Impact of pesticides on non-target invertebrates in agricultural ecosystems.

In fact, less than 1% of applied pesticides reach their target pests, while the remainder pollute the neighboring environment and adversely impact human health as well as non-target organisms in agricultural ecosystem. Pesticides can contribute to the loss of agrobiodiversity, which are essential to maintaining the agro-ecosystem's structure and functioning in order to produce and secure enough food. This review article examines the negative effects of pesticides on non-target invertebrates including earthworms, honeybees, predators, and parasitoids. It also highlights areas where further research is needed to address unresolved issues related to pesticide exposure, aiming to improve conservation efforts for these crucial species. These organisms play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning, such as soil health, pollination, and pest control. Both lethal and sub-lethal effects of pesticides on the selected non-target invertebrates were discussed. Pesticides affect DNA integrity, enzyme activity, growth, behavior, and reproduction of earthworms even at low concentrations. Pesticides could also induce a reduction in individual survival, disruption in learning performance and memory, as well as a change in the foraging behavior of honeybees. Additionally, pesticides adversely affect population growth indices, reproduction, development, longevity, and consumption of predators and parasitoids. As a result, pesticides must pass adequate ecotoxicological risk assessment to be enlisted by regulatory authorities. Therefore, it is important to adopt integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that minimize pesticide use and promote the conservation of beneficial organisms in order to maintain agrobiodiversity and sustainable agricultural systems. Furthermore, adopting precision agriculture and organic farming lessen these negative effects as well.less than.

Improved analysis of folpet and captan in foods using liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry: applying mass filtering, collision, and trapping conditions.

Accurate and highly sensitive analysis of folpet and captan was accomplished using liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqQIT) with selective ion mode; mass filtering, collision, and trapping condition. Dimensional mass spectrometry (MS3) parameters were optimized for the residue detection of folpet and captan in six food commodities (apples, tomatoes, sweet pepper, wheat flour, sesame seeds, and fennel seeds). The sample preparation method was based on the known QuEChERS protocol, except a mixture of acetonitrile/acetone was used for the sample extraction from the sesame seeds. The robustness and reliability of the developed MS3 method were demonstrated by performing a full validation, according to SANTE/11312/2021, at 0.01-0.25 mg/kg. Recovery ranged from 83 to 118% with a relative standard deviation below 19% in all the tested commodities, and limits of quantifications (LOQs) were 0.01 mg/kg in apples and tomatoes; 0.03 mg/kg in sweet pepper; and 0.05 mg/kg in wheat flour, sesame seeds, and fennel seeds. Monitoring results showed that about 90% of apples contained captan residue, and in sweet pepper, concentrations of captan and folpet as high as 1.57 and 0.97 mg/kg were found, respectively. The novel developed MS3 method enabled more reliable identification of these commonly problematic fungicides at lower LOQs than previously reported methods.

Thiamethoxam-induced hematological, biochemical, and genetic alterations and the ameliorated effect of Moringa oleifera in male mice.

Thiamethoxam (TMX) exerts pronounced insecticidal effects against a wide variety of economically imperative pests. However, the administration of TMX in experimental animals induced notable adverse effects on the function of various organs. The purpose of this study was to assess TMX induced hematological, biochemical, and genetic alterations and the potential ameliorative effects on them of Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLE) in male mice Animals were orally administered TMX (≈1/10 LD50) daily either alone or with MLE (200 mg/kg b.w.) for 28 successive days. Blood was collected to evaluate the hematological profile and serum levels of Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, creatinine, uric acid, and urea. Liver and kidney cells were used to assess the Malondialdehyde (MDA) content and antioxidant enzymes. DNA integrity was estimated also in the liver and kidney using comet and colorimetric diphenylamine assays. Results revealed that TMX exhibited significant changes in the hematological profile and liver and kidney functions. Besides, TMX significantly raised the MDA content and DNA damage in both two of these organs. In contrast, TMX reduced the antioxidant activities in the cells of both liver and kidney. Meanwhile, Moringa extract combined with TMX significantly attenuated the deleterious findings of TMX. Specifically, it improved the TMX-induced hematological changes, liver and kidney function alterations, oxidative stress, and DNA damage rate. It can be concluded that TMX had adverse effects on different cells of male mice, but MLE successfully ameliorated TMX's hematological and hepatorenal toxicity.

Size-exclusion chromatography selective cleanup of aflatoxins in oilseeds followed by HPLC determination to assess the potential health risk.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are one of the most harmful carcinogenic natural toxins that affect food. Crops containing reasonably high oil content may be affected by Aspergillus species and consequently by AF contamination. In this study, a proposed testing method for AF detection in oilseed was developed, validated, and used for a market survey to assess the probabilistic risk exposure caused by consuming contaminated oilseeds including corn, sunflower seed, and soybean. The test method was optimized for selective extraction and then validated for fitness of purpose; the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.2, 0.4, 0.2, and 0.2 µg kg-1 for aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin G2 (AFG2), and aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), respectively. The method was linear from the LOQs up to 20 µg kg-1, and its budget of measurement uncertainties were estimated at 25, 24, 26, and 30 for AFG1, AFB1, AFG2, and AFB2, respectively. The contamination levels were from  10,000 body weight (BW) day-1, respectively. The main finding of the present study highlights the possibility of some risk of AF exposure from corn consumption, which may represent a health concern.