Environmental Science, Pollution, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Cell Biology
64
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Phytotoxicity and cytogenotoxicity screening of cerium in contrasting tropical soils using rapid Petri-dish assays Ingrid Fernanda Santana Alvarenga, Thaisa Aparecida Resende Pereira, Luiz Roberto Guimarães Guilherme, Larissa Fonseca Andrade-Vieira Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2026 Cerium (Ce), a rare earth element, can accumulate in agricultural soils through inputs such as phosphate fertilisers, yet effect thresholds for tropical soils remain scarce. Here, we performed a rapid plant-based screening of Ce toxicity in two representative Brazilian tropical soils (Latosol and Cambisol) and an artificial tropical soil (ATS). Seeds of Pennisetum glaucum , Phaseolus vulgaris , Lactuca sativa , and Allium cepa were exposed for 96 h to increasing Ce doses (0–2051.7 mg kg⁻ 1 ) in Petri-dish soil assays. These doses are reported as nominal (spiked) concentrations (post-equilibration concentrations were not measured). Macroscopic endpoints (germination, germination speed index, root and hypocotyl length, and fresh mass) were assessed for all species, and cytogenetic endpoints (mitotic index and nuclear/cytogenetic alterations) were evaluated in A. cepa root tips. Germination-related variables were generally less sensitive than seedling growth. Across endpoints, L. sativa showed the highest sensitivity, and effects were stronger in the Latosol compared with the Cambisol and ATS, indicating soil-dependent toxicity. EC 25 /EC 50 values were obtained from concentration–response modeling, and a screening-level hazardous concentration for 5% of species (HC 5 ) was derived from a species sensitivity distribution using EC 50 values, resulting in HC 5 = 208.4 mg Ce kg −1 . This work provides a rapid screening framework and preliminary effect thresholds for Ce in tropical soils, while acknowledging limitations related to short-term exposure and the restricted set of test species/endpoints.
Genotoxicity of pure compounds and commercial formulations of the maize herbicides mesotrione and s-metolachlor in Vicia faba L Larissa Fonseca Andrade-Vieira, Sylvie Cotelle Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A Current Issues, 2025 Herbicides containing the active components mesotrione and S-metolachlor persist in the environment and adversely affect non-target organisms. Therefore, it was of interest to examine the toxicological risk associated with these compounds. This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of the active pure compounds mesotrione and S-metolachlor and their respective commercial formulations as evidenced by MN bioassays utilizing Vicia faba L. (broad bean) as a model. The experiments followed the 48-hr protocol of ISO 29200. Dilutions of the active components and their commercial formulations, ranging from 1.56 to 50 mg/L, were tested. Hoagland's solution was used as a negative control, and maleic hydrazide as a positive control. A decrease in mitotic index (MI) was observed with the pure compounds, where mesotrione significantly reduced the frequency of cell division at concentrations >12.5 mg/L, and S-metolachlor initiated a significant fall at only the highest concentration (50 mg/L). In addition, the MN frequency was markedly increased at treatments of 3.125 mg/L mesotrione and 6.25 to 25 mg/L S-metolachlor. However, herbicide treatments with the commercial formulation containing the same concentrations of active compounds did not significantly damage plant DNA. Taken together, the findings demonstrated that in commercial formulations, the combined effects of the pure compounds and solvents or other substances included in the product might occur and consequently interfere with the genotoxic potential of the active compounds. Although the cytotoxicity was of the same order of magnitude for both S-metolachlor and mesotrione, mesotrione alone appears to be more genotoxic than S-metolachlor.
New Perspective on the Use of α-Bisabolol for Weed Control Josyelem Tiburtino Leite Chaves, Geovane da Silva Dias, Marina Mariá Pereira, Ludmila da Silva Bastos, Maria Isabel Almeida Souza, et al. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2024
