Prof. Benny Chefetz, Dr. Shay Covo

Thiabendazole is a fungicide that is used to preserve fresh and packaged food. Although it is not applied to agriculture fields Israel, it has been detected in many agricultural plots across the country. It is suggested that Thiabendazole is introduced to arable land via the vast use of reclaimed wastewater in agriculture. In this project we aim to study the effect of Thiabendazole on the agroecology and specifically the fungal community in soils irrigated with reclaimed wastewater. Since at low doses Thiabendazole is a mutagen its release to the environment can also cause the emergence of fungal isolates that threaten human and environmental health.