chlorophyll-a and butachlor

Reckless use of herbicides like butachlor (Buta) in the fields represents a serious threat to crop plants, and hence to their productivity. Silicon (Si) is well known for its implication in the alleviation of the effects of abiotic stresses; however, its role in mitigating Buta toxicity is not yet known. Therefore, this study was carried out to explore the role of Si (10 µM) in regulating Buta (4 µM) toxicity in rice seedlings. Buta reduced growth and photosynthesis, altered nitric oxide (NO) level and leaf and root anatomy, inhibited enzyme activities of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle (while transcripts of associated enzymes, increased except OsMDHAR), as well as its metabolites (ascorbate and glutathione) and uptake of nutrients (Mg, P, K, S, Ca, Fe, etc. except Na), while addition of Si reversed Buta-induced alterations. Buta stimulated the expression of Si channel and efflux transporter genes- Lsi1 and Lsi2 while the addition of Si further greatly induced their expression under Buta toxicity. Buta increased free proline accumulation by inducing the activity of Δ

Topics: Acetanilides; Ascorbic Acid; Carotenoids; Chlorophyll; Glutathione; Herbicides; Lipid Peroxidation; Nitric Oxide; Nutrients; Oryza; Oxidative Stress; Plant Leaves; Plant Roots; Plant Shoots; Proline; Reactive Oxygen Species; Seedlings; Silicon

The physiological effects of 4 herbicides (butachlor, quinclorac, bensulfuron-methyl and atrazine) on 3 submerged macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria natans and Elodea nuttallii) were tested in laboratory. The variables of the relative growth rate and the photosynthetic pigment content showed that all of the tested herbicides affected the growth of the plants obviously, even at the lowest concentration (0.0001 mg/L). Except for the C. demersum treated with quinclorac at 0.005 and 0.01 mg/L, the relative growth rates of the plants were inhibited significantly (p < 0.01). Statistical analysis of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) contents was carried out with both the t-test and one-way ANOVA to determine the difference between the treatment and control. The results showed that Chl-a contents of the plants in all treatment groups were affected by herbicides significantly, except for the C. demersum treated with bensulfuron-methyl at 0.0005 mg/L. The decrease in Chl-a content was positively correlated to the dosage of the herbicides in most treatment groups. It was suggested that herbicides in water bodies might potentially affect the growth of aquatic macrophytes. Since the Chl-a content of submerged macrophytes responded to the stress of herbicides sensitively and directly, it could be used as a biomaker in environmental monitoring or in the ecological risk assessment of herbicide contamination.

Topics: Acetanilides; Alismatales; Anthocerotophyta; Atrazine; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Herbicides; Hydrocharitaceae; Sulfonylurea Compounds

The present study examines butachlor-induced inhibition of growth, photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, phycoerythrin, photosystems I and II, whole chain electron transport, oxygen evolution, carbon fixation, ATP content, total thiol and glutathione contents of Aulosira fertilissima. For ascertaining if above mentioned changes are due to disturbance in plasma membrane integrity or proteins, fatty acid profiling and proteomics were done. Gas chromatographic (GC) analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) depicted a decrease in alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3) which appears responsible for plasma membrane instability. Enhanced lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage further attested the butachlor-induced cell damage. Butachlor-treated Aulosira exhibited significant and reproducible alternations in eight proteins as assessed by 2DE and LC-MS analysis of which phycocyanin alpha-chain, allophycocyanin beta-chain, C-phycocyanin alpha-subunit, ATP synthase beta-chain and FBP aldolase were associated with photosynthesis and respiration, peroxiredoxin with antioxidative defense system and GroES and NusB with protein folding and transcription termination respectively. However, a prolonged (15 d) butachlor treatment of Aulosira downregulated all the proteins except NusB. Reverse transcription PCR of the protein genes affirmed that aforesaid proteins were the gene products not artifacts. Downregulated GroES and over expressed NusB are critical proteins for cell death.

Topics: Acetanilides; Chlorophyll; Chromatography, Gas; Cyanobacteria; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; Glutathione; Photosystem I Protein Complex; Photosystem II Protein Complex; Phycocyanin; Proteomics

Effects of butachlor, bensulfuron-methyl, and dimethoate on the growth, photosynthesis, and photoinhibition of the edible cyanobacterium Ge-Xian-Mi were examined in order to gain insight into the relationship between its productivity reduction and the abusive use of pesticides in the field. Severe inhibition of growth was found in the presence of four- to six-fold field concentration of butachlor and very high concentrations of bensulfuron-methyl and dimethoate. Mild stimulation of photosynthesis was observed over a limited range of low concentrations of these three pesticides. We found that PSII and PSI were, respectively, the inhibitory sites of 150microM butachlor and 150microM bensulfuron-methyl. However, the inhibitory site of 2000microM dimethoate seems to be situated at the terminal of the whole chain or dark reaction. The colonies exposed to 150microM butachlor were more sensitive to high light than control cells and those exposed to bensulfuron-methyl, dimethoate, or low butachlor concentration. Dim light-induced rapid recovery of photoinhibited colonies was observed for the control, 10microM butachlor, bensulfuron-methyl, and dimethoate treatments. However, the maximal PSII photochemical efficiency of photoinhibited colonies treated with 150microM butachlor was maintained at a relatively stable value in low light. Our findings suggest that the abusive utilization of butachlor might be an important factor limiting the productivity of Ge-Xian-Mi in the field.

Topics: Acetanilides; Acetone; Cell Respiration; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Dimethoate; Electron Transport; Nostoc; Oxygen; Pesticides; Photosynthesis; Photosystem I Protein Complex; Sulfonylurea Compounds; Time Factors

Isolation of cyanobacteria was attempted from herbicide applied rice soils. The predominant genera were Westiellopsis followed by Anabaena, Nostoc and Oscillatoria. The herbicide tolerance was further tested by growing the cyanobacterial cultures in BG-11 medium supplemented with varying concentrations of the commonly used rice herbicide, viz butachlor under in vitro condition. The chlorophyll-a, phycobiliproteins and ammonia excretion were assessed at periodic intervals. Westiellopsis showed the maximum tolerance followed by Anabaena, Nostoc and Oscillatoria.

Topics: Acetanilides; Ammonia; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Cyanobacteria; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Herbicides; Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; Oryza; Phycocyanin; Phycoerythrin; Proteins; Soil Microbiology

Topics: Acetanilides; Chlorophyll; Cyanobacteria; Herbicides; Insecticides; Nitrogen Fixation; Thiocarbamates