Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Impact of Drip Irrigation Method, Soil, and Virus Type on Tomato and Cucumber Contamination

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Food and Environmental Virology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The goal of this study was to better quantify the degree of viral contamination of tomato and cucumber in relationship to virus type, soil type, and irrigation method. Tomatoes and cucumbers were grown in ten-gallon (37.8 L) buckets filled with Pima clay loam or Brazito sandy loam soils. Plants were irrigated with secondary wastewater effluent using surface drip irrigation or subsurface drip irrigation. At specified time intervals irrigation water was seeded with bacteriophages MS-2 and P22, poliovirus type 1 (PV1), enteric adenovirus 40 (Ead 40), and hepatitis A virus. Surface drip irrigation always resulted in viral contamination of both the above and below ground parts of both crops. The roots showed the greatest level of contamination, followed by leaves and fruits. In contrast, with subsurface drip irrigation no viruses were detected in any of the above ground plant surfaces. It was found that under similar soil type and irrigation method, risk of crop contamination was similar for all of the viruses studied. It can be concluded that method of irrigation is the single most critical factor in the contamination trend of different parts of crop plants. Plant parts can be categorized into three groups (root, stem, and leaf/fruit) based on the risk of viral contamination from irrigation water.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbaszadegan, M., Monteiro, P., Nwachuku, N., Alum, A., & Ryu, H. (2008). Removal of adenovirus, calicivirus, and bacteriophages by conventional drinking water treatment. Journal of Environmental Science and Health A, 43, 171–177.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Assadian, N. W., Di Giovanni, G. D., Enciso, J., Iglesias, J., & Lindemann, W. (2005). The transport of waterborne solutes and bacteriophage in soil subirrigated with a wastewater blend. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 111, 279–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bei, W., & Xiuzhu, C. (1997). The molecular epidemiological study on enteric adenovirus in stool specimens collected from Wuhan area by using digoxigenin labeled DNA probes. Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Medical Sciences, 17(2), 79–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • CAES. (2009). Commercial Production and Management of Squash and Cucumbers, Bulletin 1178, University of Georgia. Retrieved May 4, 2011. http://www.caes.uga.edu/Publications/displayHTML.cfm?pk_id=6277.

  • Cheong, S., Lee, C., Song, S. W., Choi, W. C., Lee, C. H., & Kim, S. (2009). Enteric viruses in raw vegetables and groundwater used for irrigation in South Korea. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75, 7745–7751.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, C., Song, I., Stine, S., Pimentel, J., & Gerba, C. P. (2004). Role of irrigation and wastewater reuse: Comparison of subsurface irrigation and furrow irrigation. Water Science and Technology, 50, 61–68.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Economic Research Service. (2004). Vegetables and Melons Yearbook 2004. USDA, Washington, DC. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/data-sets/specialty/89011/.

  • Enriquez, C., Alum, A., Suarez-Rey, E. M., Choi, C. Y., Oron, G., & Gerba, C. P. (2003). Bacteriophages MS2 and PRD1 in turfgrass by subsurface drip irrigation. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 129, 852–857.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • FDA. (2011). Food and Drug Administration—Recalls/Safety Alerts. http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/StayInformed/RSSFeeds/Recalls/rss.xml.

  • Gerba, C., & Choi, C. Y. (2006). Role of irrigation water in crop contamination by viruses. In S. M. Goyal (Ed.), Viruses in foods (pp. 257–263). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gerba, C. P., & Lance, J. C. (1978). Poliovirus removal from primary and secondary sewage effluent by soil filtration. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 36, 247–251.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, A. J., Stagnitti, F., Premier, R., Boland, A., & Hale, G. (2006). Quantitative microbial risk assessment models for consumption of raw vegetables irrigated with reclaimed water. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 72, 3284–3290.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, C. J., William, H. B., & Kim, A. M. (1988). Suppression of viral replication by guanidine: A comparison of human adenoviruses and enteroviruses. Journal of Virological Methods, 22, 1–11.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jimenez, B., Drechsel, P., Kone, D., Bahri, A., Raschid-Sally, L., & Qadir, M. (2010). Wastewater, sludge and excreta use in developing countries: An overview. In C. Drechsel, A. Scott, L. Raschid-Sally, M. Redwood, & A. Bahri (Eds.), Wastewater irrigation and health (pp. 3–27). London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kott, H., & Lea, F. (1974). Survival of enteroviruses on vegetables irrigated with chlorinated oxidation pond effluents. Israel Journal of Technology, 12, 290–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mara, D. D., Sleigh, P. A., Blumenthal, U. J., & Carr, R. M. (2007). Health risks in wastewater irrigation: Comparing estimates from quantitative microbial risk analysis and epidemiological studies. Journal of Water and Health, 5, 39–50.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oron, G., De Malach, Y., Hoffman, Z., Keren, Y., Hartman, H., & Plazner, N. (1991). Wastewater disposal by subsurface trickle irrigation. Water Science and Technology, 23, 2149–2158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oron, G., Geomana, M., Manor, Y., & Feyen, F. (1995). Poliovirus distribution in soil-plant system under reuse of secondary wastewater. Water Research, 29, 1069–1078.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Petterson, S. R., & Ashbolt, N. (2001). Viral risks associated with wastewater reuse: Modeling virus persistence on wastewater irrigated salad crops. Environmental Science and Technology, 43, 23–26.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Petterson, S. R., Ashbolt, N., & Sharma, A. (2001). Microbial risks from wastewater irrigation of salad crops: A screening-level risk assessment. Water Environmental Research, 73, 667–672.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sadovski, A. Y., Fattal, B., Goldberg, D., Katzenelson, E., & Shuval, H. I. (1978). High levels of microbial contamination of vegetables irrigated with wastewater by the drip method. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 36, 824–830.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shuval, H. L., Lampert, Y., & Fattal, R. (1997). Development of a risk assessment approach for evaluating wastewater reuse standards for agriculture. Water Science and Technology, 35, 15–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, E. B., Yaron, S., & Matthews, K. R. (2002). Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from contaminated manure and irrigation water to lettuce plant tissue and its subsequent internalization. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 68, 397–400.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song, I., Scott, S. W., Choi, C. Y., & Gerba, C. P. (2006). Comparison of crop contamination by microorganisms during subsurface drip and furrow irrigation. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 132, 1243–1248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, J. T., Sullivan, R., & Larkin, E. P. (1977). Persistence of poliovirus 1 in soil and on vegetables grown in soil previously flooded with inoculated sewage sludge or effluent. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 33, 109–113.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Urbanucci, A., Myrmel, M., Berg, I., von Bonsdorff, C. H., & Maunula, L. (2009). Potential internalization of caliciviruses in lettuce. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 135, 175–178.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Villar, L. M., De Paula, V. S., & Gaspar, A. M. (2002). Seasonal variation of hepatitis A virus infection in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo, 44(5), 289–292.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, B. K., & Irving, L. G. (1987). Virus survival on vegetables spray-irrigated with wastewater. Water Research, 21, 57–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, J., Jin, Y., Sims, T., & Kniel, K. E. (2010). Survival of murine norovirus and hepatitis A virus in different types of manure and biosolids. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 7, 901–906.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, J., Jin, Y., Sims, T., & Kniel, K. E. (2011). Internalization of Murine Norovirus 1 by Lactuca sativa during irrigation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 77, 2508–2512.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant from the United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund. Technical assistance in data analyses was provided by Mohammad Torabi, Research Computing Support Consultant at Center for Computing & Information Technology (CCIT), University of Arizona.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Absar Alum

  2. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Carlos Enriquez & Charles P. Gerba

Authors
  1. Absar Alum
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Carlos Enriquez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Charles P. Gerba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Absar Alum.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alum, A., Enriquez, C. & Gerba, C.P. Impact of Drip Irrigation Method, Soil, and Virus Type on Tomato and Cucumber Contamination. Food Environ Virol 3, 78–85 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-011-9060-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12560-011-9060-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation