Fecha de publicación: 28/11/2024 Fuente: PubMed "apis mellifera" Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 27;957:177691. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177691. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEnvironmental safety assessments are crucial in the research and application of new pesticides. Cuminum cyminum is a widely cultivated crop rich in the antifungal compound cumic acid, which potential can be developed into a new type of botanical fungicide. This study presents an environmental safety assessment of Cuminum cyminum extract and its bioactive component, cumic acid, as prospective agents for botanical fungicides. Evaluation of their toxicity to non-target organisms showed a low impact on silkworms, fish, earthworms, tadpoles, and crops, but moderate toxicity to quails and bees. In addition, adsorption and leaching analyses showed that cumic acid has a strong affinity for soil, resulting in high pesticide concentrations in the topsoil layers and a low leaching tendency. The degradation rate of cumic acid in diverse agricultural soils was rapid, with half-lives ranging from 4.05 to 5.09 days, indicating a low potential for environmental accumulation. Degradation and photolysis studies also showed that cumaric acid did not accumulate readily in the environment. These comprehensive findings highlight the safety and agricultural potential of cumic acid-based products, with implications for the advancement of eco-friendly botanical fungicides derived from cumin extracts.PMID:39608254 | DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177691