This work evaluated the debromination and uptake of ¹⁴C-labeled BDE-209 in rice cultivars grown in anoxic soil for 120 days (d) followed by cultivation of vegetables (peanut, eggplant and pepper) in oxic soil (120 d). Degradation of BDE-209 to lower polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) occurred in cultivated soils, and more metabolites were released in oxic soil than in anoxic soil. The crop rotation from anoxic to oxic greatly enhanced the dissipation of BDE-209 in the soil (P < 0.05), in which the dissipation in anoxic soil planted with Huanghuazhan (HHZ, indica) and Yudao 1 (YD1, indica) were 6.8% and 2.4%, respectively, while in oxic soil with peanut and pepper were increased to 25.8% and 21.7%, respectively. The crop rotation also enhanced the degradation of BDE-209 in the soil, the recovered BDE-209 in soil after 120 d anoxic incubation with YD1 was 81.1%, but it decreased to 47.8% and 45.8% after another 120 d oxic incubation. Bioconcentration factors were between 0.23 and 0.36 for rice, eggplant and pepper but reached to 0.5 in peanut, which contains more lipids in the edible portion than the other test crops. The estimated daily intake for vegetables was 0.01–0.07 μg BDE-209-equivalent kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹, which is at least two orders of magnitude below the maximum acceptable oral dose (7 μg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹). Our work confirms that crop rotation from rice to vegetable enhanced the dissipation and debromination of BDE-209 in the soil, and indicate that sequential anoxic-oxic rotation practice is considered to be effective in remediation of environmental pollutants.

Dietary arsenic (As) intake from food is of great concern, and developing a reliable model capable of predicting As concentrations in plant edible parts is desirable. In this study, pot experiments were performed with 16 Chinese upland soils spiked with arsenate [As(V)] to develop a predictive model for As concentrations in pepper fruits (Capsicum annum L.). Our results showed that after three months’ aging, concentrations of bioavailable As (extracted by 0.05 M NH₄H₂PO₄) in various soils varied widely, depending on soil total As concentrations and soil properties such as soil pH and amorphous iron (Fe) contents. Furthermore, both the bioconcentration factor (BCF, denoted as the ratio of fruit As to soil As) and total As concentrations in pepper fruits were largely determined by concentrations of bioavailable As, which explained 27% and 69% variations in the BCF and fruit As concentrations, respectively. Apart from bioavailable As, soil pH and Fe contents were another two important factors influencing As accumulation in pepper fruits. Taking the three factors into account, concentrations of fruit As can be well predicted using a stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) analysis (R² = 0.80, RMSE = 0.17). Arsenic species in soils and edible parts were also analyzed. Although As(V) predominated in soils (>96%), As in pepper fruits presented as As(V) (46%) and arsenite [As(III)] (39%) with small amount of methylated As (<15%). Aggregated boosted tree (ABT) analysis revealed that inorganic As concentrations in pepper fruits were determined by concentrations of bioavailable As, phosphorus (P) and Fe in soils. In contrast to inorganic As, methylated As concentrations were not correlated with those factors in soils. Taken together, this study established an empirical model for predicting As concentrations in pepper fruits. The predictive model can be used for establishing the As threshold in fruit vegetable farming soils.

The promising response of chromium-stressed (Cr(VI)–S) plants to hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) has been observed, but the participation of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in H₂S-induced Cr(VI)–S tolerance in plants remains to be elucidated. It was aimed to assess the participation of NO in H₂S-mediated Cr(VI)–S tolerance by modulating subcellular distribution of Cr and the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle in the pepper seedlings. Two weeks following germination, plants were exposed to control (no Cr) or Cr(VI)–S (50 μM K₂Cr₂O₇) for further two weeks. The Cr(VI)–S-plants grown in nutrient solution were supplied with 200 μM sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS, donor of H₂S), or NaHS plus 100 μM sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a donor of NO). Chromium stress suppressed plant growth and leaf water status, while elevated proline content, oxidative stress, and the activities of AsA-GSH related enzymes, as well as endogenous H₂S and NO contents. The supplementation of NaHS increased Cr accumulation at root cell walls and vacuoles of leaves as soluble fraction to reduce its toxicity. Furthermore it limited oxidative stress, improved plant growth, modulated leaf water status, and the AsA-GSH cycle-associated enzymes’ activities, as well as it further improved H₂S and NO contents. The positive effect of NaHS was found to be augmented on those parameters in the CrS-plants by the SNP supplementation. However, 0.1 mM cPTIO, the scavenger of NO, inverted the prominent effect of NaHS by decreasing NO content. The supplementation of SNP along with NaHS + cPTIO reinstalled the positive effect of NaHS by restoring NO content, which suggested that NO might have a potential role in H₂S-induced tolerance to Cr(VI)–S in pepper plants by stepping up the AsA-GSH cycle.

Deca-brominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) is shown to be persistent in soil and it's urgent to find an effective method to remove BDE-209 from contaminated soil. In this study, the investigation of BDE-209 degradation in three different rice-vegetable rotation soils induced by electron beam (E-beam) irradiation under flooded and non-flooded conditions was conducted. The reductive efficiency of ¹⁴C-BDE209 reached the highest level at 50 kGy and the values in flooded soils of rice-eggplant rotation soil (RES), rice-peanut soil (RPS), and rice-chili pepper soil (RCS) were 93.5%, 87.2%, and 73.8%, respectively. The reductive efficiencies in non-flooded soils of RES, RPS, and RCS were 73.4%, 81.0%, and 78%, respectively. The D₀.₅ values (dose required for reducing 50% BDE-209) of BDE-209 in non-flooded soils were lower than those in flooded soils, suggesting greater degradation efficiency of BDE-209 in non-flooded soils than in flooded soils. The BDE-209 was degraded into higher-brominated PBDEs and lower-brominated PBDEs by E-beam irradiation. The results demonstrate that BDE-209 in the soil can be degraded by E-beam irradiation, non-flooded condition is better than flooded condition for the removal of BDE-209, and the main degradation mechanism of BDE-209 by E-beam irradiation is debromination. This study provides a rapid and effective method for degrading BDE-209 that is persistent in soils, and has important implications for the remediation of soil contaminated by PBDEs in and around E-waste dismantling areas.

The main objective of the study was to assess if joint application of melatonin (MT, 0.1 mM) and salicylic acid (SA 0.5 mM) could improve tolerance of pepper plants to arsenic (As) as sodium hydrogen arsenate heptahydrate (0.05 mM). The imposition of arsenic stress led to accumulation of As in roots and leaves, and increased contents of leaf proline, phytochelatins, malondialdehyde (MDA) and H₂O₂, but it reduced plant biomass, chlorophylls (Chl), PSII maximum efficiency (Fv/Fm) and leaf water potential. Melatonin and SA applied jointly or alone enhanced nitrogen metabolism by triggering the activities of glutamate synthase, glutamine synthetase, and nitrite reductases and nitrate. In comparison with a single treatment of MT or SA, the joint treatment of MT and SA had better impact on enhancing growth and key biological events and decreasing tissue As content. This clearly shows a cooperative function of both agents in enhancing tolerance to As-toxicity in pepper plants.

The accumulation of metals and nutrients in biosolid-amended soils and the risk of their excess uptake by plants is a topic of great concern. This study examines the elemental uptake and accumulation in five vegetable plants grown on biosolid-applied soils and the use of spectral reflectance to monitor the resulting plant stress. Soil, shoot, root, and fruit samples were collected and analyzed for several elemental concentrations. The chemical concentrations in soils and all the plant parts increased with increase in applied biosolid concentrations. The Cu and Zn concentrations in the plant shoots increased in the order of collard < radish < lettuce < tomato < pepper. The Cu and Zn concentrations accumulated significantly in the fruits of the tomato plants compared to other plants. Among all the plants, the shoot concentration factor (SCF) of Zn was significantly higher for pepper plants, indicating increase in uptake of Zn. The shoot relative uptake index (SRUI) of Cu and Zn increased in the order of collard < radish < lettuce < tomato < pepper. The shoot dry weight and spectral reflectance of the radish plants in the near-infrared (NIR) region (800–1,300 nm) decreased significantly with increase in biosolid concentration compared to other plants. Increase in plant stress with increase in biosolid dose was evident in radish plants through significant reduction in Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI). This study indicates the potential use of spectral reflectance as a tool for the screening and monitoring of stress-sensitive plant species and their physiology and as a result, indirectly assesses the chemical concentrations in soils and plants.

In recent years, air pollution has increased with rapid urbanization, industrial activities, and traffic density, especially in developing countries. The consumption of the vegetables grown in city centers with high levels of traffic-related pollution poses a major risk to human health due to the heavy metals contained by these plants. Heavy metals have toxic and carcinogenic effects on the human body even when consumed in low concentrations. The aim of this study is to determine the change in the accumulation of Cr, Co, and Ni elements in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) vegetables grown in heavy, light, and almost no traffic areas in Ankara province based on plant species, plant organs, and washing condition. The change of Co, Cr, Ni concentrations based on traffic density showed differences depending on the factors studied. It was remarkable that the Cr and Co concentrations in the washed fruits increased depending on the traffic density in general. This increase means that Cr and Co penetrate into the fruits. These results indicate how harmful the consumption of products grown near areas with heavy traffic and industrial facilities can be since heavy metals are found in high levels in these areas.

This work aimed to examine the influence of the storage period on the content of toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in five types of canned meat products regularly used in the Serbian Armed Forces. Cans of beef goulash (BG), pork ragout (PR), spam (SP), liver pate (LP), and meatballs in tomato sauce (MB), produced according to military standards and stored under regular conditions, were analyzed. Meat products were packed in tin cans made according to special requirements in terms of tin and varnish application and stored for up to 6 years. The content of toxic elements varied depending on the analyzed product. The highest average content of arsenic was in BG (10.00 μg/kg), cadmium in LP (35.91 μg/kg), and mercury and lead in PR (15.04 and 8.00 μg/kg, respectively). The average concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in all types of canned meat products were significantly lower than the maximum permitted levels in food currently in force by local and EU legislation. The storage period did not significantly affect the level of toxic elements, although higher concentrations were found in samples stored for more than 2 years. Examination of raw materials, spices, and additives showed that the highest Cd and Pb concentrations, which can affect the total level of these elements in meat products, were found in red ground pepper (Cd above 150 μg/kg) and dish supplement (Pb of 250 μg/kg). The assessment of the weekly intake of toxic elements through canned meat showed that it is significantly lower than the values that affect adversely to human health, as determined by the FAO/WHO and EFSA. However, as there is a constant possibility of contamination of raw materials and food additives, primarily due to environmental pollution, it is recommended to monitor the content of heavy metals in food permanently and assess their risk to human health.

The reasons why some cultivars of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) accumulate low levels of Cd are poorly understood. We aimed to compare the characteristics of Cd uptake and translocation in low-Cd and high-Cd hot pepper cultivars by determining the subcellular locations and chemical forms of Cd, and its distribution among different plant organs. We conducted a hydroponic experiment to investigate the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in roots, stems, and leaves of a low-Cd (Yeshengchaotianjiao, YCT) and a high-Cd cultivar (Jinfuzaohuangjiao, JFZ). The results showed that the concentrations of Cd in almost all subcellular fractions of roots, and in all chemical forms in roots, were higher in YCT than in JFZ. Compared with YCT, JFZ had higher Cd concentrations in almost all subcellular fractions of stems and leaves, and higher Cd concentrations in almost all chemical forms in stems and leaves. Additionally, YCT had significantly higher total Cd accumulation but a lower Cd translocation rate compared with JFZ. In general, the results presented in this study revealed that root-to-shoot Cd translocation via the xylem is the key physiological processes determining the Cd accumulation level in stems and leaves of hot pepper plants. Immobilization of Cd by the cell walls of different organs is important in Cd detoxification and limiting the symplastic movement of Cd.

Fluazinam is a widely used fungicide; most of the available information associated with its impact predominately on birds, invertebrates, mammals, and algae and scarce works studied its impact on crop plants. A two years-field experiments were conducted to study the response of pepper and eggplant to fluazinam at 0, 1, 2, and 3 times of the fluazinam-recommended dose (0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mL/L). The results revealed that fluazinam did not cause toxic effect on the tested plants except for temporary decline of shoot weights and lengths after 3 days of fluazinam application. However, fluazinam improved the physiological status of leaves via promoting metabolites, antioxidants, better membrane integrity, and adjustment of the redox status of fluazinam-sprayed plants. The ultrastructure changes of fluazinam-treated leaves associated with increment of chloroplasts’ starch granules, giant nucleus, and elevated number of mitochondria. After 35 days of treatments, plant length of fungicide-treated plants was found to be higher than control and flowering time showed significant earliness. Furthermore, the yield traits were increased significantly in response to fluazinam. Our findings suggested that fluazinam-treated plants could initiate an early defense mechanism to mitigate the permanent growth retardation. This study could serve as a matrix for further studies to seek elucidation of plants’ response to other doses of fluazinam. Graphical abstract .