. Among the active ingredients of the tested foliar herbicides, fomesafen, combinations of bentazone + acifluorfen and imazamox + chlorimuron-ethyl were the most toxic for lamb's quarters. It is recommended to use the following herbicidal preparations to control the spread of lamb's quarters: before sowing or sprouting of soybeans - Lazurit, Zenkor Ultra, Pivot, Proponit, Fabian; for processing vegetative plants - Flex, Galaksi Top, Concept, Classic Forte (Harmony Classic), Proponit.

Dependence of Graphene Oxide (GO) Toxicity on Oxidation Level, Elemental Composition, and Size

The mass production of graphene oxide (GO) unavoidably elevates the chance of human exposure, as well as the possibility of release into the environment with high stability, raising public concern as to its potential toxicological risks and the implications for humans and ecosystems. Therefore, a thorough assessment of GO toxicity, including its potential reliance on key physicochemical factors, which is lacking in the literature, is of high significance and importance. In this study, GO toxicity, and its dependence on oxidation level, elemental composition, and size, were comprehensively assessed. A newly established quantitative toxicogenomic-based toxicity testing approach, combined with conventional phenotypic bioassays, were employed. The toxicogenomic assay utilized a GFP-fused yeast reporter library covering key cellular toxicity pathways. The results reveal that, indeed, the elemental composition and size do exert impacts on GO toxicity, while the oxidation level exhibits no significant effects. The UV-treated GO, with significantly higher carbon-carbon groups and carboxyl groups, showed a higher toxicity level, especially in the protein and chemical stress categories. With the decrease in size, the toxicity level of the sonicated GOs tended to increase. It is proposed that the covering and subsequent internalization of GO sheets might be the main mode of action in yeast cells.

Ecotoxicological evaluation of construction products: inter-laboratory test with DSLT and percolation test eluates in an aquatic biotest battery

Background A European inter-laboratory test with 29 participating laboratories investigated whether a battery of four ecotoxicological tests is suitable for assessing the environmental compatibility of construction products. For this purpose, a construction product was investigated with the dynamic surface leaching test (DIN CEN/TS 16637-2) and the percolation test (DIN CEN/TS 16637-3). The eluates were produced centrally by one laboratory and were tested by the participants using the following biotests: algae test (ISO 8692), acute daphnia test (ISO 6341), luminescent bacteria test (DIN EN ISO 11348), and fish egg test (DIN EN ISO 15088). As toxicity measures, EC50 and LID values were calculated. Results Toxic effects of the eluates were detected by all four biotests. The bacteria test was by far the most sensitive, followed by the algae test and the daphnia test; the fish egg test was the least sensitive for eluates of both leaching tests. The toxicity level of the eluates was very high in the bacteria, daphnia, and algae test, with lowest ineffective dilution values of LID = 70 to LID = 13,000 and corresponding EC50 values around or even below 1 volume percent. The reproducibility (approximated by interlaboratory variability) of the biotests was good (< 53%) to very good (< 20%), regardless of the toxicity level of the eluates. The reproducibility of the algae test was up to 80%, and thus still acceptable. Conclusion It can be confirmed that the combination of leaching and ecotoxicity tests is suitable to characterize with sufficient reproducibility the environmental impact posed by the release of hazardous substances from construction products.

UJI TOKSISITAS DENGAN METODE BSLT PADA NANOPARTIKEL KOMBINASI OBAT CISPLATIN, BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN DAN ASAM FOLAT

Cancer is a non-communicable disease that causes morbidity and mortality in all regions of the world. Cancer treatment is important in reducing the high number of deaths (mortality) due to cancer sufferers. One of the cancer treatments is using chemotherapy drug cisplatin. However, cisplatin drug has side effects, namely nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, neurotoxicity, hemotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity. Therefore, the combination of cisplatin in albumin nanoparticles and modification of the bond using folic acid as an alternative solution minimizes the resulting toxic effects. This study aimed to determine the toxicity effect of the cisplatin drug formulation with a combination of bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles and folic acid through the Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) method. The research methods used were BSA nanoparticle synthesis (NP-BSA), NP-BSA Synthesis with Cisplatin Drug (CP-NP-BSA), Folic Acid Synthesis with CP-NP-BSA Combination (As-CP-NP-BSA). Then, a toxicity test was carried out using the BSLT method to determine the toxicity level of BSA nanoparticles and the effect of adding folic acid in the cisplatin drug in the nanoparticles. The results showed that the absorbance of the 358 nm As-CP-NP-BSA UV-Vis spectrophotometer was 0.86. The toxicity level of the NP-BSA with the LC50 value was 69.23 ppm while the As-CP-NP-BSA LC50 toxicity level was 56.56 ppm. Nanoparticles consisting of a combination of bovine serum albumin, cisplatin and folic acid can be used as candidates for anticancer drugs