Chronic Toxicity of the Triazole Fungicide Tebuconazole on a Heterocystous, Nitrogen-Fixing Rice Paddy Field Cyanobacterium, Westiellopsis prolifica Janet

This study explored the chronic effects of different doses of the triazole fungicide tebuconazole on the growth, and metabolic and enzymatic functions of the filamentous paddy field cyanobacterium, Westiellopsis prolifica Janet. The growth of the cyanobacterium was determined by an estimation of the change in pigment contents. Chlorophyll-a, carotenoids, and accessory pigments such as phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and phycoerythrin were shown to decline over a 16-day period by a factor of 92%, 93%, 83%, 95%, and 100%, respectively, with increasing doses of the fungicide. Metabolic and enzymatic activities were also adversely affected. Over the 16 days, a gradual rise in total phenol content was recorded when Westiellopsis prolifica Janet was treated with 60 ppm of the fungicide, despite the reduction in carbohydrates, proteins, and amino acids by 96%, 92%, and 90%, respectively. Moreover, the enzymes nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) also registered reductions of 93%, 90%, and 98%, respectively. This study indicates that tebuconazole, although an important fungicide used extensively in rice fields, exhibits an inhibitory effect on the growth and metabolic activities of Westiellopsis prolifica Janet and hence possibly on other varieties as well.