Assessment of the Effects of the Herbicide Aclonifen and Its Soil Metabolites on Soil and Aquatic Environments

Marioara Nicoleta Caraba, Diana Larisa Roman, Ion Valeriu Caraba () and Adriana Isvoran
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Marioara Nicoleta Caraba: Department Biology-Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry-Biology-Geography, West University of Timisoara, Pestalozzi 16, 300315 Timisoara, Romania
Diana Larisa Roman: Department Biology-Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry-Biology-Geography, West University of Timisoara, Pestalozzi 16, 300315 Timisoara, Romania
Ion Valeriu Caraba: Faculty of Bioengineering of Animal Resources, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, Calea Aradului 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania
Adriana Isvoran: Department Biology-Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry-Biology-Geography, West University of Timisoara, Pestalozzi 16, 300315 Timisoara, Romania

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Aclonifen is an herbicide with a global market that is expected to grow in the period 2021–2027. This study focuses on revealing the effects of both aclonifen and of its soil metabolites on aqueous and soil environments. The soil’s physicochemical parameters and activities of enzymes found in the soil (urease, dehydrogenase, catalase, alkaline phosphatase) were evaluated in laboratory conditions for soil treated with various doses of aclonifen (from half of a normal dose, 2.1 g/ha, to three times the normal dose) every 7 days for a period of 28 days. A computational approach was used to calculate the acute toxicity of aclonifen and of its soil metabolites on aqueous organisms and to evaluate the possible interactions of these compounds with soil enzymes. The results obtained in the experimental study showed a significant inhibitory effect of the herbicide aclonifen on the investigated enzymes; those activities were not recovered after 28 days in the presence of high doses of aclonifen. Statistically significant effects of the herbicide dose and exposure duration on enzymes’ activities were observed using post hoc analysis at the p < 0.001 level. Pearson’s correlations revealed that the investigated enzyme activities were usually strongly ( p < 0.001) influenced by the organic matter, available phosphorus content, and nitrogen level. The outcomes of the computational study revealed moderate acute aqueous toxicity of aclonifen and of its metabolites. All metabolites were also able to bind to the investigated enzymes and may have an inhibitory effect on their activities.

Keywords: enzymatic activity; molecular docking; aquatic toxicity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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