Factors impacting the behavior of phytoremediation in pesticide-contaminated environment: A meta-analysis.

Phytoremediation provides substantial advantages, including eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and visual appeal. However, the current knowledge of the factors influencing phytoremediation in pesticide-contaminated environments remains limited. It is critical to understand phytoremediation and the factors affecting the variation in removal efficiency. In this study, we compiled 72 previous research articles to quantify plant-induced improvements in removal efficiency and identify factors that influence variations in phytoremediation behavior through meta-analysis. We observed a significant increase in the removal efficiency of phytoremediation compared to the control group which did not involve phytoremediation. Pesticides significantly affect removal efficiency in terms of their modes of action, substance group, and properties. Plants demonstrated higher efficiency in remediating environments contaminated with pesticides possessing lower molecular masses and log Kow values. Plant species emerged as a crucial determinant of variations in removal efficiency. Annual plants exhibited a 1.45-fold higher removal efficiency than perennial plants. The removal efficiencies of different plant types decreased in the following order: agri-food crops > aquatic macrophytes > turfgrasses > medicinal plants > forage crops > woody trees. The Gramineae family, which was the most prevalent, demonstrated a robust and consistent phytoremediation ability. This study offers a more comprehensive triangular relationship between removal efficiency, pesticides, and plants, expanding the traditional linear model. Our findings offer valuable insights into the behavior of phytoremediation in pesticide-contaminated environments and the factors determining its success, ultimately guiding further research toward developing strategies for higher removal efficiency in phytoremediation.

Effect of H3PO4-modified biochar on the fate of atrazine and remediation of bacterial community in atrazine-contaminated soil.

The application of chemically modified biochar is a promising strategy for the remediation of contaminated (e.g., pesticides) soil. In this study, H3PO4 was used to modify peanut shell to improve the remediation performance of biochar. Surface area (980.19 m2/g), pore volume (0.12 cm3/g), and the functional groups (OH, CO, and phosphorus-containing groups) on the biochar were increased by H3PO4 treatment. The sorption experimental data were well fitted by Freundlich model, while the sorption affinity (Kf) of H3PO4 modified biochar (PBC) for atrazine was 128 times greater than that of the untreated biochar (BC) in the aquatic systems. The Kf values of PBC-amended soil to atrazine were increased by 13.57 times than that of single soil. The strong sorption of PBC on atrazine delayed the degradation of atrazine in soil, and the residual percentage of atrazine in soil and soil-PBC mixture were 4.90% and 71.44% at the end of 60-day incubation, with the degradation half-life increased from 13.3 to 121.6 d. The analysis of high-throughput sequencing results showed that atrazine reduced the diversity of soil microbial community, but the abundance of microorganisms with degradation function increased and became dominant species. The addition of PBC in soil accelerated the microbial remediation of atrazine stress, which may promote the soil nitrogen cycle. Therefore, amendment of atrazine contaminated soil with PBC can reduce the environmental risk of atrazine and benefit the soil microbial ecology.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of two contrasting wolfberry genotypes during fruit development and ripening and characterization of the LrMYB1 transcription factor that regulates flavonoid biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Lycium barbarum and L. ruthenicum have been used as traditional medicinal plants in China and other Asian counties for centuries. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fruit development and ripening, as well as the associated production of medicinal and nutritional components, have been little explored in these two species. RESULTS: A competitive transcriptome analysis was performed to identify the regulators and pathways involved in the fruit ripening of red wolfberry (L. barbarum) and black wolfberry (L. ruthenicum) using an Illumina sequencing platform. In total, 155,606 genes and 194,385 genes were detected in red wolfberry (RF) and black wolfberry (BF), respectively. Of them, 20,335, 24,469, and 21,056 genes were differentially expressed at three different developmental stages in BF and RF. Functional categorization of the differentially expressed genes revealed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, anthocyanin biosynthesis, and sugar metabolism were the most differentially regulated processes during fruit development and ripening in the RF and BF. Furthermore, we also identified 38 MYB transcription factor-encoding genes that were differentially expressed during black wolfberry fruit development. Overexpression of LrMYB1 resulted in the activation of structural genes for flavonoid biosynthesis and led to an increase in flavonoid content, suggesting that the candidate genes identified in this RNA-seq analysis are credible and might offer important utility. CONCLUSION: This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of Lycium fruit development and ripening and will be of value to novel gene discovery and functional genomic studies.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Lycium ruthenicum (Solanaceae), a traditional medicinal plant in China.

Lycium ruthenicum, Known as a traditional medicinal plant in China, is distributed in the arid and semiarid areas of northwest China. In this study, we assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of L. ruthenicum using data from high-throughput Illumina sequencing. The L. ruthenicum cp genome is 154,979 bp in size and includes two inverted repeat regions of 25,395 bp each, which is separated by a large single copy region of 85,984 bp and a small single copy region of 18,205 bp. A total of 132 genes were predicted, including 37 tRNA, 8 rRNA, and 86 protein-coding genes. In addition, 9 PCG genes possess a single intron, 74 PCG genes no intron, and 3 other genes harbor two introns. 6 tRNA genes harbor a single intron. Phylogenetic analysis placed L. ruthenicum within the Solanaceae.