Potential and limitations for monitoring of pesticide biodegradation at trace concentrations in water and soil

Aldas-Vargas, A., Poursat, B. A.J. and Sutton, N. B. (2022) Potential and limitations for monitoring of pesticide biodegradation at trace concentrations in water and soil. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 38(12), 240. (doi: 10.1007/s11274-022-03426-x) (PMID:36261779) (PMCID:PMC9581840)

Abstract

Pesticides application on agricultural fields results in pesticides being released into the environment, reaching soil, surface water and groundwater. Pesticides fate and transformation in the environment depend on environmental conditions as well as physical, chemical and biological degradation processes. Monitoring pesticides biodegradation in the environment is challenging, considering that traditional indicators, such as changes in pesticides concentration or identification of pesticide metabolites, are not suitable for many pesticides in anaerobic environments. Furthermore, those indicators cannot distinguish between biotic and abiotic pesticide degradation processes. For that reason, the use of molecular tools is important to monitor pesticide biodegradation-related genes or microorganisms in the environment. The development of targeted molecular (e.g., qPCR) tools, although laborious, allowed biodegradation monitoring by targeting the presence and expression of known catabolic genes of popular pesticides. Explorative molecular tools (i.e., metagenomics & metatranscriptomics), while requiring extensive data analysis, proved to have potential for screening the biodegradation potential and activity of more than one compound at the time. The application of molecular tools developed in laboratory and validated under controlled environments, face challenges when applied in the field due to the heterogeneity in pesticides distribution as well as natural environmental differences. However, for monitoring pesticides biodegradation in the field, the use of molecular tools combined with metadata is an important tool for understanding fate and transformation of the different pesticides present in the environment.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research is funded by NWO Veni grant 15120 which was awarded to Nora B. Sutton.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Poursat, Dr Baptiste

Creator Roles

Poursat, B.: Writing – original draft

• Authors: Aldas-Vargas, A., Poursat, B. A.J., and Sutton, N. B.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment
• Journal Name: World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 0959-3993
• ISSN (Online): 1573-0972
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 38:240
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence