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The Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) Tool Kit for Chemical Releases was used to develop Soil Screening Levels (SSLs) for contaminated sites assessment in Beijing. A total 88 contaminants, including inorganic compounds, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, pesticides, polybrominated biphenyls and others, were identified as the priority compounds of concern, and a range of exposure parameters, toxicological data and site factors based on the environmental monitoring data from several contaminated sites in Beijing, were used as model inputs to derive SSLs. The proposed SSLs were evaluated and validated by comparing with corresponding values in some other countries/regions. The present study has an important guiding significance for the development of risk-based SSLs in other provinces/cities of China.

The yellow peach moth (YPM), Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée), is a multivoltine insect pest of crops and fruits. Antennal-expressed receptors are important for insects to detect olfactory cues for host finding, mate attraction and oviposition site selection. However, few olfactory related genes were reported in YPM until now. In the present study, we sequenced and characterized the antennal transcriptomes of male and female YPM. In total, 15 putative odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 46 putative odorant receptors (ORs) and 7 putative ionotropic receptors (IRs) were annotated and identified as olfactory-related genes of C. punctiferalis. Further analysis of RT-qPCR revealed that all these olfactory genes are primarily or uniquely expressed in male and female antennae. Among which, 3 OBPs (OBP4, OBP8 and PBP2) and 4 ORs (OR22, OR26, OR44 and OR46) were specially expressed in male antennae, whereas 4 ORs (OR5, OR16, OR25 and OR42) were primarily expressed in female antennae. The predicted protein sequences were compared with homologs in other lepidopteran species and model insects, which showed high sequence homologies between C. punctiferalis and O. furnacalis. Our work allows for further functional studies of pheromone and general odorant detection genes, which might be meaningful targets for pest management.

Soil remediation technology screening is an important procedure in the supervision of contaminated sites. The efficiency and costs of contaminated site remediation will be directly affected by the applicability of soil remediation technology. The influencing factors include characteristics of contaminants, site conditions, remediation time and costs should be considered to determine the most applicable remediation technology. The remediation technology screening was commonly evaluated by the experienced expert in China, which limited the promotion and application of the decision making method. Based on the supervision requirements of contaminated sites and the research status at home and abroad, the screening method includes preliminary screening and explicit evaluation was suggested in this paper. The screening index system was constructed, and the extension theory was used to divide the technology grade. The extension theory could solve the problem of human interference in the evaluation process and index value assignment. A chromium residue contaminated site in China was selected as the study area, and the applicable remediation technologies were suggested by the screening method. The research results could provide a scientific and technological support for the supervision and management of contaminated sites in China.

The adsorption of p,p’-DDT onto expanded graphite (EG) in aqueous solutions was investigated under varying conditions of p,p’-DDT concentrations, adsorbent doses, pH, and contact time. The removal efficiency of p,p’-DDT from the aqueous solutions remained constant in a range of pH 2 to 10, and the thermodynamic data followed the type II adsorption isotherm characterized by a spontaneous process. At lower concentrations, adsorption equilibrium of p,p’-DDT onto EG was fitted to Freundlich isotherm. Dynamic modeling of the adsorption showed that the first order reversible kinetic model was held for the adsorption process within the range of experimental concentration. It was suggested that expanded graphite can be used for efficient removal of p,p’-DDT from water and wastewater.

Campoletis chlorideae Uchida (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a major larval endoparasitoid of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also attacks many other noctuid caterpillars. We investigated the attractiveness of H. armigera- and Pseudaletia separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)-infested maize [Zea mays L. (Poaceae)] plants to C. chlorideae, and analyzed the volatiles emitted from infested plants and undamaged plants. Considering the reported specific induction of plant volatiles by elicitors in the caterpillar regurgitant, we also tested the response of the parasitoid to mechanically damaged plants treated with caterpillar regurgitant or water and measured the volatiles released by these plants. In wind-tunnel bioassays, C. chlorideae was strongly attracted to herbivore-induced maize volatiles. Mechanically damaged plants, whether they were treated with caterpillar regurgitant or water, were more attractive to the parasitoid than undamaged plants. The parasitoid did not distinguish between maize seedlings infested by the two noctuid insects, nor did they show a difference in attraction to mechanically damaged plants treated with caterpillar regurgitant or water. Coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis revealed that 15 compounds were commonly emitted by herbivore-infested and mechanically damaged maize plants, whereas only two compounds were released in minor amounts from undamaged plants. Infestation by H. armigera specifically induced four terpenoids, β-pinene, β-myrcene, D-limonene, and (E)-nerolidol, which were not induced by infestation of P. separata and mechanical damage, plus caterpillar regurgitant or water. Two compounds, geranyl acetate and β-sesquiphellandrene, were also induced by the infestation of H. armigera, but not by the infestation of P. separata. All treated maize plants released volatiles in significantly larger total amounts than did undamaged plants. Maize plants infested by H. armigera emitted greater amounts of volatiles than plants infested by P. separata. The treatment with caterpillar regurgitant resulted in larger amounts of volatile emission than the treatment with water did in mechanically damaged plants. The amounts of emissions of individual compounds were also different between differently treated plants.

Groundwater is the main source of water supply in China, and China's overall situation of groundwater pollution is not optimistic at present. Groundwater pollution risk evaluation and early-warning are the effective measures to prevent groundwater pollution. At present, research of groundwater early-warning method at home and abroad is still at the exploratory stage, and the sophisticated technology has not been developed for reference. This paper briefly described the data and technological demand of the early-warning method in different scales, and the main factors influencing the early-warning results of groundwater pollution were classified as protection performance of geological medium, characteristics of pollution sources, groundwater dynamics and groundwater value. Then the main early-warning indexes of groundwater pollution were screened to establish the early-warning model of regional or watershed scale by the index overlay method. At last, the established early-warning model was used in Baotou plain, and the different early-warning grades were zoned by the model. The research results could provide scientific support for the local management department to protect the groundwater resources.

Five new compounds were tested on the growth and antifeeding activity compared with toosendanin against fifth instar larvae Ostrinia furnacalis. The activities of two proteases, a weak alkaline trypsine-like enzyme and a chymotrypsin-like enzyme, in the midgut of Ostrinia furnacalis larvae were also measured. Experimental results suggest that when incorporated into an artificial diet at the concentration of 500mg/kg, the antifeeding activities of toosendanin, C19, C23, C24, C26, C28 were 51.16%, 57.61%, 4.28%, 51.08%, 36.73% and 51.67%, respectively, C19, C24, C28 had no significant difference with toosendanin. At 20mg/kg, the larval growth were remarkably suppressed by C19, C26, C28, the inhibition of C28 was close to toosendanin in 48 h. The two proteases were activated by toosendanin and C28 while they were inhibited in 48 h but activated in 24 h by C19, C24 and C26. In this paper, the related functions and mechanisms were discussed.

Since the 1990s, most developed countries have issued the risk-based environmental standards or criteria for soil, as well as corresponding technical background documents, this provides methodological references for developing soil environmental standards and criteria in developing countries. However, because of the variability in legislation frameworks, derivation procedures of criteria, environmental conditions and climates, soil types, and habits and customs among countries, there are great differences in the names, roles and values of soil standards and criteria. This paper presents the scientific basis and fundamental features of soil environmental criteria. The definitions, functions and values of the soil environmental criteria in different countries were compared and analyzed. Key technologies for the development of soil environmental criteria and critical influence factors were summarized and analyzed, with special respect to the classification of land use types, setting of exposure scenarios and pathways, selection of acceptable risk levels for carcinogens, and the determination of exposure parameters. Strategies and countermeasures for the development of local or regional soil environmental criteria in China were proposed by referring to international experiences, and the current difficulties and challenges faced by China in the development of soil environmental criteria were discussed and addressed.

Suitability of plant tissues as food for insects varies from plant to plant. In lepidopteran insects, fitness is largely dependent on the host-finding ability of the females. Existing studies have suggested that polyphagous lepidopterans preferentially select certain host plant species for oviposition. However, the mechanisms for host recognition and selection have not been fully elucidated. For the polyphagous yellow peach moth Conogethes punctiferalis, we explored the effect of chestnut cultivar on the performance and fitness and addressed the mechanisms of plant-volatile-mediated host recognition. By carrying out laboratory experiments and field investigation on four chestnut Castanea mollissima cultivars (Huaihuang, Huaijiu, Yanhong, and Shisheng), we found that C. punctiferalis females preferentially select Huaijiu for oviposition and infestation, and caterpillars fed on Huaijiu achieved slightly greater fitness than those fed on the other three chestnut cultivars, indicating that Huaijiu was a better suitable host for C. punctiferalis. Plant volatiles played important roles in host recognition by C. punctiferalis. All seven chestnut volatile compounds, α-pinene, camphene, β-thujene, β-pinene, eucalyptol, 3-carene, and nonanal, could trigger EAG responses in C. punctiferalis. The ubiquitous plant terpenoids, α-pinene, camphene and β-pinene, and their specific combination at concentrations and proportions similar to the emissions from the four chestnut cultivars, was sufficient to elicit host recognition behavior of female C. punctiferalis. Nonanal and a mixture containing nonanal, that mimicked the emission of C. punctiferalis infested chestnut fruits, caused avoidance response. The outcome demonstrates the effects of chestnut cultivars on the performance of C. punctiferalis and reveals the preference-performance relationship between C. punctiferalis adults and their offspring. The observed olfactory plasticity in the plant-volatile-mediated host recognition may be important for the forming of the relationship between yellow peach moth and chestnuts since it allows the polyphagous herbivores to adjust to variation in volatile emission from their host plants.

Laboratory investigations were conducted to test the toxicity of aged petroleum sludge collected from Shengli Oil Field, the second largest oilfield in China, to earthworm Eisenia fetida. Various end points were measured in the earthworms, including mortality, growth, cocoon output, juvenile production, and avoidance behavioral response, to determine their comparative sensitivity for assessing harmful effects of petroleum-hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. The results showed that all these assays responded in a concentration-dependent manner, and two chronic end points, juvenile production and cocoon output, as well as avoidance behavioral response appeared to be sensitive end points for detecting toxicity of petroleum-hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. Comparatively, juvenile production exhibited similar sensitivity to avoidance behavior response, both of which were more sensitive than cocoon output, while mortality and adult growth were proposed as the least sensitive parameters. It was suggested that large amounts of petroleum sludge deposited in Shengli Oil Field may pose a potential threat to the local ecosystem, and the utility of multiple effects-based end points in earthworm E. fetida is useful to facilitate ecological risk assessments in hydrocarbon-contaminated sites.

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs), generally occurring C6 alcohols, aldehydes and acetates from plants, play an important role in plant-plant communication. These compounds induce intact plants to produce jasmonic acid, and induce defense-related gene expression and the release of volatile compounds. Here, we address wound-induced GLVs cause the release of acetylated derivatives and a terpenoid, (E)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene (DMNT) in intact maize, which may be a type of plant-plant interaction mediated by airborne GLVs. Upon exposure of intact maize seedlings to wound-induced GLVs, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate was consistently the most abundant compound released. Exogenous application of individual alcohols and aldehydes mostly resulted in the release of corresponding acetate esters. C6-alcohols with a double bond between the second and third, or the third and fourth carbon atoms, C5- or C6-aldehydes, and (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate triggered the release of DMNT. When (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and hexyl acetate were used to treat maize seedlings, they were recovered from the plants. These data demonstrated that: (1) apart from direct adsorption and re-release of acetate esters, absorption and conversion of exogenous alcohols and aldehydes into acetate esters occurred, and (2) DMNT was induced by a range of aldehydes and unsaturated alcohols.