• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, October 4, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Plant probe could help estimate bee exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
July 17, 2019
in Biology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Bee populations are declining, and neonicotinoid pesticides continue to be investigated — and in some cases banned — because of their suspected role as a contributing factor. However, limitations in sampling and analytical techniques have prevented a full understanding of the connection. Now, researchers describe in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology a new approach to sample neonicotinoids and other pesticides in plants, which could explain how bees are exposed to the substances.

Neonicotinoids are water-soluble insecticides that are applied to seeds or foliage. But non-target organisms such as pollinating bees can also be exposed to the substances, mainly through residues in nectar and pollen of flowering plants, which bees use to make honey. Most studies to-date have relied on correlating the presence of neonicotinoid residues in plant samples with bee declines. A few studies have measured total neonicotinoids in plants but laborious methods were used. Jay Gan and colleagues wanted to develop a simpler, more direct way to monitor neonicotinoids in living plants that would capture spatial and temporal movement of the insecticides.

The researchers developed a new type of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) probe, a device that can track concentration changes over time in biological systems. SPME probes use a fiber coated with a liquid or solid to quickly extract analytes from a sample. The team developed an SPME probe that they inserted into plants through a needle, allowing repeated sampling of seven neonicotinoids in plant sap. The method was demonstrated in lettuce and soybean plants, with each sampling taking only 20 minutes. The analytes were then recovered from the probe and analyzed. This procedure allowed the researchers to quantify neonicotinoids in plants and study their movement and distribution throughout the plants over time. This method could be used to monitor movement of pesticides into flowers, nectar and pollen to pinpoint where and when maximal pesticide exposure occurs for bees and other pollinators, the researchers note.

###

The authors acknowledge funding from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Chinese Scholarship Council.

The paper’s abstract will be available on July 17 at 8 a.m. Eastern time here:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b01682.

For more research news, journalists and public information officers are encouraged to apply for complimentary press registration for the ACS fall 2019 national meeting in San Diego.

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact [email protected].

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook

Media Contact
Katie Cottingham
[email protected]

Tags: Agricultural Production/EconomicsAgricultureChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesEntomologyFertilizers/Pest ManagementPopulation Biology
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Revolutionary Graph Network Enhances Protein Interaction Prediction

October 4, 2025
DOG Gene Family in Wheat Drives Seed Dormancy

DOG Gene Family in Wheat Drives Seed Dormancy

October 4, 2025

Discovery of MrSTP20: Sugar Transporter in Salt Stress

October 4, 2025

SNARE Neofunctionalization Driven by Vacuole Retrieval

October 4, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    93 shares
    Share 37 Tweet 23
  • New Study Indicates Children’s Risk of Long COVID Could Double Following a Second Infection – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

    90 shares
    Share 36 Tweet 23
  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    75 shares
    Share 30 Tweet 19
  • New Insights Suggest ALS May Be an Autoimmune Disease

    69 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 17

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Carers in Australia: Blessings and Challenges Explored

Gut Microbiome and Hormones in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer

Herbal Remedies for Hypertension: Insights from Trinidad

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Success! An email was just sent to confirm your subscription. Please find the email now and click 'Confirm' to start subscribing.

Join 62 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.