Wax Degrading Bacteria: Scope and Applications in Agriculture

Arunkumar, N.; Banu, J. Gulsar; Gopalakrishnan, N.; Prakash, A. H.

doi:10.20546/ijcmas.2017.602.074

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Incorporating pesticide residues into daily food consumption is a foremost safety issue for consumers worldwide (Hasan et al, 2017). The excessive use of pesticides deliberately affects flora, fauna and the ecosystem (Arunkumar et al, 2017). We briefly discuss the risk of pesticides to humans' health and other non-target living organisms in the following sections.…”

Section: Fate Of Pesticides In the Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of insect gut microbiota and their associated enzymes in insect physiology and biodegradation of pesticides

Jaffar

Ahmad

2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Synthetic pesticides are extensively and injudiciously applied to control agriculture and household pests worldwide. Due to their high use, their toxic residues have enormously increased in the agroecosystem in the past several years. They have caused many severe threats to non-target organisms, including humans. Therefore, the complete removal of toxic compounds is gaining wide attention to protect the ecosystem and the diversity of living organisms. Several methods, such as physical, chemical and biological, are applied to degrade compounds, but as compared to other methods, biological methods are considered more efficient, fast, eco-friendly and less expensive. In particular, employing microbial species and their purified enzymes makes the degradation of toxic pollutants more accessible and converts them into non-toxic products by several metabolic pathways. The digestive tract of insects is usually known as a superior organ that provides a nutrient-rich environment to hundreds of microbial species that perform a pivotal role in various physiological and ecological functions. There is a direct relationship between pesticides and insect pests: pesticides reduce the growth of insect species and alter the phyla located in the gut microbiome. In comparison, the insect gut microbiota tries to degrade toxic compounds by changing their toxicity, increasing the production and regulation of a diverse range of enzymes. These enzymes breakdown into their derivatives, and microbial species utilize them as a sole source of carbon, sulfur and energy. The resistance of pesticides (carbamates, pyrethroids, organophosphates, organochlorines, and neonicotinoids) in insect species is developed by metabolic mechanisms, regulation of enzymes and the expression of various microbial detoxifying genes in insect guts. This review summarizes the toxic effects of agrochemicals on humans, animals, birds and beneficial arthropods. It explores the preferential role of insect gut microbial species in the degradation process and the resistance mechanism of several pesticides in insect species. Additionally, various metabolic pathways have been systematically discussed to better understand the degradation of xenobiotics by insect gut microbial species.

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Section: Fate Of Pesticides In the Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of insect gut microbiota and their associated enzymes in insect physiology and biodegradation of pesticides

Jaffar

Ahmad

2022

Front. Microbiol.

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“…The mixing of the topsoil with the wettable subsoil (by natural factors and/or plowing , ) drives the loss of hydrophobicity due to microbial degradation of paraffin wax . Many soil microorganisms, e.g., Actinobacteria , Proteobacteria , and Firmicutes , − can degrade a wide range of hydrocarbons. , As presented in Figures and S16, our rhizosphere environments were mainly dominated by these bacterial groups with wax-degrading potential. By utilizing wax as a source of carbon and energy, these microorganisms are known to remediate water repellency in soils, aiding even water infiltration, seed germination, crop establishment, and higher yields. − Next, we comment on the effects of paraffin wax on soil.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…By utilizing wax as a source of carbon and energy, these microorganisms are known to remediate water repellency in soils, aiding even water infiltration, seed germination, crop establishment, and higher yields. − Next, we comment on the effects of paraffin wax on soil. Purified paraffins as those used in our study are easily biodegradable naturally and nontoxic, − and as “food-grade” compounds, they are commonly utilized in packaging domestic products, including food items. − These factors render SHS mulches environmentally benign in contrast to plastic mulches, which must be landfilled eventually …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to develop superhydrophobic sand (SHS) mulches and evaluate their roles in increasing agricultural productivity and water-use efficiency in arid-land agriculture. As a result, we developed an innovative approach to control evaporation from soils by combining (i) common sand, a material readily available in soils of arid regions, and (ii) paraffin wax, a low-cost and biodegradable hydrophobic material that is available at an industrial scale. − Our results demonstrate that superhydrophobic sand (SHS) mulching reduces water evaporation from moist soils and that the enhanced soil moisture promotes plant health and yield under arid conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Nature-Inspired Superhydrophobic Sand Mulches Increase Agricultural Productivity and Water-Use Efficiency in Arid Regions

Gallo

Odokonyero

Mousa

et al. 2022

ACS Agric. Sci. Technol.

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Excessive evaporative loss of water from the topsoil in arid-land agriculture is compensated via irrigation, which exploits massive freshwater resources. The cumulative effects of decades of unsustainable freshwater consumption in many arid regions are now threatening food-water security. While plastic mulches can reduce evaporation from the topsoil, their cost and nonbiodegradability limit their utility. In response, we report on superhydrophobic sand (SHS), a bio-inspired enhancement of common sand with a nanoscale wax coating. When SHS was applied as a 5 mm-thick mulch over the soil, evaporation dramatically reduced and crop yields increased. Multi-year field trials of SHS application with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and wheat (Triticum aestivum) under normal irrigation enhanced yields by 17%-73%. Under brackish water irrigation (5500 ppm NaCl), SHS mulching produced 53%-208% higher fruit yield and grain gains for tomato and barley. Thus, SHS could benefit agriculture and city-greening in arid regions.

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“…In this report, we focus on the application of beeswax due to its use as a waterproofing material and in slow-release fertilizers. , In addition, after evaluation of other waxes, such as candelilla and carnauba wax, beeswax provided a combination of the appropriate processing conditions, biodegradability, and mechanical properties for our application. Beeswax is composed primarily of wax esters, followed by hydrocarbons, and then by fatty acids. − Degradation of beeswax in soil has previously been investigated in the context of historical artifact and art preservation. − Due to the complex composition of beeswax, several modes of degradation have been hypothesized to explain the deterioration of both beeswax artifacts themselves and beeswax used to preserve damaged pieces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wax Blends as Tunable Encapsulants for Soil-Degradable Electronics

Atreya

Marinick

Baumbauer

et al. 2022

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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Printed biodegradable electronics potentially enable the monitoring of various soil parameters at a high spatial density while minimizing cost and waste. A tunable degradable encapsulant is a critical component in a soil-degradable electronic device, as it acts to delay the ingress of water, microbes, and other agents responsible for degradation of underlying functional materials. Here, blends of beeswax and commercial soy wax are presented as tunable biodegradable encapsulant materials for transient soil sensors. Using differential scanning calorimetry, we first show that the blends of the two waxes have limited miscibility, which enables programming of degradation times. Laboratory degradation tests in soil revealed that the longevity of encapsulated devices can be controlled by the ratio of the component soy and beeswax, with up to 100 days with 100% beeswax and less than 10 days with the addition of 25% soy wax by mass. Thicker coatings of 1.6 mm of 10% soy wax in beeswax blends are shown to protect devices for 12 weeks. Additionally, melt-processed beeswax encapsulants are used as a simple method to delay the degradation of otherwise rapidly biodegradable materials, such as wooden stakes, that could be used to house soil-degradable electronic devices.

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Wax Degrading Bacteria: Scope and Applications in Agriculture

Cited by 10 publications

References 47 publications

Contribution of insect gut microbiota and their associated enzymes in insect physiology and biodegradation of pesticides

Contribution of insect gut microbiota and their associated enzymes in insect physiology and biodegradation of pesticides

Nature-Inspired Superhydrophobic Sand Mulches Increase Agricultural Productivity and Water-Use Efficiency in Arid Regions

Wax Blends as Tunable Encapsulants for Soil-Degradable Electronics

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