Nitrate reductase, arginine deaminase, urease and dehydrogenase activities in natural soil (ridges with forest) and in cotton soil after acetamiprid treatments

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.11.005

Chemosphere

Volume 71, Issue 3, March 2008, Pages 412-418

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.11.005 Get rights and content

Abstract

Soil enzymes are indicators of microbial activities in soil and are often considered as an indicator of soil health and fertility. They are very sensitive to the agricultural practices, pH of the soil, nutrients, inhibitors and weather conditions. To understand the effect of an insecticide, acetamiprid (IUPAC Name: (E)-N1-[(6-chloro-3-pyridyl) methyl]-N2-cyano-N1-methyl acetamidine) on different soil enzyme activities, the experiments were conducted for three consecutive years (2003–2005) at control and cotton experimental fields of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and natural area (ridges with forest) in Delhi. The combined results for all three years were presented here to understand the impact of acetamiprid on soil enzyme activities. Acetamiprid was applied three times in one crop season after 41, 48 and 73 days of sowing, to control the pest. Soil of treated fields was analyzed for insecticide residues immediately after first insecticide treatment and thereafter at definite period. The residues of acetamiprid in experimental soil was varied from 0.30 ± 0.13 to 22.67 ± 0.2 μg g⁻¹ d.wt. soil, during the crop period of 2003. The insecticide residues for 2004 ranged between 0.59 ± 0.38 and 13.42 ± 0.71 μg g⁻¹ d.wt. soil and for 2005 it ranged between 0.48 ± 0.22 and 19.81 ± 0.33 μg g⁻¹ d.wt. soil. An average half life of acetamiprid in our treated field was 11.2 ± 1.7 days for all three years. Similarly, the soil from natural area and control were also tested for insecticide residues. No detectable insecticide residues had been found. Soil from three localities i.e. natural, control and experimental fields were tested for different enzyme activities. Nitrate reductase, arginine deaminase, urease and dehydrogenase activities were high in natural soil in comparison to control soil and insecticide treated soil in all three experimental years. At the same time, nitrate reductase activity was all time low in acetamiprid treated soil. Acetamiprid had inhibitory effects on nitrate reductase, arginine deaminase and urease activities. After first treatment (43 days after crop sowing), nitrate reductase (41%), arginine deaminase (22%) and urease (35%) activities were declined. Dehydrogenase activity increased to 22% after first insecticide application. Enzyme activities were recovered at the end of each crop season. Therefore, it can be attributed that agricultural practices, weather conditions and use of acetamiprid might be responsible for the different level of enzyme activities in soil.

Introduction

Soil is a living dynamic system containing many free enzymes, immobilized extra-cellular enzymes and enzymes within microbial cells (Skujins, 1978). Enzymes present in soil are similar to enzymes in other systems. Their reaction rates are distinctly dependent on pH, ionic strength, temperature, and the presence or absence of inhibitors (Tabatabai, 1982).

The soil enzymes include a wide spectrum of oxido-reductase, transferases, hydrolases and lysases. The enzymes mostly found in soil are dehydrogenases, catalase, phosphatase, amylase, cellulase, pectinase, saccharase, protease, urease, arginine deaminase, nitrate reductase etc. These are generally of bacterial or fungal origin and only a small fraction is excreted by animals or plants. They act intra or extra-cellularly and responsible for most of the biochemical reaction in soil.

The role of soil enzymes are important in terms of ecosystem functioning and describes the relationship between soil enzymes and the environmental factors affecting their activities (Burns, 1982). They are also useful in describing and making predictions on the quality and the interactions between ecosystems. The most valuable use of soil enzymes is to assess the effects of various anthropogenic activities and chemicals to the relative health of the soil. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the changes in a soil enzyme activities caused by acid rain, heavy metals, fertilizers, pesticides, industrial and other agricultural chemicals. In our present studies, effect of acetamiprid on different soil enzyme activities in presence of cotton crop for three consecutive years had been measured.

Section snippets

Experimental field and soil sampling

Soil enzyme experiments were undertaken for three consecutive cotton crop seasons viz. 2003, 2004 and 2005 in Delhi. A control and Cotton field of 35 m × 35 m size was located in IARI, Delhi. The natural area (ridge with forest) used for experiment is also located in Delhi. Rectangular sampler (5 × 5 × 10 cm) was used for soil sampling. Soil samplings were done randomly from nine different locations of the same field. Samples were then mixed thoroughly to prepare a composite mixture. Plant materials and

Results

The soil of natural area (ridge with forest), control and experimental fields were analyzed for physicochemical properties and different enzyme activities. The enzyme activities were analyzed for all three types of field for whole crop period. In pesticide treated field, enzyme activities were analyzed immediately after pesticide treatments synchronizing the estimation with two other types of field. A combined data for all three years is presented here to explain the impact of acetamiprid on

Acetamiprid residue

Acetamiprid is systemic insecticide belongs to neonicotinoids group. It used for soil and foliar application. It rapidly degrades in soil by oxidation. The half life of aetamiprid in our experimental field was 11.2 ± 1.7 days for all three years. (Tokieda et al., 1998) had also reported rapid degradation of acetamiprid in soil with half life of 12 days.

Nitrate reductase

Nitrate reductase activity in soil indicates anaerobic nitrate reduction. In the process of denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reductase

Conclusions

The measurement of soil enzymes can be used as indicative of the biological activities and natural biochemical processes in soil. Soil enzyme activities have all potentials to provide a unique integrative biological and biochemical assessment of soils because of their relationship to soil biology, easy of measurement, and rapid response to all changes i.e. anthropogenic, agronomic, chemicals and weather conditions. In our experiment, nitrate reductase, arginine deaminase, urease and

Acknowledgement

Authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Department of Science and Technology, Delhi, India as DST project no. SP/SO/C-27/2001.

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Nitrate reductase, arginine deaminase, urease and dehydrogenase activities in natural soil (ridges with forest) and in cotton soil after acetamiprid treatments

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Experimental field and soil sampling

Results

Acetamiprid residue

Nitrate reductase

Conclusions

Acknowledgement

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Persistence, metabolism and binding of p,p′-DDT in soil in Delhi, India

J. Environ. Sci. Health B

Applicability of arginine ammonification as indicator of microbial activity in different soils

Biol. Fertil. Soils

Soil dehydrogenase activity

Soil Sci.

Dehydrogenase and invertase activities of flooded soils

Soil Biol. Biochem.