Effects of picoxystrobin and 4-n-nonylphenol on soil microbial community structure and respiration activity

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 20;8(6):e66989. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066989. Print 2013.

Abstract

There is widespread use of chemical amendments to meet the demands for increased productivity in agriculture. Potentially toxic compounds, single or in mixtures, are added to the soil medium on a regular basis, while the ecotoxicological risk assessment procedures mainly follow a chemical by chemical approach. Picoxystrobin is a fungicide that has caused concern due to studies showing potentially detrimental effects to soil fauna (earthworms), while negative effects on soil microbial activities (nitrification, respiration) are shown to be transient. Potential mixture situations with nonylphenol, a chemical frequently occurring as a contaminant in sewage sludge used for land application, infer a need to explore whether these chemicals in mixture could alter the potential effects of picoxystrobin on the soil microflora. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of picoxystrobin and nonylphenol, as single chemicals and mixtures, on soil microbial community structure and respiration activity in an agricultural sandy loam. Effects of the chemicals were assessed through measurements of soil microbial respiration activity and soil bacterial and fungal community structure fingerprints, together with a degradation study of the chemicals, through a 70 d incubation period. Picoxystrobin caused a decrease in the respiration activity, while 4-n-nonylphenol caused an increase in respiration activity concurring with a rapid degradation of the substance. Community structure fingerprints were also affected, but these results could not be directly interpreted in terms of positive or negative effects, and were indicated to be transient. Treatment with the chemicals in mixture caused less evident changes and indicated antagonistic effects between the chemicals in soil. In conclusion, the results imply that the application of the fungicide picoxystrobin and nonylphenol from sewage sludge application to agricultural soil in environmentally relevant concentrations, as single chemicals or in mixture, will not cause irreversible effects on soil microbial respiration and community structure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acrylates / metabolism
  • Acrylates / toxicity*
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / metabolism
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • DNA / analysis
  • DNA / genetics
  • Ecosystem*
  • Fungi / drug effects*
  • Fungi / genetics
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • Oxygen Consumption / drug effects*
  • Phenols / metabolism
  • Phenols / toxicity*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
  • Pyridines / metabolism
  • Pyridines / toxicity*
  • Soil Microbiology
  • Soil Pollutants / metabolism
  • Soil Pollutants / toxicity
  • Strobilurins
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Acrylates
  • Phenols
  • Pyridines
  • Soil Pollutants
  • Strobilurins
  • picoxystrobin
  • DNA
  • 4-nonylphenol

Grants and funding

This work was performed as part of the strategic institute programme ’Bioavailability and biological effects of chemicals - Novel tools in risk assessment of mixtures in agricultural and contaminated soil’ funded by the Norwegian Research Council, project number 186901/i30. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.