Wood-decay fungi are characterized by ligninolytic and hydrolytic enzymes that act through non-specific oxidation and hydrolytic reactions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes from collected fungi and to analyze their growth on lignocellulosic material. The study considered 18 species isolated from collections made in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, identified by taxonomic and molecular techniques, finding 11 different families. The growth rates of each isolate were obtained in culture media with African palm husk (PH), coffee husk (CH), pine sawdust (PS), and glucose as control, measuring daily growth with images analyzed in ImageJ software, finding the highest growth rate in the CH medium. The potency index (PI) of cellulase, xylanase, and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities was determined, as well as the quantification of lignin peroxidase (LiP), with the strains Phlebiopsis flavidoalba TecNM-ITTG L20-19 and Phanerochaete sordida TecNM-ITTG L32-1-19 being the ones with the highest PI of hydrolase activities with 2.01 and 1.83 cellulase PI and 1.95 and 2.24 xylanase PI, respectively, while Phlebiopsis flavidoalba TecNM-ITTG L20-19 and Trametes sanguinea TecNM-ITTG L14-19 with 7115 U/L LiP activity had the highest oxidase activities, indicating their ability to oxidize complex molecules such as lignin.

Two series of imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) were tested as rheological modifiers of heavy crude oils. ILs with the 1-butyl-3-alkylimidazolium cation optimize the effect on viscosity at low concentrations, whereas those with the 1-benzyl-3-alkylimidazolium cation are similarly effective only at higher concentrations, which is due to a stronger IL–IL interaction with respect to the IL–asphaltene interaction. The most effective ILs were [C₆bim][PF₆], [phetbim][PF₆], and [C₉bim][NTf₂], with viscosity falling in the order of 44.0%, 38.2%, and 32.9%, respectively. An analysis of structural features suggests that the type of anion and the strength of the ion pair interaction play an important role in the capacity of the salts to interact with the crude oil components. In addition, computational methodologies, such as atoms in molecules and non-covalent interactions, were used to analyze the main intermolecular interactions between the most effective [C₆bim][PF₆] and two different substructures of an asphaltene model. According to these results, hydrogen bonding (F⋯H–C, F⋯H–N, and O⋯H–C), C–H–π, and van der Waals interactions contribute to the breaking up of the π–π stacking interactions between the complexes resulting from the self-association of the aromatic compounds; as a consequence, the crude oil viscosity decreases.

Fusarium are considered as the major plant pathogen fungi, that cause the majority of soil-borne diseases to more than 100 plant species in the world, including maize. Thus, there are emerging demands of biocontrol reagents, and Crotalaria longirostrata showed fungicidal activity. The C. longirostrata branch extract was phytochemically characterized and evaluated for efficacy for the control of Fusarium wilt in maize. The application of the extract reduced the percentage of disease incidence significantly caused by Fusarium verticillioides from 70.4% to 40.12% as compared to non-treated plants, and evenly the disease severity was reduced from 40.15% to 29.46%. The phytochemical components of the extract were cinnamic acids (caffeic acid and ferulic acid) and phenolic acid (gallic acid). Furthermore, multiple structures were detected through mass spectrometry such as: phenols, alkaloids, esters, terpene, ketones, and amides. The bioautography assay showed that to separate the compounds of C. longirostrata branch extract causes it’s the loss of fungicidal activity. This is due to the synergy or additive interactions of secondary metabolites present in the raw extract. Our results suggest that the application of C. longirostrata branch extract is a promising strategy to be applied to the soil as a preventive treatment.

Endosulfan lactone is a metabolite obtained from the biological oxidation of the insecticide endosulfan by action of the microorganisms present in the soil. This metabolite is more toxic and persistent than the parent compound. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to determine the presence of this metabolite in the soil. However, accessible methods for extraction of endosulfan lactone in soil were not found in published literature. For this reason, the aim of this study was to evaluate two conventional methods of liquid–solid extraction for the determination of endosulfan lactone in solid substrate using two solvents (ethyl acetate and acetonitrile) and HPLC UV-VIS. The acetonitrile and rotary agitation extraction method was the one with the highest efficiency (97%), optimized using a factorial 3² response surface design, and validated in terms of linearity and precision. The linearity shown was r > 0.999 in a wide spike level (0.15–100 mg kg⁻¹), with the detection limit (DL) of 0.045 mg kg⁻¹ and quantification limit (QL) of 0.15 mg kg⁻¹. The extraction of endosulfan lactone in solid substrate using acetonitrile was more efficient than that used with ethyl acetate, so this method could be used to extract and quantify endosulfan lactone in agricultural soil.

This study explores the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) residue as a reducing agent. The synthesis was optimized by analyzing the effects of pH, silver nitrate (AgNO₃) concentration, and extract-to-AgNO₃ ratios using a Taguchi L9 design. The highest yield theorist (72%) was achieved under the conditions of pH 10, 100 mM AgNO₃ concentration, and a 2:3 extract-to-AgNO₃ ratio. The synthesized Ag-NPs were characterized through UV–Vis (400–450 nm), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, 1370 cm^-1, attributed to the nitro group), dynamic light scattering (DLS, 10.07 nm average particle size with a hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) of 235.82 nm in a neutral pH), zeta potential (− 18.33 mV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Antimicrobial testing against Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed antibacterial activity, making these nanoparticles a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. Graphical Abstract