Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions. Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid rain has a pH level lower than this and ranges from 4–5 on average. The more acidic the acid rain is, the lower its pH is. Acid rain can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.
Pythium is a genus of parasitic oomycetes. They were formerly classified as fungi. Most species are plant parasites, but Pythium insidiosum is an important pathogen of animals, causing pythiosis. The feet of the fungus gnat are frequently a vector for their transmission.
Metalaxyl is an acylalanine fungicide with systemic function. Its chemical name is methyl N-(methoxyacetyl)-N-(2,6-xylyl)-DL-alaninate. It can be used to control Pythium in a number of vegetable crops, and Phytophthora in peas. Metalaxyl-M is the ISO common name and Ridomil Gold is the trade name for the optically pure (-) / D / R active stereoisomer, which is also known as mefenoxam.
Soil acidification is the buildup of hydrogen cations, which reduces the soil pH. Chemically, this happens when a proton donor gets added to the soil. The donor can be an acid, such as nitric acid, sulfuric acid, or carbonic acid. It can also be a compound such as aluminium sulfate, which reacts in the soil to release protons. Acidification also occurs when base cations such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium are leached from the soil.
Environmental soil science is the study of the interaction of humans with the pedosphere as well as critical aspects of the biosphere, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. Environmental soil science addresses both the fundamental and applied aspects of the field including: buffers and surface water quality, vadose zone functions, septic drain field site assessment and function, land treatment of wastewater, stormwater, erosion control, soil contamination with metals and pesticides, remediation of contaminated soils, restoration of wetlands, soil degradation, nutrient management, movement of viruses and bacteria in soils and waters, bioremediation, application of molecular biology and genetic engineering to development of soil microbes that can degrade hazardous pollutants, land use, global warming, acid rain, and the study of anthropogenic soils, such as terra preta. Much of the research done in environmental soil science is produced through the use of models.
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a species of bacterium in the genus Bacillus that is the source of the BamHI restriction enzyme. It also synthesizes a natural antibiotic protein barnase, a widely studied ribonuclease that forms a famously tight complex with its intracellular inhibitor barstar, and plantazolicin, an antibiotic with selective activity against Bacillus anthracis.
Mortierella species are soil fungi belonging to the order Mortierellales within the subphylum Mortierellomycotina. The widespread genus contains about 85 species.
Pythium ultimum is a plant pathogen. It causes damping off and root rot diseases of hundreds of diverse plant hosts including corn, soybean, potato, wheat, fir, and many ornamental species. P. ultimum belongs to the peronosporalean lineage of oomycetes, along with other important plant pathogens such as Phytophthora spp. and many genera of downy mildews. P. ultimum is a frequent inhabitant of fields, freshwater ponds, and decomposing vegetation in most areas of the world. Contributing to the widespread distribution and persistence of P. ultimum is its ability to grow saprotrophically in soil and plant residue. This trait is also exhibited by most Pythium spp. but not by the related Phytophthora spp., which can only colonize living plant hosts.
Pythium aphanidermatum is a soil borne plant pathogen. Pythium is a genus in the class Oomycetes, which are also known as water molds. Oomycetes are not true fungi, as their cell walls are made of cellulose instead of chitin, they are diploid in their vegetative state, and they form coenocytic hyphae. Also, they reproduce asexually with motile biflagelette zoospores that require water to move towards and infect a host. Sexually, they reproduce with structures called antheridia, oogonia, and oospores.
Pythium graminicola is a plant pathogen infecting cereals.
Pythium myriotylum is a soil-borne oomycete necrotroph that has a broad host range, this means that it can infect a wide range of plants.
Pythium volutum is a plant pathogen infecting wheat, barley, and turfgrass. It is known to be sensitive to some of the compounds typically present in selective media commonly used for isolating Pythium spp., so isolation may require alternative methods.
Pythium dissotocum is a plant pathogen infecting strawberry and rice.
Pythium spinosum is a plant pathogen infecting a wide variety of crops. Hosts observed to be infected include rice in Taiwan, Primula, Impatiens, soil in Florida, Cucumis melo in South Korea, and soybeans in Arkansas USA, China, and Indiana USA.
Pythium sulcatum is a chromalveolate plant pathogen infecting carrots. Because this organism was once thought to be a type of fungus, it is still often treated as such.
Pythium violae is a plant pathogen infecting carrots. It is a soil-borne oomycete that causes the cavity spot disease of carrots. Pythium sulcatum also causes a less serious form of this disease. Pythium violae causes elliptical shaped brown lesions surrounded by a thin yellow halo on the surface of the taproot. These lesions cause a blemished aesthetic appearance on the carrot, reducing their market value while maintaining yield. The lesions are, on average, less than half an inch in diameter and appear near harvest, but can grow as the carrot matures and grow larger on processing varieties of carrots. Low density hyphae are present in early formation of the lesions, but there is little to no presence of Pythium violae spores in the mature lesions making it difficult to diagnose in the field. This disease can be instigated by excessive rainfall, poor soil drainage, cool temperatures, and low Soil pH. Pythium violae has been shown to infect and produce similar necrotic lesions on other hosts such as alfalfa, wheat, and broccoli. However, no economic loss has been reported from these alternate host infections.
The laimosphere is the microbiologically enriched zone of soil that surrounds below-ground portions of plant stems; the laimosphere is analogous to the rhizosphere and spermosphere. The combining form laim- from laimos denotes a connecting organ (neck) while -sphere indicates a zone of influence. Topographically, the laimosphere includes the soil around any portion of subterranean plant organs other than roots where exuded nutrients stimulate microbial activities. Subterranean plant organs with a laimosphere include hypocotyls, epicotyls, stems, stolons, corms, bulbs, and leaves. Propagules of soil-borne plant pathogens, whose germination is stimulated by a plant exudates in the laimosphere, can initiate hypocotyl and stem rots leading to "damping-off". Pathogens commonly found to cause such diseases are species of Fusarium, Phoma, Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia and Sclerotinia.
Leaching is the process of a solute becoming detached or extracted from its carrier substance by way of a solvent.
Pythium insidiosum is a species of Pythium and a member of the class oomycota. Pythium insidiosum is mainly found in standing water and occasionally soil. Unlike most Pythium species, which are generally pathogens of terrestrial plants, Pythium insidiosum is a pathogen of mammals. It causes pythiosis, mainly in horses, dogs, and humans. It can also cause disease in cats. It is a non-transmissible disease and occurs mainly in tropical climate, endemic to Thailand, affecting mainly humans and horses and in Brazil, affecting mainly horses. Infection can occur in healthy mammals. The pathogen is well-adapted to mammalian body temperature, with an optimum temperature for growth of 34–36 °C (93–97 °F).
