Marsh Bulletin

This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of isolates of Pleurotus ostreatus and Trichoderma harzianum to the antagonistic activity of eight fungi isolated and identified from a wastewater treatment plant in Al-Najaf. Eight fungal isolates were identified based on their morphological features. These results indicate that the following fungi are common: Acremonium sp., Alteraria alternatie, Aspergillus terrus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus oryza, and Aspergillus caespitosis. Through dual cultivation on Petri plates and PDA medium, this study demonstrated the significant antagonistic capability of Pleurotus ostreatus and Trichoderma harzianum against isolated filamentous and pathogenic fungi. It also showed a significant variance in the inhibitory spectrum of the biocontrol fungus against pathogenic fungi isolated from wastewater and effluents. Upon diagnosis, it was found to be at the (1 and 2) degrees on the five-degree Bell scale. Additionally, the weight of the fungal mass increased significantly after 21 days of cultivation of both harmful and biocontrol fungi. This suggests that Pleurotus ostreatus and Trichoderma harzianum both have significant antagonistic potential against filamentous and pathogenic fungi during dual growth on the PDB culture medium. There were also notable differences in the biomass weights. After 21 days of culture, the weights of P. ostreatus were 4.54, 4.69, 4.87, 4.88, 4.96, 5.12, 5.23, and 5.43 g, and 3.22 and 4.10 g for the control. T. harzianum generated eight isolates, and their weights were 3.55, 4.67, 4.77, 4.85, and 4.98 g respectively.

This study was conducted to evaluate the sediment quality of the Main Outfall Drain (MOD) River and Al-Sanaf marsh in southern Iraq by measuring (Mn+2, Ni+2, Pb+2, Fe+2, Cr+3, Zn+2, Cd+2, and Cu+2) and application some indices like Contamination factor (Cf), Modified contamination degree (mCd), Metal index (MI) in the sediments. Sediment samples were collected from 3 locations in 2022. The results revealed that the heavy metal concentrations in the MOD and Al-Sanaf Marsh were Fe+2 (5324.90 mg.kg-1), Mn+2 (663.81 mg.kg-1), Ni+2 (227.41 mg.kg-1), Zn+2 (153.03 mg.kg-1), Pb+2 (113.70 mg.kg-1), Cu+2 (88.68 mg.kg-1), Cr+3 (18.99 mg.kg-1) and Cd+2 (14.02 mg.kg-1). Fe+2 has the highest level in sediments. The average Cf values were in sequence: Fe> Cd > Mn> Ni >Pb>Cu> Zn>Cr. The values of the degree of contamination of the heavy metals showed that all the sites had a high degree of contamination, and mCd was over 3. The altered contamination degree (mCd) of Cr and Zn+2 was less than 1.5, and that is why the contamination of the sediment is insignificant. On the contrary, Cu+2 and Pb had moderate contamination, Ni+2 had extreme contamination, and both Mn+2 and Cd had an extremely high degree of contamination in the sediments. Fe+2 registered a supreme level of pollution. High concentration of Fe+2 in the sediments could be related to the extreme weathering and erosion of the parent soil, where most of the Fe+2 is obtained and then carried by the streams. The spatial values of modified contamination degree (mCd) for heavy metals revealed that the upper reaches of the MOD (site1 and site2) had the higher metal content in sediments which were located near Al-Nassiriya City, this may be closely related to the concentration of industries near the MOD Basin near the city, in contrast, the site 3 (in Al-Sanaf marsh) was less influential than these sources. According to metal index findings, all selected sites fell into the “threshold of warning” category (MI > 1). The metal content in the aquatic environment in the southern part of Iraq is significantly high, which was related to the more effluents from agricultural, residential, and industrial activities, and it was discharged along the main outfall drain basin. The results provide invaluable information to policy-makers as they allow the development and implementation of evidence-based sustainable management measures that will reduce the likelihood of further trace-metal contamination of the studied location in the future.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent environmental pollutants with carcinogenic and mutagenic properties, and often enter the food chain through contaminated soil and crops. This study examined the distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in wheat and barley crops grown at three stations in Al-Qurna District, north of Basra Governorate. The first station was Nahr Al-Ezz, the second station was Al-Turaba, and the third station was Umm Al-Shuwaij. The results showed the presence of different concentrations of total PAHs in wheat and barley crops at all study stations, as follows: the first station was 0.0738 and 0.1012, the second station was 0.0220 and 0.1070, and the third station was 0.1341 and 0.1400, respectively. When comparing the pollution levels and sources with global data, the third station recorded the highest level of pollution. Significant similarities were found between the PAH content in the two crops and the dispersion patterns. When analyzing wheat and barley samples from three stations for PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene and other hazardous PAHs were present in varying quantities. Despite differences in the concentration levels and distributions of the compounds, the data show that PAH contamination is present in both crops.