Soil pH is a key determinant of soil fungal community composition in the Ny-Ålesund Region, Svalbard (High Arctic

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Tao eZhang

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This study assessed the fungal community composition and its relationships with properties of surface soils in the Ny-Ålesund Region (Svalbard, High Arctic. A total of thirteen soil samples were collected and soil fungal community was analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing with fungi-specific primers targeting the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS region. The following eight soil properties were analyzed: pH, organic carbon (C, organic nitrogen (N, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N, silicate silicon (SiO42--Si, nitrite nitrogen (NO2--N, phosphate phosphorus (PO43--P and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N. A total of 57,952 reads belonging to 541 operational taxonomic units (OTUs were found. Of these OTUs, 343 belonged to Ascomycota, 100 to Basidiomycota, 31 to Chytridiomycota, 22 to Glomeromycota, 11 to Zygomycota, 10 to Rozellomycota, whereas 24 belonged to unknown fungi. The dominant orders were Helotiales, Verrucariales, Agaricales, Lecanorales, Chaetothyriales, Lecideales, and Capnodiales. The common genera (>8 soil samples were Tetracladium, Mortierella, Fusarium, Cortinarius, and Atla. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-rda and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM revealed that soil pH (p=0.001 was the most significant factor in determining the soil fungal community composition. Members of Verrucariales were found to predominate in soils of pH 8-9, whereas Sordariales predominated in soils of pH 7-8 and Coniochaetales predominated in soil samples of pH 6-7. The results suggest the presence and distribution of diverse soil fungal communities in the High Arctic, which can provide reliable data for studying the ecological responses of soil fungal communities to climate changes in the Arctic.

Effects of sodium hypochlorite and high pH buffer solution in electrokinetic soil treatment on soil chromium removal and the functional diversity of soil microbial community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cang Long; Zhou Dongmei; Alshawabkeh, Akram N.; Chen Haifeng

2007-01-01

Effects of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), applied as an oxidant in catholyte, and high pH buffer solution on soil Cr removal and the functional diversity of soil microbial community during enhanced electrokinetic treatments of a chromium (Cr) contaminated red soil are evaluated. Using pH control system to maintain high alkalinity of soil together with the use of NaClO increased the electrical conductivities of soil pore liquid and electroosmotic flux compared with the control (Exp-01). The pH control and NaClO improved the removal of Cr(VI) and total Cr from the soil. The highest removal percentages of soil Cr(VI) and total Cr were 96 and 72%, respectively, in Exp-04 when the pH value of the anolyte was controlled at 10 and NaClO was added in the catholyte. The alkaline soil environment and introduction of NaClO in the soil enhanced the desorption of Cr(VI) from the soil and promoted Cr(III) oxidation to mobile Cr(VI), respectively. However, the elevated pH and introduction of NaClO in the soil, which are necessary for improving the removal efficiency of soil Cr, resulted in a significantly adverse impact on the functional diversity of soil microbial community. It suggests that to assess the negative impact of extreme conditions for enhancing the extraction efficiencies of Cr on the soil properties and function is necessary

Sustainable measures for sewage sludge treatment - evaluating the effects on P reaction in soils and plant P uptake

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Shenker, Moshe; Einhoren, Hana

2016-04-01

Wastewater treatment, whether for water reusing or for releasing into the environment, results in sewage sludge rich in organic matter and nutrients. If free of pathogens and pollutants, this waste material is a widely used as soil amendment and source of valuable nutrients for agronomic use. Nevertheless, its P/N ratio largely exceeds plant P/N demand. Limiting its application rates according to the P demand of crops will largely limit its application rates and its beneficial effect as a soil amendment and as a source for other nutrients. An alternative approach, in which P is stabilized before application, was evaluated in this study. Anaerobically digested fresh sewage sludge (FSS) was stabilized by aluminum sulfate, ferrous sulfate, and calcium oxide (CaO), as well as by composting with shredded woody yard-waste to produce Al-FSS, Fe-FSS, CaO-FSS, and FSS-compost, respectively. Defined organic-P sources (glucose-1-phosphate and inositol-hexa-phosphate) and a P fertilizer (KH2PO4) were included as well and a control with no P amendments was included as a reference. Each material was applied at a fixed P load of 50 mg kg-1 to each of three soils and P speciation and plants P uptake were tested along 112 days of incubation at moderate (near field capacity) water content. Tomato seedlings were used for the P uptake test. The large set of data was used to evaluate the effect of each treatment on P reactions and mechanisms of retention in the tested soils and to correlate various P indices to P availability for plants. Plant P uptake was highly correlated to Olsen-P as well as to water-soluble inorganic-P, but not to water-soluble organic-P and not to total P or other experimentally-defined stable P fractions. We conclude that the P stabilization in the sludge will allow beneficial and sustainable use of sewage sludge as a soil amendment and source of nutrients, but the stabilization method should be selected in accordance with the target soil properties.

How to improve fertility of African soils? Leguminous fallows (Cameroon), addition of farmyard manure and mineral fertilizer (Kenya), organic residues management and introduction of N2 fixing species in forest plantations (Congo).

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Koutika, Lydie-Stella; Mareschal, Louis; Mouanda, Cadeau; Epron, Daniel

2014-05-01

Most of African soils are inherently infertile and poor in nutrients mainly nitrogen and phosphorus. Several practices are used to improve soil fertility, increase productivity and ensure their sustainability. Soil fertility in the leguminous fallows was evaluated through particulate organic matter (POM), the more active part of soil organic matter (SOM) in Cameroon. The combination of mineral and organic (manure) fertilizers increased microbial P biomass allowing the release of P along the plant growing period in the Kenyan soils. Organic residues management and introduction of nitrogen fixing species (Acacia) were used to improve soil fertility and sustain forest productivity on the coastal plains of Congo. SOM fractionation was made under Pueraria, Mucuna fallows and natural regrowth mainly Chromolaena and under 3 forest plantation treatments installed in previous savanna: 1) no input, 2) normal input, and 3) double input of organic residues. Microbial P biomass and sequential P fractionation were evaluated in high and low P fixing soils. N, C, available P and pH were determined on soil sampled in acacia (100A), eucalypt (100E) and mixed-species (50A:50E) stands. N and P were determined in aboveground litters and in leaves, bark and wood of trees. The two leguminous fallows increased N content in POM fractions i.e., N >1% for Pueraria and Mucuna against Nplantations increased the soil N concentration under the mixed-species stand (N>0.06%) compared to under the pure eucalypt stand (N1% in the mixed stand and CEucalyptus stand).

Plant assemblage composition and soil P concentration differentially affect communities of AM and total fungi in a semi-arid grassland.

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Klabi, Rim; Bell, Terrence H; Hamel, Chantal; Iwaasa, Alan; Schellenberg, Mike; Raies, Aly; St-Arnaud, Marc

2015-01-01

Adding inorganic P- and N-fixing legumes to semi-arid grasslands can increase forage yield, but soil nutrient concentrations and plant cover may also interact to modify soil fungal populations, impacting short- and long-term forage production. We tested the effect of plant assemblage (seven native grasses, seven native grasses + the domesticated N-fixing legume Medicago sativa, seven native grasses + the native N-fixing legume Dalea purpurea or the introduced grass Bromus biebersteinii + M. sativa) and soil P concentration (addition of 0 or 200 P2O5 kg ha(-1) at sowing) on the diversity and community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and total fungi over two consecutive years, using 454-pyrosequencing of 18S rDNA and ITS amplicons. Treatment effects were stronger in the wet year (2008) than the dry year (2009). The presence of an N-fixing legume with native grasses generally increased AM fungal diversity, while the interaction between soil P concentration and plant assemblage modified total fungal community structure in 2008. Excluding interannual variations, which are likely driven by moisture and plant productivity, AM fungal communities in semi-arid grasslands appear to be primarily affected by plant assemblage composition, while the composition of other fungi is more closely linked to soil P. © FEMS 2014. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Efficiency of phosphate fertilization to maize crop in high phosphorus content soil, evaluated by 32P tracer

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Trevizam, Anderson R.; Alvarez Villanueva, Felipe C.; Silva, Maria Ligia de S.; Muraoka, Takashi

2007-01-01

Application of high dosis of phosphorus (P) in agricultural soils is justified by its intense fixation by the soil clays, which reduce availability to crops. The objective of this research was to evaluate the response of maize crops to five rates of triple superphosphate in a soil with high available phosphorus content. Portions of 2 dm 3 of soil (Typic Quartzipisamment) with 75 mg kg -1 of available phosphorus and pH 7.00, collected from the upper 0-20 cm layer, were placed in plastic pots, received solution containing 5.55 MBq (150 μCi) of 32 P and incubated for 7 days. Then 0, 250, 500, 1000 and 4000 mg P kg -1 as triple superphosphate was added to soil in the respective pots and incubated for 15 days keeping the soil moisture to 60 % of the field capacity. Maize (Zea mays L.) plants, single hybrid P30F80, were grown for 50 days (after germination), collected, oven dried, weighed and ground in a Wiley mill for analysis of total P content and 32 P radioactivity. The maize dry matter increased with triple superphosphate rates. The phosphorus content and accumulation in the maize plants increased with triple superphosphate rate up to 4000 mg kg -1 . The percentage of phosphorus derived from the fertilizer ranged from 79 to 97% and consequently the phosphorus derived from soil decreased with increasing application of triple superphosphate. In spite of soil high P available content, maize plants responded to applied phosphorus rates. (author)

[Effects of legume-oat intercropping on abundance and community structure of soil N2-fixing bacteria].

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Yang, Ya Dong; Feng, Xiao Min; Hu, Yue Gao; Ren, Chang Zhong; Zeng, Zhao Hai

2017-03-18

In this study, real-time PCR and high-throughput sequencing approaches were employed to investigate the abundance and community structure of N 2 -fixing bacteria in a field experiment with three planting patterns (Oat monoculture, O; Soybean-oat intercropping, OSO; Mung bean-oat intercropping, OMO). The results showed that soil chemical properties varied significantly in different soil samples (P＜0.05). The abundance of nifH gene varied from 1.75×10 10 to 7.37×10 10 copies·g -1 dry soil in all soil samples. The copy numbers of nifH gene in OSO and OMO were 2.18, 2.64, and 1.92, 2.57 times as much as that in O at jointing and mature stages, with a significant decline from jointing to mature stage for all treatments (P＜0.05). Rarefaction curve and cove-rage results proved the nifH gene sequencing results were reliable, and the diversity index showed that the N 2 -fixing bacteria diversity of OSO was much higher than that of O. Azohydromonas, Azotobacter, Bradyrhizobium, Skermanella and other groups that could not be classified are the dominant genera, with significant differences in proportion of these dominant groups observed among all soil samples (P＜0.05). Venn and PCA analysis indicated that there were greater differences of nifH gene communities between jointing and mature stages; however, the OSO and OMO had similar communities in both stages. All these results confirmed that legume-oat intercropping significantly increased the abundance and changed the community composition of N 2 -fixing bacteria in oat soils.

Study On Ammonia Accumulation of Cellulose-Utilizing and Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria Isolated from Various Soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soe Myat Thandar; Aung Ko Ko Oo; Weine Nway Nway Oo

2011-12-01

Cellulose-utilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria were isolated from various soil. 42 bacterial strains were obtained. Among those stains, 13 strains were screened for nitrogen-fixing activity. Among them, 4 strains coded as CPB1, CMB1, GPB2 and 3LC4 showed the high nitrogen-fixing activity. Different strains produced different amount of ammonium compounds at various incubation periods. CMB1 produced the maximum amount of ammonium 1.2 mg/L NH4+ at 6th day culture but 3LC4, GPB2 and CPB1 produced more amount of NH4+ with 2, 2.5 and 3 mg/L NH4+ respectively at 5th day culture.

Evaluation of hedgerow trees in alley cropping for phosphorus use efficiency and N{sub 2} fixation in low P soils in moist savanna in Nigeria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanginga, N [International Inst. of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan (Nigeria); Danso, S K.A. [Joint FAO/IAEA Div. of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna (Austria). Soil Fertility and Crop Production Section; Zapata, F [FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Lab., Seibersdorf (Austria). Soils Science Unit; Bowen, G D [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Glen Osmond (Australia). Div. of Soils

1996-07-01

Soils low in P and N are common in the moist savanna climatic zones and consequently growth of hedgerow trees in alley cropping systems might require addition of N and P fertilizers. This is difficult for small scale farmers who have limited access to fertilizers and therefore depend only on limited input cropping systems. Exploiting genetic differences in P use efficiency and using hedgerow trees selected for high N{sub 2} fixation ability can improve tree establishment and growth on N and P-poor soils, restore soil fertility and preserve soil from degradation. Field experiments carried out at Fashola (moist savanna) have shown that large differences in growth and P use efficiency occurred between N{sub 2} fixing trees such as Gliricidia sepium, and non N{sub 2}-fixing trees such as Senna siamea and Senna spectabilis. Provenances or isoline differences in P use efficiency also occurred within species and was also influenced by level of P and period of growth. Differences between species and provenances in P uptake and growth were largely related to differences in physiological P-use efficiency (PPUE), root length and VAM infection rate, especially at low P. In general, nodulation was improved by P application, but varied among provenances. Gliricidia Sepium fixed about 61% of its N from atmospheric N{sub 2} in the pot experiment and 40% in the field. The percentage of N fixed was not affected by rate of P application. Differences in P and N accumulation and use efficiency were also influenced by management practices such as pruning. The distribution of total P followed the same trend as that of dry matter yield, while no significant correlations were found between partitioning of dry matter and total N. Uncut and cut G. Sepium derived 35 and 54% respectively of their N from atmospheric N{sub 2}. About 54% of the fixed N{sub 2} was partitioned to shoots and roots and this was not proportional to the size of these organs relative the whole plant. 17refs,2figs,2tabs.

The desorption of Phosphorous (32 P) fixed on iron and aluminum oxy-hydroxide surfaces by the soil microbial biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araujo, Lilian Maria Cesar de.

1995-02-01

This work determines whether the soil microbial biomass, with an ample supply of available C, can utilize P adsorber in the surfaces of oxy-hydroxides of Fe or Al of soil-P deficient soils. To simulate the surfaces of the natural Fe and Al compounds, synthetic oxy-hydroxides of Fe and Al, impregnated in strips of filter paper, and containing P tagged with 32 P, were used. (author). 60 refs., 7 figs., 7 tabs

High diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in upper reaches of Heihe River, Northwestern China

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Tai, X. S.; Mao, W. L.; Liu, G. X.; Chen, T.; Zhang, W.; Wu, X. K.; Long, H. Z.; Zhang, B. G.

2013-03-01

Vegetation plays a key role to water conservation in southern Qilian Mountains (Northwestern China), the upper reaches of Heihe River. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are crucial for vegetation protection because they can supply plants with nitrogen source. Nevertheless, little is known about nitrogen-fixing bacteria in this region. In present study, nifH gene clone libraries were established for detecting the difference of nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities between Potentilla parvifolia shrub and Carex alrofusca meadow in the southern Qilian Mountains. All the identified nitrogen-fixing bacterial clones belonged to Proteobacteria. At the genus level, the Azospirillum sp. was only detected in shrub soil while Thiocapsa sp., Derxiasp., Ectothiorhodospira sp., Mesorhizobium sp., Klebsiella sp., Ensifer sp., Methylocella sp. and Peseudomonas sp. were just detected in meadow soil. Shannon-Wiener index of nifH gene ranged from 1.5 to 2.8 and was higher in meadow soil than shrub soil. Contrarily, the nifH gene copies and CFUs of cultured nitrogen-fixing bacteria ranged from 0.4 × 107 to 6.9 × 107 copies g-1 soil and 0.97 × 106 to 12.78 × 106 g-1 soil, respectively. Furthermore, both of them were lower in meadow soil than shrub soil. Statistical analysis revealed that diversity and copies of nifH gene mostly correlated with aboveground biomass in shrub soil. In meadow soil, nifH gene diversity was principally affected by altitude while copies did by soil available K.

Efficiency of phosphate fertilization to maize crop in high phosphorus content soil, evaluated by {sup 32}P tracer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trevizam, Anderson R.; Alvarez Villanueva, Felipe C.; Silva, Maria Ligia de S.; Muraoka, Takashi [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Lab. de Fertilidade do Solo]. E-mails: trevizam@cena.usp.br; falvarez@cena.usp.br; mlsousi@hotmail.com; muraoka@cena.usp.br

2007-07-01

Application of high dosis of phosphorus (P) in agricultural soils is justified by its intense fixation by the soil clays, which reduce availability to crops. The objective of this research was to evaluate the response of maize crops to five rates of triple superphosphate in a soil with high available phosphorus content. Portions of 2 dm{sup 3} of soil (Typic Quartzipisamment) with 75 mg kg{sup -1} of available phosphorus and pH 7.00, collected from the upper 0-20 cm layer, were placed in plastic pots, received solution containing 5.55 MBq (150 {mu}Ci) of {sup 32}P and incubated for 7 days. Then 0, 250, 500, 1000 and 4000 mg P kg{sup -1} as triple superphosphate was added to soil in the respective pots and incubated for 15 days keeping the soil moisture to 60 % of the field capacity. Maize (Zea mays L.) plants, single hybrid P30F80, were grown for 50 days (after germination), collected, oven dried, weighed and ground in a Wiley mill for analysis of total P content and {sup 32}P radioactivity. The maize dry matter increased with triple superphosphate rates. The phosphorus content and accumulation in the maize plants increased with triple superphosphate rate up to 4000 mg kg{sup -1}. The percentage of phosphorus derived from the fertilizer ranged from 79 to 97% and consequently the phosphorus derived from soil decreased with increasing application of triple superphosphate. In spite of soil high P available content, maize plants responded to applied phosphorus rates. (author)

Evaluating the effectiveness of phosphate fertilizers in some Venezuelan soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casanova, E.; Salas, A.M.; Toro, M.

2002-01-01

In Venezuela, 70% of the soils are acid with low natural fertility where phosphorus is the most limiting element together with nitrogen and potassium for plant growth. The efficiency of phosphate fertilization is low. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of natural and modified rock phosphate using conventional and isotopic techniques. An incubation experiment was done to measure changes in available P on application of different phosphate fertilizers at a constant rate of 100 mg P/kg in ten acid soils of agricultural importance in Venezuela. In the greenhouse, two experiments were conducted to relate P fixation to soil P availability and the response of an index plant (Agrostis sp.). A high variability in P fixing capacity of the soils (r1/Ro = 0.02-0.76) was observed with the same level of available P. This fixation index is defined as the proportion of the added radioactivity ( 32 P) remaining in the soil solution after 1 min of exchange and a low fixing capacity is indicated by the values close to 1. The proportion of the total soil P that can possibly enter the soil solution and therefore is potentially available for plant uptake was measured using the traditional method (Bray I) and the isotopic method (E value). The high variability was also apparent in available P extracted by Bray I showing a range of 10 to 88% of the total P removed by the extracting solution. The incubation studies showed that the effectiveness of the P source for available P in the soil solution was related to their reactivity and the soil P fixing properties. The increase in the fixing capacity of the soils used caused a significant reduction in the E value, independent of the source of P used. A high positive and significant correlation between Bray I extracted P and the E value (r = 0.95) obtained from the different treatments, showed the relationship of the extractant for some forms of available P in soils where rock phosphate was applied. In

Dissolving mechanism of strain P17 on insoluble phosphorus of yellow-brown soil

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Zhong Chuan-qing

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Strain P17 was a bacterial strain identified as Bacillus megaterium isolated from ground accumulating phosphate rock powder. The fermentation broth of strain P17 and the yellow-brown soil from Nanjing Agricultural University garden were collected to conduct this study. The simulation of fixed insoluble phosphorous forms after applying calcium superphosphate into yellow-brown soil was performed in pots, while available P and total P of soil were extremely positive correlative with those of groundwater. Then the dissolving effect of strain P17 on insoluble P of yellow-brown soil was studied. Results showed that Bacillus megaterium strain P17 had notable solubilizing effect on insoluble phosphates formed when too much water-soluble phosphorous fertilizer used. During 100 days after inoculation, strain P17 was dominant. Until the 120th day, compared with water addition, available P of strain P17 inoculation treated soil increased by 3 times with calcium superphosphate addition. Besides available P, pH, activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase and population of P-solubilizing microbes were detected respectively. P-solubilizing mechanism of P-solubilizing bacteria strain P17 seems to be a synergetic effect of pH decrease, organic acids, phosphatase, etc.

Measuring P availability in soils fertilized with water-soluble P fertilizers using 32P methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLaughlin, M.J.

2002-01-01

Isotope exchange kinetics was used in conjunction with standard procedures for assessing soil P status in soils fertilized with soluble phosphatic fertilizers. Soil samples were collected before fertilizer application in year 1 (one) from 23 of the 30 sites of the National Reactive Phosphate Rock project. Soil phosphorus test values were plotted against indices of pasture response to applied fertilizer, to assess the effectiveness of the various soil tests to predict site responsiveness to applied fertilizer. Isotopically exchangeable P was only weakly related to other measures of available P, with resin P having the best relationship with E values. In some samples, very large values for isotopically exchangeable P (E values) were determined in relation to P extractable by all reagents. Examination of the data however, revealed that all the samples with large E values in relation to extractable P had very low equilibrium concentrations of solution P and high buffering capacities. The best soil test, Bray 1, could account for only 50% of the variation in plant responsiveness to applied fertilizer, with Olsen and Resin tests slightly worse at 41% and the isotopic procedure at 39%. (author)

High diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the upper reaches of the Heihe River, northwestern China

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X. S. Tai

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Vegetation plays a key role in water conservation in the southern Qilian Mountains (northwestern China, located in the upper reaches of the Heihe River. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are crucial for the protection of the nitrogen supply for vegetation in the region. In the present study, nifH gene clone libraries were established to determine differences between the nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities of the Potentilla parvifolia shrubland and the Carex alrofusca meadow in the southern Qilian Mountains. All of the identified nitrogen-fixing bacterial clones belonged to the Proteobacteria. At the genus level, Azospirillum was only detected in the shrubland soil, while Thiocapsa, Derxia, Ectothiorhodospira, Mesorhizobium, Klebsiella, Ensifer, Methylocella and Pseudomonas were only detected in the meadow soil. The phylogenetic tree was divided into five lineages: lineages I, II and III mainly contained nifH sequences obtained from the meadow soils, while lineage IV was mainly composed of nifH sequences obtained from the shrubland soils. The Shannon–Wiener index of the nifH genes ranged from 1.5 to 2.8 and was higher in the meadow soils than in the shrubland soils. Based on these analyses of diversity and phylogeny, the plant species were hypothesised to influence N cycling by enhancing the fitness of certain nitrogen-fixing taxa. The number of nifH gene copies and colony-forming units (CFUs of the cultured nitrogen-fixing bacteria were lower in the meadow soils than in the shrubland soils, ranging from 0.4 × 107 to 6.9 × 107 copies g−1 soil and 0.97 × 106 to 12.78 × 106 g−1 soil, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA revealed that the diversity and number of the nifH gene copies were primarily correlated with aboveground biomass in the shrubland soil. In the meadow soil, nifH gene diversity was most affected by altitude, while copy number was most impacted by soil-available K. These results suggest that the nitrogen-fixing bacterial

High diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the upper reaches of the Heihe River, northwestern China

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, X. S.; Mao, W. L.; Liu, G. X.; Chen, T.; Zhang, W.; Wu, X. K.; Long, H. Z.; Zhang, B. G.; Zhang, Y.

2013-08-01

Vegetation plays a key role in water conservation in the southern Qilian Mountains (northwestern China), located in the upper reaches of the Heihe River. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are crucial for the protection of the nitrogen supply for vegetation in the region. In the present study, nifH gene clone libraries were established to determine differences between the nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities of the Potentilla parvifolia shrubland and the Carex alrofusca meadow in the southern Qilian Mountains. All of the identified nitrogen-fixing bacterial clones belonged to the Proteobacteria. At the genus level, Azospirillum was only detected in the shrubland soil, while Thiocapsa, Derxia, Ectothiorhodospira, Mesorhizobium, Klebsiella, Ensifer, Methylocella and Pseudomonas were only detected in the meadow soil. The phylogenetic tree was divided into five lineages: lineages I, II and III mainly contained nifH sequences obtained from the meadow soils, while lineage IV was mainly composed of nifH sequences obtained from the shrubland soils. The Shannon-Wiener index of the nifH genes ranged from 1.5 to 2.8 and was higher in the meadow soils than in the shrubland soils. Based on these analyses of diversity and phylogeny, the plant species were hypothesised to influence N cycling by enhancing the fitness of certain nitrogen-fixing taxa. The number of nifH gene copies and colony-forming units (CFUs) of the cultured nitrogen-fixing bacteria were lower in the meadow soils than in the shrubland soils, ranging from 0.4 × 107 to 6.9 × 107 copies g-1 soil and 0.97 × 106 to 12.78 × 106 g-1 soil, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that the diversity and number of the nifH gene copies were primarily correlated with aboveground biomass in the shrubland soil. In the meadow soil, nifH gene diversity was most affected by altitude, while copy number was most impacted by soil-available K. These results suggest that the nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities beneath Potentilla

Reliability and limits of soil phosphated fertility diagnostic determined from isotopically dilutable phosphorus and fixing power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gachon, Louis; Triboi, Eugene

1979-01-01

On the soils of about forty experiment fields, are measured the E and L values, the fixing capacity and phosphorus uptake during 100/120 days by ray-grass cultivated in vegetation pots. The fertility indices Isub(E) and Isub(L) joining the fixing capacity to the E or L values respectively provide an excellent appreciation of the potential flux of phosphate ions offered by the soil to the plant. But the soil climate and the root system geometry influence the concrete interception of this flux by the roots and consequently, the responses of crops to phosphate fertilizers. The interpretation norms are suggested and discussed [fr

Effects of long-term elevated CO2 on N2-fixing, denitrifying and nitrifying enzyme activities in forest soils under Pinus sylvestriformis in Changbai Mountain

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHENG Jun-Qiang; HAN Shi-Jie; REN Fei-Rong; ZHOU Yu-Mei; ZHANG Yan

2008-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the effects of elevated CO2 on soil N process at Changbai Mountain in Jilin Province,northeastern China (42o24'N,128o06'E,and 738 m elevation).A randomized complete block design of ambient and elevated CO2 was established in an open-top chamber facility in the spring of 1999.Changpai Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris var.sylvestriformis seeds were sowed in May,1999 and CO2 fumigation treatments began after seeds germination.In each year,the exposure started at the end of April and stopped at the end of October.Soil samples were collected in June and August 2006 and in June 2007,and soil nitrifying,denitrifying and N2-fixing enzyme activities were measured.Results show that soil nitrifying enzyme activities (NEA) in the 5-10 cm soil layer were significantly increased at elevated CO2 by 30.3% in June 2006,by 30.9% in August 2006 and by 11.3% in June 2007.Soil denitrifying enzyme activities (DEA) were significantly decreased by elevated CO2 treatment in June 2006 (P < 0.012) and August 2006 (P < 0.005) samplings in our study; no significant difference was detected in June 2007,and no significant changes in N2-fixing enzyme activity were found.This study suggests that elevated CO2 can alter soil nitrifying enzyme and denitrifying enzyme activities.

Functional Single-Cell Approach to Probing Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria in Soil Communities by Resonance Raman Spectroscopy with 15N2 Labeling.

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Cui, Li; Yang, Kai; Li, Hong-Zhe; Zhang, Han; Su, Jian-Qiang; Paraskevaidi, Maria; Martin, Francis L; Ren, Bin; Zhu, Yong-Guan

2018-04-17

Nitrogen (N) fixation is the conversion of inert nitrogen gas (N 2 ) to bioavailable N essential for all forms of life. N 2 -fixing microorganisms (diazotrophs), which play a key role in global N cycling, remain largely obscure because a large majority are uncultured. Direct probing of active diazotrophs in the environment is still a major challenge. Herein, a novel culture-independent single-cell approach combining resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy with 15 N 2 stable isotope probing (SIP) was developed to discern N 2 -fixing bacteria in a complex soil community. Strong RR signals of cytochrome c (Cyt c, frequently present in diverse N 2 -fixing bacteria), along with a marked 15 N 2 -induced Cyt c band shift, generated a highly distinguishable biomarker for N 2 fixation. 15 N 2 -induced shift was consistent well with 15 N abundance in cell determined by isotope ratio mass spectroscopy. By applying this biomarker and Raman imaging, N 2 -fixing bacteria in both artificial and complex soil communities were discerned and imaged at the single-cell level. The linear band shift of Cyt c versus 15 N 2 percentage allowed quantification of N 2 fixation extent of diverse soil bacteria. This single-cell approach will advance the exploration of hitherto uncultured diazotrophs in diverse ecosystems.

Groundwater Availability Alters Soil-plant Nutrient Cycling in a Stand of Invasive, N-fixing Phreatophytes

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, B. D.; Miyazawa, Y.; Hughes, F.; Ostertag, R.; Kettwich, S. K.; MacKenzie, R.; Dulaiova, H.; Waters, C. A.; Bishop, J.; Giambelluca, T. W.

2013-12-01

N-fixing phreatophytic trees are common in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide, and can play significant roles in modifying hydrology and soil-plant nutrient cycling where they are present. In light of reductions in groundwater levels in many arid regions we estimated annual transpiration rates at a stand level, and alterations to C, N and P accretion in soils as a function of groundwater depth in a ca.120 year old stand of Prosopis pallida along an elevation gradient in coastal leeward Hawaii. We measured sapflow and stand level sapwood area to quantify transpiration, and calculated groundwater transpiration rates using P. pallida stem water δ18O values. By measuring soil resistivity, we were able to compare the volume of groundwater transpired by these trees to groundwater depth across the stand. We examined nutrient deposition and accretion in soils in lowland areas of the stand with accessible shallow groundwater, compared to upland areas with no groundwater access, as indicated by stem water δ18O values. Resistivity results suggested that groundwater was at a height close to sea level throughout the stand. Transpiration was around 1900 m3 ha-1 year-1 in the areas of the stand closest to the sea (where groundwater was at around 1-4 m below ground level) and decreased to around a tenth of that volume where groundwater was not accessible. Litterfall rates over the course of the year studied were 17 times greater at lowland sites, but this litterfall contributed ca. 24 times the N, and 35 times the P of upland sites. Thus, groundwater access contributed to the total mass of nitrogen and phosphorus deposited in the form of litter through higher litter quantity and quality. Total N content of soils was 4.7 times greater and inorganic N pools were eight times higher at lowland plots. These results suggest that groundwater depth can have strong effects on soil-plant nutrient cycling, so that reductions in the availability of shallow groundwater are likely to impact

Characterization of free nitrogen fixing bacteria of the genus Azotobacter in organic vegetable-grown Colombian soils

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Diego Javier Jiménez

2011-09-01

Full Text Available With the purpose of isolating and characterizing free nitrogen fixing bacteria (FNFB of the genus Azotobacter, soil samples were collected randomly from different vegetable organic cultures with neutral pH in different zones of Boyacá-Colombia. Isolations were done in selective free nitrogen Ashby-Sucrose agar obtaining a recovery of 40%. Twenty four isolates were evaluated for colony and cellular morphology, pigment production and metabolic activities. Molecular characterization was carried out using amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA. After digestion of 16S rDNA Y1-Y3 PCR products (1487pb with AluI, HpaII and RsaI endonucleases, a polymorphism of 16% was obtained. Cluster analysis showed three main groups based on DNA fingerprints. Comparison between ribotypes generated by isolates and in silico restriction of 16S rDNA partial sequences with same restriction enzymes was done with Gen Workbench v.2.2.4 software. Nevertheless, Y1-Y2 PCR products were analysed using BLASTn. Isolate C5T from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum grown soils presented the same in silico restriction patterns with A. chroococcum (AY353708 and 99% of similarity with the same sequence. Isolate C5CO from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis grown soils showed black pigmentation in Ashby-Benzoate agar and high similarity (91% with A. nigricans (AB175651 sequence. In this work we demonstrated the utility of molecular techniques and bioinformatics tools as a support to conventional techniques in characterization of the genus Azotobacter from vegetable-grown soils.

Methods of pH determination in Calcareous soils of Oman: The effect of Electrolyte and soil solution ratio

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Busaidi, A.; Cookson, P.

2002-01-01

Determination of pH assists in understanding many reactions that occur in soil. Soil pH values are highly sensitive to the procedure used for determination. In this study, pH was measured in different electrolytes [distilled water (pHw), 0.01MCaCl2 (pHCa), 1MKCl (pHk), and 0.01MBaCl2 (pHba)] with different soil: electrolyte ratios (i.e. 1:1, 1:2.5 and 1:5). The objective was to determine the effect of each electrolyte and dilution ratio on pH of saline and non-saline soils from Oman. It was found that ph values varied significantly between electrolytes and with different dilution ratios. Linear regression equations were generated between electrolytes, dilution ratios and were mostly significant. Soil pH values determined in different electrolytes were significantly interrelated. Water appeared as a highly suitable solvent for soil pH measurements because it is simple and values familiar to soil users. However, alkaline errors and electrode instabilities due to liquid junction and soluble salt effects, affected soil pH measurements, especially in water, and resulted in alkaline errors during pH measurements. Errors were minimized when pH was measured in electrolytes rather than in water. (author)

Soil pH Mapping with an On-The-Go Sensor

OpenAIRE

Schirrmann, Michael; Gebbers, Robin; Kramer, Eckart; Seidel, Jan

2011-01-01

Soil pH is a key parameter for crop productivity, therefore, its spatial variation should be adequately addressed to improve precision management decisions. Recently, the Veris pH ManagerTM, a sensor for high-resolution mapping of soil pH at the field scale, has been made commercially available in the US. While driving over the field, soil pH is measured on-the-go directly within the soil by ion selective antimony electrodes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Veris pH ManagerTM under ...

High-Resolution Denitrification Kinetics in Pasture Soils Link N2O Emissions to pH, and Denitrification to C Mineralization.

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Md Sainur Samad

Full Text Available Denitrification in pasture soils is mediated by microbial and physicochemical processes leading to nitrogen loss through the emission of N2O and N2. It is known that N2O reduction to N2 is impaired by low soil pH yet controversy remains as inconsistent use of soil pH measurement methods by researchers, and differences in analytical methods between studies, undermine direct comparison of results. In addition, the link between denitrification and N2O emissions in response to carbon (C mineralization and pH in different pasture soils is still not well described. We hypothesized that potential denitrification rate and aerobic respiration rate would be positively associated with soils. This relationship was predicted to be more robust when a high resolution analysis is performed as opposed to a single time point comparison. We tested this by characterizing 13 different temperate pasture soils from northern and southern hemispheres sites (Ireland and New Zealand using a fully automated-high-resolution GC detection system that allowed us to detect a wide range of gas emissions simultaneously. We also compared the impact of using different extractants for determining pH on our conclusions. In all pH measurements, soil pH was strongly and negatively associated with both N2O production index (IN2O and N2O/(N2O+N2 product ratio. Furthermore, emission kinetics across all soils revealed that the denitrification rates under anoxic conditions (NO+N2O+N2 μmol N/h/vial were significantly associated with C mineralization (CO2 μmol/h/vial measured both under oxic (r2 = 0.62, p = 0.0015 and anoxic (r2 = 0.89, p<0.0001 conditions.

A framework for identifying plant species to be used as 'ecological engineers' for fixing soil on unstable slopes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghestem, Murielle; Cao, Kunfang; Ma, Wenzhang; Rowe, Nick; Leclerc, Raphaëlle; Gadenne, Clément; Stokes, Alexia

2014-01-01

Major reforestation programs have been initiated on hillsides prone to erosion and landslides in China, but no framework exists to guide managers in the choice of plant species. We developed such a framework based on the suitability of given plant traits for fixing soil on steep slopes in western Yunnan, China. We examined the utility of 55 native and exotic species with regard to the services they provided. We then chose nine species differing in life form. Plant root system architecture, root mechanical and physiological traits were then measured at two adjacent field sites. One site was highly unstable, with severe soil slippage and erosion. The second site had been replanted 8 years previously and appeared to be physically stable. How root traits differed between sites, season, depth in soil and distance from the plant stem were determined. Root system morphology was analysed by considering architectural traits (root angle, depth, diameter and volume) both up- and downslope. Significant differences between all factors were found, depending on species. We estimated the most useful architectural and mechanical traits for physically fixing soil in place. We then combined these results with those concerning root physiological traits, which were used as a proxy for root metabolic activity. Scores were assigned to each species based on traits. No one species possessed a suite of highly desirable traits, therefore mixtures of species should be used on vulnerable slopes. We also propose a conceptual model describing how to position plants on an unstable site, based on root system traits.

A framework for identifying plant species to be used as 'ecological engineers' for fixing soil on unstable slopes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murielle Ghestem

Full Text Available Major reforestation programs have been initiated on hillsides prone to erosion and landslides in China, but no framework exists to guide managers in the choice of plant species. We developed such a framework based on the suitability of given plant traits for fixing soil on steep slopes in western Yunnan, China. We examined the utility of 55 native and exotic species with regard to the services they provided. We then chose nine species differing in life form. Plant root system architecture, root mechanical and physiological traits were then measured at two adjacent field sites. One site was highly unstable, with severe soil slippage and erosion. The second site had been replanted 8 years previously and appeared to be physically stable. How root traits differed between sites, season, depth in soil and distance from the plant stem were determined. Root system morphology was analysed by considering architectural traits (root angle, depth, diameter and volume both up- and downslope. Significant differences between all factors were found, depending on species. We estimated the most useful architectural and mechanical traits for physically fixing soil in place. We then combined these results with those concerning root physiological traits, which were used as a proxy for root metabolic activity. Scores were assigned to each species based on traits. No one species possessed a suite of highly desirable traits, therefore mixtures of species should be used on vulnerable slopes. We also propose a conceptual model describing how to position plants on an unstable site, based on root system traits.

Elevated enzyme activities in soils under the invasive nitrogen-fixing tree Falcataria moluccana

Science.gov (United States)

Steven D. Allison; Caroline Nielsen; R. Flint. Hughes

2006-01-01

Like other N-fixing invasive species in Hawaii, Falcataria moluccana dramatically alters forest structure, litterfall quality and quantity, and nutrient dynamics. We hypothesized that these biogeochemical changes would also affect the soil microbial community and the extracellular enzymes responsible for carbon and nutrient mineralization. Across...

Carbon-cycle effects of differences in soil moisture and soil extracellular enzyme activity at sites representing different land-use histories in high-elevation Ecuadorian páramo landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

McKnight, J.; Harden, C. P.; Schaeffer, S. M.

2016-12-01

Ecuadorian páramo grasslands are important regional soil carbon sinks. In the páramo of the Mazar Wildlife Reserve, differences in soil carbon content among different types of land use may reflect changes in soil carbon-acquisition related microbial enzyme activity after land cover and soil moisture are altered; however, this hypothesis has not been tested explicitly for Ecuadorian páramos. This study used a fluorescence enzyme assay to assess the activities of four different extracellular enzymes representing carbon acquisition: α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, β-D-cellulobiohydrolase, and β-xylosidase in Andean páramo soils. Acquisition activities were also measured for nitrogen (N-acetyl-β-glucosidase and leucine aminopeptidase) and phosphorus (phosphatase) to assess stoichiometric differences between land-uses, which can affect soil microbial activity related to carbon acquisition. Soils were analyzed from four land uses: native forest, grass páramo, recently burned grass páramo, and non-native pine plantation. Carbon acquisition activity was highest at the pine site (678 nmol h-1 g-1) and lowest at the recently burned páramo site (252 nmol h-1 g-1), indicating the lowest and highest available soil carbon, respectively. Carbon-acquisition EE activity was significantly higher at the grass páramo site (595 nmol h-1 g-1) than at the recently burned páramo and native forest sites. At the grass páramo site, a history of burning as a management strategy and high carbon-acquisition EE activity could indicate the presence of pyrogenic soil organic matter, which is more resistant to microbial decomposition. Soils at the native forest and both grassland sites were phosphorus limited, and soil at the pine site had higher nitrogen-acquisition activity, indicative of a shift to nitrogen-limited soil stoichiometric conditions. To our knowledge these are the first data reported for soil extracellular enzyme activities for Ecuadorian páramos.

Relation between soil P test values and mobilization of dissolved and particulate P from the plough layer of typical Danish soils from a long-term field experiment with applied P fertilizers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glaesner, N.; Kjaergaard, C.; Rubaek, G. H.

2013-01-01

Accumulation of phosphorus (P) in agricultural topsoils can contribute to leaching of P which may cause eutrophication of surface waters. An understanding of P mobilization processes in the plough layer is needed to improve agricultural management strategies. We compare leaching of total dissolved...... and particulate P through the plough layer of a typical Danish sandy loam soil subjected to three different P fertilizer regimes in a long-term field experiment established in 1975. The leaching experiment used intact soil columns (20cm diameter, 20cm high) during unsaturated conditions. The three soils had small...

Abundance and diversity of CO2-fixing bacteria in grassland soils close to natural carbon dioxide springs.

Science.gov (United States)

Videmsek, Urska; Hagn, Alexandra; Suhadolc, Marjetka; Radl, Viviane; Knicker, Heike; Schloter, Michael; Vodnik, Dominik

2009-07-01

Gaseous conditions at natural CO2 springs (mofettes) affect many processes in these unique ecosystems. While the response of plants to extreme and fluctuating CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) is relatively well documented, little is known on microbial life in mofette soil. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to investigate the abundance and diversity of CO2-fixing bacteria in grassland soils in different distances to a natural carbon dioxide spring. Samples of the same soil type were collected from the Stavesinci mofette, a natural CO2 spring which is known for very pure CO2 emissions, at different distances from the CO2 releasing vents, at locations that clearly differed in soil CO2 efflux (from 12.5 to over 200 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) yearly average). Bulk and rhizospheric soil samples were included into analyses. The microbial response was followed by a molecular analysis of cbbL genes, encoding for the large subunit of RubisCO, a carboxylase which is of crucial importance for C assimilation in chemolitoautotrophic microbes. In all samples analyzed, the "red-like" type of cbbL genes could be detected. In contrast, the "green-like" type of cbbL could not be measured by the applied technique. Surprisingly, a reduction of "red-like" cbbL genes copies was observed in bulk soil and rhizosphere samples from the sites with the highest CO2 concentrations. Furthermore, the diversity pattern of "red-like" cbbL genes changed depending on the CO(2) regime. This indicates that only a part of the autotrophic CO2-fixing microbes could adapt to the very high CO2 concentrations and adverse life conditions that are governed by mofette gaseous regime.

Cyanobacteria Inoculation Improves Soil Stability and Fertility on Different Textured Soils: Gaining Insights for Applicability in Soil Restoration

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Sonia Chamizo

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous components of biocrust communities and the first colonizers of terrestrial ecosystems. They play multiple roles in the soil by fixing C and N and synthesizing exopolysaccharides, which increase soil fertility and water retention and improve soil structure and stability. Application of cyanobacteria as inoculants to promote biocrust development has been proposed as a novel biotechnological technique for restoring barren degraded areas and combating desertification processes in arid lands. However, previous to their widespread application under field conditions, research is needed to ensure the selection of the most suitable species. In this study, we inoculated two cyanobacterial species, Phormidium ambiguum (non N-fixing and Scytonema javanicum (N-fixing, on different textured soils (from silt loam to sandy, and analyzed cyanobacteria biocrust development and evolution of physicochemical soil properties for 3 months under laboratory conditions. Cyanobacteria inoculation led to biocrust formation in all soil types. Scanning electron microscope (SEM images showed contrasting structure of the biocrust induced by the two cyanobacteria. The one from P. ambiguum was characterized by thin filaments that enveloped soil particles and created a dense, entangled network, while the one from S. javanicum consisted of thicker filaments that grouped as bunches in between soil particles. Biocrust development, assessed by chlorophyll a content and crust spectral properties, was higher in S. javanicum-inoculated soils compared to P. ambiguum-inoculated soils. Either cyanobacteria inoculation did not increase soil hydrophobicity. S. javanicum promoted a higher increase in total organic C and total N content, while P. ambiguum was more effective in increasing total exopolysaccharide (EPS content and soil penetration resistance. The effects of cyanobacteria inoculation also differed among soil types and the highest improvement in soil

Symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterial populations trapped from soils under agroforestry systems in the Western Amazon

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Paula Marcela Duque Jaramillo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata is an important grain-producing legume that can forego nitrogen fertilization by establishing an efficient symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Although inoculating strains have already been selected for this species, little is known about the genotypic and symbiotic diversity of native rhizobia. Recently, Bradyrhizobium has been shown to be the genus most frequently trapped by cowpea in agricultural soils of the Amazon region. We investigated the genetic and symbiotic diversity of 148 bacterial strains with different phenotypic and cultural properties isolated from the nodules of the trap species cowpea, which was inoculated with samples from soils under agroforestry systems from the western Amazon. Sixty non-nodulating strains indicated a high frequency of endophytic strains in the nodules. The 88 authenticated strains had varying symbiotic efficiency. The SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development index (indirect measurement of chlorophyll content was more efficient at evaluating the contribution of symbiotic N2-fixation than shoot dry matter under axenic conditions. Cowpea-nodulating bacteria exhibited a high level of genetic diversity, with 68 genotypes identified by BOX-PCR. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed a predominance of the genus Bradyrhizobium, which accounted for 70 % of all strains sequenced. Other genera identified were Rhizobium, Ochrobactrum, Paenibacillus, Bosea, Bacillus, Enterobacter, and Stenotrophomonas. These results support the promiscuity of cowpea and demonstrate the high genetic and symbiotic diversity of rhizobia in soils under agroforestry systems, with some strains exhibiting potential for use as inoculants. The predominance of Bradyrhizobium in land uses with different plant communities and soil characteristics reflects the adaptation of this genus to the Amazon region.

Nodulation of legumes, nitrogenase activity of roots and occurrence of nitrogen-fixing Azospirillum spp. In representative soils of central Amazonia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sylvester-Bradley, R; De Oliverira, L A; De Podesta Filho, J A; John, T V

1980-12-01

Leguminosae do not predominate in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest, although they are among the five best represented families. Plant roots from various soils were examined for the presence of nodules, acetylene-reducing activity and N/sub 2/-fixing Azospirillum spp. Abundant nodulation was found in black earth (''terra preta dos indios'') and in one case on sandy soil under campinarana vegetation along a tributary of the upper Rio Negro. In sandy latosol some nodules occurred in secondary forest and fewer in primary forest. Legumes in disturbed clayey or sandy latosol showed more frequent nodulation. Primary forest on alluvial (''varzea'') soil, and in Bahia coastal rain forest on sandy latosol and Erythrina glauca used for shading cacao plantations were abundantly nodulated. Acetylene reduction assays showed no, or very little, nitrogenase activity of roots from primary or secondary forest on clayey latosol near Manaus. Nodulated roots from secondary forest on sandy latosol showed acetylene-reducing activity. High rates of acetylene reduction were observed in nodulated roots of primary forest on alluvial ''varzea'' soil. Root samples showed ethylene absorption in controls without acetylene which might interfere with the results of acetylene reduction tests. The incidence of Azospirillum was also higher in black earth than the other soils examined, and in soils with higher pH. The hypothesis that Azospirillum is associated with Trema micantha roots was refuted. Roots and soils collected under cultivated grasses showed a higher incidence of Azospirillum when fertilized with phosphorus and lime. Results indicate that nitrogen fixation did occur in association with roots in some soils, but not with roots of primary or secondary forest on clayey latosol in the vicinity of Manaus, which is the most common soil in Central Amazonia. The possible reasons for this are discussed.

Regime shift by an exotic nitrogen-fixing shrub mediates plant facilitation in primary succession.

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Adriano Stinca

Full Text Available Ecosystem invasion by non-native, nitrogen-fixing species is a global phenomenon with serious ecological consequences. However, in the Mediterranean basin few studies addressed the impact of invasion by nitrogen-fixing shrubs on soil quality and hydrological properties at local scale, and the possible effects on succession dynamics and ecosystem invasibility by further species. In this multidisciplinary study we investigated the impact of Genista aetnensis (Biv. DC., an exotic nitrogen-fixing shrub, on the Vesuvius Grand Cone (Southern Italy. Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that the invasion of G. aetnensis has a significant impact on soil quality, soil hydrological regime, local microclimate and plant community structure, and that its impact increases during the plant ontogenetic cycle. We showed that G. aetnensis, in a relatively short time-span (i.e. ~ 40 years, has been able to build-up an island of fertility under its canopy, by accumulating considerable stocks of C, N, and P in the soil, and by also improving the soil hydrological properties. Moreover, G. aetnensis mitigates the daily range of soil temperature, reducing the exposure of coexisting plants to extremely high temperatures and water loss by soil evaporation, particularly during the growing season. Such amelioration of soil quality, coupled with the mitigation of below-canopy microclimatic conditions, has enhanced plant colonization of the barren Grand Cone slopes, by both herbaceous and woody species. These results suggest that the invasion of G. aetnensis could eventually drive to the spread of other, more resource-demanding exotic species, promoting alternative successional trajectories that may dramatically affect the local landscape. Our study is the first record of the invasion of G. aetnensis, an additional example of the regime shifts driven by N-fixing shrubs in Mediterranean region. Further studies are needed to identity specific management practices that can

Degradation of [14C]isofenphos in soil in the laboratory under different soil pH's, temperatures, and moistures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou-Assaf, N.; Coats, J.R.

1987-01-01

The effects of three soil pH's, three soil temperatures, and three soil moistures on [ 14 C]isofenphos degradation were investigated. All three factors interacted strongly and significantly affected the persistence of isofenphos as well as the formation of the degradation products (p less than 1%). Isofenphos degradation was greatest at the higher temperatures 35 0 C greater than 25 0 C greater than 15 0 C (except under alkaline pH's), medium moisture 25% greater than 30% greater than 15%, and in both alkaline (pH = 8) and acidic soils (pH = 6) compared with neutral soil (pH = 7). Isofenphos oxon formation was greatest at higher temperatures 35 0 C compared with 25 0 C and 15 0 C, in acidic soil greater than neutral soil greater than alkaline soil, and under high moisture (30%) compared with the 15% and 22.5% moistures. The formation of soil-bound residues was greatest at higher temperatures 35 0 C greater than 25 0 C greater than 15 0 C, higher moisture 30% compared with 15% and 22.5%, and in alkaline soil compared with neutral and acidic soils

How changing root system architecture can help tackle a reduction in soil phosphate (P) levels for better plant P acquisition

KAUST Repository

HEPPELL, J.

2014-06-24

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The readily available global rock phosphate (P) reserves may run out within the next 50-130 years, causing soils to have a reduced P concentration which will affect plant P uptake. Using a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental data, we investigated potential plant-based options for optimizing crop P uptake in reduced soil P environments. By varying the P concentration within a well-mixed agricultural soil, for high and low P (35.5-12.5mgL-1 respectively using Olsen\\'s P index), we investigated branching distributions within a wheat root system that maximize P uptake. Changing the root branching distribution from linear (evenly spaced branches) to strongly exponential (a greater number of branches at the top of the soil) improves P uptake by 142% for low-P soils when root mass is kept constant between simulations. This causes the roots to emerge earlier and mimics topsoil foraging. Manipulating root branching patterns, to maximize P uptake, is not enough on its own to overcome the drop in soil P from high to low P. Further mechanisms have to be considered to fully understand the impact of P reduction on plant development.

Aluminium tolerance and high phosphorus efficiency helps Stylosanthes better adapt to low-P acid soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yu-Mei; Tian, Jiang; Liao, Hong; Bai, Chang-Jun; Yan, Xiao-Long; Liu, Guo-Dao

2009-06-01

Stylosanthes spp. (stylo) is one of the most important pasture legumes used in a wide range of agricultural systems on acid soils, where aluminium (Al) toxicity and phosphorus (P) deficiency are two major limiting factors for plant growth. However, physiological mechanisms of stylo adaptation to acid soils are not understood. Twelve stylo genotypes were surveyed under field conditions, followed by sand and nutrient solution culture experiments to investigate possible physiological mechanisms of stylo adaptation to low-P acid soils. Stylo genotypes varied substantially in growth and P uptake in low P conditions in the field. Three genotypes contrasting in P efficiency were selected for experiments in nutrient solution and sand culture to examine their Al tolerance and ability to utilize different P sources, including Ca-P, K-P, Al-P, Fe-P and phytate-P. Among the three tested genotypes, the P-efficient genotype 'TPRC2001-1' had higher Al tolerance than the P-inefficient genotype 'Fine-stem' as indicated by relative tap root length and haematoxylin staining. The three genotypes differed in their ability to utilize different P sources. The P-efficient genotype, 'TPRC2001-1', had superior ability to utilize phytate-P. The findings suggest that possible physiological mechanisms of stylo adaptation to low-P acid soils might involve superior ability of plant roots to tolerate Al toxicity and to utilize organic P and Al-P.

Effect of pH on saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil dispersion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suarez, D.L.; Roades, J.D.; Lavado, R.; Grieve, C.M.

The adverse effects of exchangeable sodium on soil hydraulic conductivity (K) are well known, but at present only sodicity and total electrolyte concentration are used in evaluating irrigation water suitability. In arid areas, high sodicity is often associatd with high dissolved carbonate and thus high pH, but in humid areas high sodicity may be associated with low pH. To evaluate the effect of pH (as an independent variable) on K, solutions with the same SAR and electrolyte level were prepared at pH 6, 7, 8, and 9. Saturated K values were determined at constant flux in columns packed at a bulk density of 1.5 Mg m/sup -3/. At pH 9, saturated K values were lower than at pH 6 for a montmorillonitic and kaolinitic soil. For a vermiculitic soil with lower organic carbon and higher silt content, pH changes did not cause large K differences. Decreases in K were not reversible on application of waters with higher electrolyte levels. The results from the K experiments were generally consistent with optical transmission measurements of dispersion. Although anion adsorption was at or below detection limits and cation exchange capacity (CEC) was only slightly dependent on pH, differences in pH effects on K among soils are likely due to differences in quantities of variable-charge minerals and organic matter.

Effects of Soil Oxygen Conditions and Soil pH on Remediation of DDT-contaminated Soil by Laccase from White Rot Fungi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuechun Zhao

2010-04-01

Full Text Available High residues of DDT in agricultural soils are of concern because they present serious threats to food security and human health. This article focuses on remediation of DDT-contaminated soil using laccase under different soil oxygen and soil pH conditions. The laboratory experiment results showed significant effects of soil oxygen conditions and soil pH on remediation of DDT-contaminated soil by laccase at the end of a 25-d incubation period. This study found the positive correlation between the concentration of oxygen in soil and the degradation of DDT by laccase. The residue of DDTs in soil under the atmosphere of oxygen decreased by 28.1% compared with the atmosphere of nitrogen at the end of the incubation with laccase. A similar pattern was observed in the remediation of DDT-contaminated soil by laccase under different flooding conditions, the higher the concentrations of oxygen in soil, the lower the residues of four DDT components and DDTs in soils. The residue of DDTs in the nonflooding soil declined by 16.7% compared to the flooded soil at the end of the incubation. The residues of DDTs in soils treated with laccase were lower in the pH range 2.5–4.5.

Potential for Increasing Soil Nutrient Availability via Soil Organic Matter Improvement Using Pseudo Panel Data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chavez Clemente, M.D.; Berentsen, P.B.M.; Oenema, O.; Oude Lansink, A.G.J.M.

2014-01-01

Fixed and random effect models were applied to a pseudo-panel data built of soil analysis reports from tobacco farms to analyze relationships between soil characteristics like soil organic matter (SOM) and soil nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) and to explore the potential for

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERISTIC OF NITROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA AND PHOSPHATE-SOLUBILIZING BACTERIA FROM SOIL HIGH IN MERCURY IN TAILINGS AND COMPOST AREAS OF ARTISANAL GOLD MINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yulia Nuraini

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The research was conducted at Brawijaya University and West Nusa Tenggara, from March 2013 to October 2013. The tailings areas of the gold mine contains high mercury (Hg as much as 1,090 ppm, and living microbes (resistance exist in a small number in such a condition. Microbial P solvents encountered came from the genus Bacillus with a population of 23 x 103 cfu g-1 and N-fixing bacteria encountered are of the genus Bacillus, with a population of 4 x 103 cfu g-1. Identification of species using Becton Dickinson Phoenix test, both species belong to Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus pumilus. While the waste corn and peanuts that has been composted for 4 weeks acquired P-solubilizing bacteria, such as Enterobacter, Bacillus and Pseudomonas, and N-fixing bacteria found was Pseudomonas and Azotobacter. While testing the activity and antagonism of N-fixing and P-solubilizing bacteria, the result on agar media did not show antagonism in its growth. Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus megaterium effective at 5 % molasses medium with the number of 0.15 x 1012 on seven days of incubation.

Excellent N-fixing and P-solubilizing traits in earthworm gut-isolated bacteria: A vermicompost based assessment with vegetable market waste and rice straw feed mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Nazneen; Singh, Archana; Saha, Sougata; Venkata Satish Kumar, Mattaparthi; Bhattacharyya, Pradip; Bhattacharya, Satya Sundar

2016-12-01

Vermicomposting is a dependable waste recycling technology which greatly augments N and P levels mainly through microbial action. This paper aims to identify efficient N-fixing (NFB) and P-solubilizing (PSB) bacteria from earthworm intestines. Various combinations of vegetable market waste, rice straw, and cowdung were fed to two earthworm species (Eisenia fetida and Perionyx excavatus). Total organic C decreased, pH shifted towards neutrality, and NPK availability, and microbial (NFB, PSB, and total bacteria) population increased remarkably during vermicomposting with E. fetida. Therefore, 45 NFB and 34 PSB strains isolated from Eisenia gut were initially screened, their inter-dominance assessed, and 8 prolific strains were identified through 16SrRNA sequencing. Interestingly, two novel N-fixing strains of Kluyvera ascorbata emerged as an efficient biofertilizer candidate. Moreover, both N-fixing and P-solubilizing strains of Serratia and Bacillus were isolated from earthworm gut. All the isolated strains significantly improved soil health and facilitated crop growth as compared to commercial biofertilizers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of the degree of soil P saturation from Brazilian Mehlich-1 P data and field investigations on P losses from agricultural sites in Minas Gerais.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, P; Pöthig, R; Gücker, B; Venohr, M

The degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS) of agricultural soils is studied worldwide for risk assessment of phosphorus (P) losses. In previous studies, DPS could be reliably estimated from water-soluble P (WSP) for European and Brazilian soils. In the present study, we correlated measured WSP and Mehlich-1 P (M1P) from soils of Minas Gerais (MG) and Pernambuco (PE) (R(2) = 0.94, n = 59) to create a DPS map from monitoring data. The resulting DPS map showed high spatial variability and low values of DPS (54 ± 22%, mean and standard deviation; n = 1,827). Measured soil DPS values amounted to 63 ± 14% and resulted in relatively low dissolved P concentrations measured in a surface runoff study in MG. However, fertilizer grains on the soil surface led to high WSP values (>30 mg/kg) indicating high risks of dissolved P losses. We suppose that small Oxisol particles with Fe and Al hydroxides sorbed most of the dissolved fertilizer P in runoff so that P was mainly exported in particulate form. In soils with lower contents of P sorption and binding partners, e.g. Entisols in PE, this effect may be less dominant. Consequently, superficial fertilizer effects have to be considered in addition to DPS in risk assessment of P losses from agricultural areas in Brazil.

Novel chelating agents for iron, manganese, zinc, and copper mixed fertilisation in high pH soil-less cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Rayo, Sandra; Nadal, Paloma; Lucena, Juan J

2016-03-15

Studies about simultaneous fertilisation with several micronutrients have increased in recent years, as Fe, Mn and Zn deficiencies may appear in the same culture conditions. In fertigation, the replacement of sulfates by synthetic chelates is essential in areas with high pH irrigation water and substrates. Ethylenediamine-N-(2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid)-N'-(4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) (o,p-EDDHA) and ethylenediamine disuccinic acid (EDDS) are novel chelating agents whose efficacy in simultaneous fertilisation of Zn, Mn and Cu is unknown. This work evaluates the effectiveness of both ligands compared to traditional ligands (EDTA, HEEDTA and DTPA) applied as micronutrient chelate mixtures to soybean and navy bean plants grown in soil-less cultures at high pH by analysing the SPAD and micronutrient nutritional status, including the Composition Nutritional Diagnosis (CND) analysis tool. The application of micronutrients using o,p-EDDHA was more effective in providing Mn and Zn than traditional ligands or sulfates. The application using EDDS increased the Zn nutrition. The results are well correlated with the chemical stability of the formulations. The combined application of Mn and Zn as o,p-EDDHA chelates can represent a more effective source than traditional chelates in micronutrient fertiliser mixtures in soil-less cultures at a high pH. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nitrogen fertilization has a stronger effect on soil nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities than elevated atmospheric CO2.

Science.gov (United States)

Berthrong, Sean T; Yeager, Chris M; Gallegos-Graves, Laverne; Steven, Blaire; Eichorst, Stephanie A; Jackson, Robert B; Kuske, Cheryl R

2014-05-01

Biological nitrogen fixation is the primary supply of N to most ecosystems, yet there is considerable uncertainty about how N-fixing bacteria will respond to global change factors such as increasing atmospheric CO2 and N deposition. Using the nifH gene as a molecular marker, we studied how the community structure of N-fixing soil bacteria from temperate pine, aspen, and sweet gum stands and a brackish tidal marsh responded to multiyear elevated CO2 conditions. We also examined how N availability, specifically, N fertilization, interacted with elevated CO2 to affect these communities in the temperate pine forest. Based on data from Sanger sequencing and quantitative PCR, the soil nifH composition in the three forest systems was dominated by species in the Geobacteraceae and, to a lesser extent, Alphaproteobacteria. The N-fixing-bacterial-community structure was subtly altered after 10 or more years of elevated atmospheric CO2, and the observed shifts differed in each biome. In the pine forest, N fertilization had a stronger effect on nifH community structure than elevated CO2 and suppressed the diversity and abundance of N-fixing bacteria under elevated atmospheric CO2 conditions. These results indicate that N-fixing bacteria have complex, interacting responses that will be important for understanding ecosystem productivity in a changing climate.

Soil Structure Interaction Effect on High Rise and Low Rise Buildings

OpenAIRE

Divya Pathak; PAresh H. SHAH

2000-01-01

Effect of supporting soil on the response of structure has been analyzed in the present study. A low rise (G+ 5 storey) and a high rise (G+12 storey) building has been taken for the analysis. For both type of buildings, the response of building with and without consideration of soil structure interaction effect has been compared.Without interaction case is the case in which ends of the structure are assumed to be fixed while in interaction case, structure is assumed to be...

Effect of land use on some soil chemical properties and P fractions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Land use directly or indirectly affects the soil chemical properties and phosphorus fractions. Two different land use types were studied. Soil chemical analysis and phosphorus fractionation of the soils was then done and the results were highly significant (p<0.001). Total C, N and P were low under the arable land use as ...

Soil recovery after removal of the N2-fixing invasive Acacia longifolia: consequences for ecosystem restoration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marchante, Elizabete; Kjøller, Annelise Helene; Struwe, Sten

2009-01-01

Invasion by Acacia longifolia alters soil characteristics and processes. The present study was conducted to determine if the changes in soil C and N pools and processes induced by A. longifolia persist after its removal, at the São Jacinto Dunes Nature Reserve (Portugal). Some areas had been...... invaded for a long time (>20 years) and others more recently (Soil samples...... decrease (>54% and >95%, respectively) after removal of both A. longifolia and litter. Our results suggest that after removal of an N2-fixing invasive tree that changes ecosystem-level processes, it takes several years before soil nutrients and processes return to pre-invasion levels, but this legacy...

Estimation of p,p'-DDT degradation in soil by modeling and constraining hydrological and biogeochemical controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanka, Ondrej; Kalina, Jiri; Lin, Yan; Deutscher, Jan; Futter, Martyn; Butterfield, Dan; Melymuk, Lisa; Brabec, Karel; Nizzetto, Luca

2018-08-01

Despite not being used for decades in most countries, DDT remains ubiquitous in soils due to its persistence and intense past usage. Because of this it is still a pollutant of high global concern. Assessing long term dissipation of DDT from this reservoir is fundamental to understand future environmental and human exposure. Despite a large research effort, key properties controlling fate in soil (in particular, the degradation half-life (τ soil )) are far from being fully quantified. This paper describes a case study in a large central European catchment where hundreds of measurements of p,p'-DDT concentrations in air, soil, river water and sediment are available for the last two decades. The goal was to deliver an integrated estimation of τ soil by constraining a state-of-the-art hydrobiogeochemical-multimedia fate model of the catchment against the full body of empirical data available for this area. The INCA-Contaminants model was used for this scope. Good predictive performance against an (external) dataset of water and sediment concentrations was achieved with partitioning properties taken from the literature and τ soil estimates obtained from forcing the model against empirical historical data of p,p'-DDT in the catchment multicompartments. This approach allowed estimation of p,p'-DDT degradation in soil after taking adequate consideration of losses due to runoff and volatilization. Estimated τ soil ranged over 3000-3800 days. Degradation was the most important loss process, accounting on a yearly basis for more than 90% of the total dissipation. The total dissipation flux from the catchment soils was one order of magnitude higher than the total current atmospheric input estimated from atmospheric concentrations, suggesting that the bulk of p,p'-DDT currently being remobilized or lost is essentially that accumulated over two decades ago. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Invasive scotch broom alters soil chemical properties in Douglas-fir forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Robert A. Slesak; Timothy B. Harrington; Anthony W. D′Amato

2016-01-01

Backgrounds and aims Scotch broom is an N-fixing invasive species that has high potential to alter soil properties. We compared soil from areas of Scotch broom invasion with nearby areas that had no evidence of invasion to assess the influence of broom on soil P fractions and other chemical properties. Methods The study was...

Soil 13C–15N dynamics in an N2-fixing clover system under long-term exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groenigen, van C.J.; Six, J.; Harris, D.; Blum, H.; Kessel, van C.

2003-01-01

Reduced soil N availability under elevated CO2 may limit the plant's capacity to increase photosynthesis and thus the potential for increased soil C input. Plant productivity and soil C input should be less constrained by available soil N in an N2-fixing system. We studied the effects of Trifolium

The role of soil pH on soil carbonic anhydrase activity

Science.gov (United States)

Sauze, Joana; Jones, Sam P.; Wingate, Lisa; Wohl, Steven; Ogée, Jérôme

2018-01-01

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are metalloenzymes present in plants and microorganisms that catalyse the interconversion of CO2 and water to bicarbonate and protons. Because oxygen isotopes are also exchanged during this reaction, the presence of CA also modifies the contribution of soil and plant CO18O fluxes to the global budget of atmospheric CO18O. The oxygen isotope signatures (δ18O) of these fluxes differ as leaf water pools are usually more enriched than soil water pools, and this difference is used to partition the net CO2 flux over land into soil respiration and plant photosynthesis. Nonetheless, the use of atmospheric CO18O as a tracer of land surface CO2 fluxes requires a good knowledge of soil CA activity. Previous studies have shown that significant differences in soil CA activity are found in different biomes and seasons, but our understanding of the environmental and ecological drivers responsible for the spatial and temporal patterns observed in soil CA activity is still limited. One factor that has been overlooked so far is pH. Soil pH is known to strongly influence microbial community composition, richness and diversity in addition to governing the speciation of CO2 between the different carbonate forms. In this study we investigated the CO2-H2O isotopic exchange rate (kiso) in six soils with pH varying from 4.5 to 8.5. We also artificially increased the soil CA concentration to test how pH and other soil properties (texture and phosphate content) affected the relationship between kiso and CA concentration. We found that soil pH was the primary driver of kiso after CA addition and that the chemical composition (i.e. phosphate content) played only a secondary role. We also found an offset between the δ18O of the water pool with which CO2 equilibrates and total soil water (i.e. water extracted by vacuum distillation) that varied with soil texture. The reasons for this offset are still unknown.

The role of soil pH on soil carbonic anhydrase activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Sauze

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Carbonic anhydrases (CAs are metalloenzymes present in plants and microorganisms that catalyse the interconversion of CO2 and water to bicarbonate and protons. Because oxygen isotopes are also exchanged during this reaction, the presence of CA also modifies the contribution of soil and plant CO18O fluxes to the global budget of atmospheric CO18O. The oxygen isotope signatures (δ18O of these fluxes differ as leaf water pools are usually more enriched than soil water pools, and this difference is used to partition the net CO2 flux over land into soil respiration and plant photosynthesis. Nonetheless, the use of atmospheric CO18O as a tracer of land surface CO2 fluxes requires a good knowledge of soil CA activity. Previous studies have shown that significant differences in soil CA activity are found in different biomes and seasons, but our understanding of the environmental and ecological drivers responsible for the spatial and temporal patterns observed in soil CA activity is still limited. One factor that has been overlooked so far is pH. Soil pH is known to strongly influence microbial community composition, richness and diversity in addition to governing the speciation of CO2 between the different carbonate forms. In this study we investigated the CO2–H2O isotopic exchange rate (kiso in six soils with pH varying from 4.5 to 8.5. We also artificially increased the soil CA concentration to test how pH and other soil properties (texture and phosphate content affected the relationship between kiso and CA concentration. We found that soil pH was the primary driver of kiso after CA addition and that the chemical composition (i.e. phosphate content played only a secondary role. We also found an offset between the δ18O of the water pool with which CO2 equilibrates and total soil water (i.e. water extracted by vacuum distillation that varied with soil texture. The reasons for this offset are still unknown.

The critical soil P levels for crop yield, soil fertility and environmental safety in different soil types

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bai, Z.H.; Li, H.G.; Yang, X.Y.; Zhou, B.K.; Shi, X.J.; Wang, B.R.; Li, D.C.; Shen, J.B.; Chen, Q.; Qin, W.; Oenema, O.; Zhang, F.S.

2013-01-01

Sufficient soil phosphorus (P) is important for achieving optimal crop production, but excessive soil P levels may create a risk of P losses and associated eutrophication of surface waters. The aim of this study was to determine critical soil P levels for achieving optimal crop yields and minimal P

Influence of soil γ-irradiation and spiking on sorption of p,p'-DDE and soil organic matter chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Škulcová, Lucia; Scherr, Kerstin E; Chrást, Lukáš; Hofman, Jakub; Bielská, Lucie

2018-07-15

The fate of organic chemicals and their metabolites in soils is often investigated in model matrices having undergone various pre-treatment steps that may qualitatively or quantitatively interfere with the results. Presently, effects associated with soil sterilization by γ-irradiation and soil spiking using an organic solvent were studied in one freshly spiked soil (sterilization prior to contamination) and its field-contaminated (sterilization after contamination) counterpart for the model organic compound 1,1-Dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethene (p,p'-DDE). Changes in the sorption and potential bioavailability of spiked and native p,p'-DDE were measured by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), XAD-assisted extraction (XAD), and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and linked to qualitative changes in soil organic matter (SOM) chemistry measured by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy. Reduced sorption of p,p´-DDE detected with XAD and SPME was associated more clearly with spiking than with sterilization, but SFE showed a negligible impact. Spiking resulted in an increase of the DRIFT-derived hydrophobicity index, but irradiation did not. Spectral peak height ratio descriptors indicated increasing hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity in pristine soil following sterilization, and a greater reduction of hydrophobic over hydrophilic groups as a consequence of spiking. In parallel, reduced sorption of p,p´-DDE upon spiking was observed. Based on the present samples, γ-irradiation appears to alter soil sorptive properties to a lesser extent when compared to common laboratory processes such as spiking with organic solvents. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Soil P forms and P uptake under intensive plant growth in the greenhouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henriquez, Carlos; Killorn, Randy

2005-01-01

The concentration of available soil (P) is a function of the equilibrium established among different soil P forms through numerous and different reactions in soil. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in P forms and P supply under exhaustive extraction conditions in soils from 3 different land use areas. In order to establish a greenhouse experiment, representative soil samples (0-20 cm) were taken from three fields located adjacent to one another, in a Typic Hapludands in Costa Rica. One field was a coffee plantation (Coffea arabica var Catuai), the second a sugar cane plantation (Saccarum spp. var 611721), and the third a secondary forest. Sorghum bicolor var Glazer 41) was planted in 1-liter pots and harvested 4 times consecutively. Treatments were no P and P application (100 mg kg -1 ) for each of the different land-use soil samples. Shoot and root dry matter and total P uptake were determined. Soil samples were taken before and after each of the 4 plant growth cycles and analyzed using a modified Hedley et al. (1982) soil P fractionation methodology. Labile-Pi, NaOH-Pi, HCI-Pi, extractable-Po, and residual -P were determined. Applied P increased labile-Pi, NaOH-Pi and HCI-Pi. Statistical changes were not observed in extractable organic P and residual-P due to P application. The NaOH-Pi and HCI-Pi seemed to act as a temporary pool of applied P. The possible participation of residual-P in replenishment of labile-P and NaOH-Pi was observed. The amount of plant P untake was closely related to the initial amount of labile-Pi and was higher in coffee than in forest and sugar cane soils. The labile-P was depleted by plant uptake. Rapid changes in reversibly available soil P forms (NaOH-Pi and HCI-Pi) were observed during the experiment. Our results suggest the occurrence of very rapid and dynamic changes between available and unavailable soil P forms in response to fertilizer application and plant uptake, supporting the idea of a continuum among the

Lead, zinc and pHconcentrationsof Enyigba soils in Abakaliki Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-07-18

Jul 18, 2008 ... Lead is relatively unavailable to plants when the soil pH is above 6.5, while availability of zinc ... zinc, in a soil is available for uptake by plants or move- ment down the soil profile depends on a range of .... incineration as manure including the natural occurrence of rock or ore bodies with high levels of trace ...

Increased P diffusion as an explanation of increased P availability in flooded rice soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, F.T.; Gilliam, J.W.

1976-01-01

Phosphorus supply factors (capacity, kinetic, intensity, and diffusivity) and plant growth were the approaches used to assess P supply of flooded rice soils. Increases in the capacity, intensity and kinetic factors, as measured by E-value, solution P concentration, and soil P release rate to a distilled water 'sink' respectively, were unpronounced and infrequent upon water-saturation of ten soils. However, increases in the diffusivity factor, as measured by 32 P diffusion coefficients, were at least ten-fold as soil moisture increased. The greatest increases in P diffusion occurred as soil moisture increased beyond one-third bar. Using a P-fertilized soil or P treated powdered cellulose as the P source and a minus P nutrient solution to nourish a split root system with water and nutrients, data were obtained which suggested that P uptake and rice shoot growth (indicators of P availability) increased with increasing moisture level. Phosphorus uptake and rice-shoot growth were greatest when the soil or P treated cellulose were water-saturated. These data indicate that increased soil P availability upon flooding can be attributed to an increase in the diffusivity factor

Inorganic phosphorus fractionation and its translocation dynamics in a low-P soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, J.C.; Wang, Z.G.; Zhou, J.; Jiang, H.M.; Zhang, J.F.; Pan, P.; Han, Z.; Lu, C.; Li, L.L.; Ge, C.L.

2012-01-01

The translocation of different inorganic phosphorus (Pi) forms in a low-P soil (Langfang experimental station, Hebei province, China) over time was investigated using P fractionation extraction and a 32 P tracer technique. The L-value and P availability of the soil was assessed using 5 different maize genotype (Zea mays L.) cultivars. The results showed that the different Pi fractions in the soil increased in the order of H 2 SO 4 -extractable P (Ca 10 –P) > Na 3 C 6 H 5 O 7 –Na 2 S 2 O 4 -extractable P (O–P) > NH 4 Ac-extractable P (Ca 8 –P) > NaHCO 3 -extractable P (Ca 2 –P), NH 4 F-extractable P (Al–P), NaOH–Na 2 CO 3 -extractable P (Fe–P), and the content of plant-unavailable P (Ca 10 –P + O–P) was high, up to 79.1%, which might be an important reason for P deficiency in this low-P soil. The 32 P tracer results showed that after the addition of 32 P-Pi to the soil with no P fertilizer applied for 25 d, 29.0% of 32 P was quickly transformed into Ca 2 –P (rapidly available P), and 66.1% of 32 P was transformed into Al–P, Fe–P and Ca 8 –P (slowly available P). Only 5.0% of 32 P was transformed into O–P and Ca 10 –P (plant-unavailable P). Moreover, in the soil with P fertilizer applied, 32 P transformation into Ca 2 –P increased, and the transformation into Ca 8 –P + Fe–P + AL–P and O–P, Ca 10 –P significantly decreased compared to the soil with no P fertilizer applied (p 32 P tracer. ► L-value and P availability assessed using 5 maize genotype. ► Observed higher rate of P transformation to unavailable P in deficient soil than in sufficient. ► Different genotypes had different soil P-use efficiency and low-P tolerance mechanisms.

Stress tolerant crops from nitrogen fixing trees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, R.; Saunders, R.M.

1983-01-01

Notes are given on the nutritional quality and uses of: pods of Geoffroea decorticans, a species tolerant of saline and limed soils and saline water; seeds of Olneya tesota which nodulates readily and fixes nitrogen and photosynthesizes at low water potential; and pods of Prosopis chilensis and P. tamarugo which tolerate long periods without rain. 3 references.

The status of phosphorus in Thai soils and P evaluation using EDTA-NaF extraction method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toru Matoh

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Although the available P extracted by Bray II method in tropical soil is low, most of tropical plants can grow well. The objective of this study was to study P status and to evaluate the available P extracted by EDTA-NaF method. Top soil and sub soil of 10 dominant soil series in Thailand were analyzed for some chemical properties and characterization of the forms of phosphorus using EDTA-NaF extraction and successive phosphorus extraction by the modified Sekiya method. The soil total P concentration was 38-1137 mg P2O5 kg-1. The available Bray II-P was very low to high (1-76 mg P2O5 kg-1, and it approximated 0.17-12% of the total P. Iron and aluminum phosphates were the main fraction of inorganic P in acid soil, whereas Ca phosphates were in calcareous soils. Organic P content accounted for 33-67% and most of them were bound with Fe and Al in acid soils and Ca in calcareous soils. P extracted by EDTA-NaF reagent was obviously larger than that of Bray II reagent. The EDTA-NaF extracted P [high molecular weight organic P (HMWP+ inorganic P (EDTA ext Pi] was 7-46% and 1-6% of total P in acid soils and calcareous soils respectively. The EDTA ext Pi tended to be larger than HMWP except in Tk soil. The total amount of extracted P correlated well with Al-Pi and Fe-Pi which were the main fraction of inorganic P. It also correlated with HMWP, but HMWP did not correlate with organic P determine by ignition method and Ca-Po, Fe-Po and Al-Po. The EDTA-NaF method may be suitable for P evaluation in the soils which have high amounts of Fe-Pi, Al -Pi and organic P widely distributed in Thailand.

Effect of N and P addition on soil organic C potential mineralization in forest soils in South China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

OUYANG Xuejun; ZHOU Guoyi; HUANG Zhongliang; ZHOU Cunyu; LI Jiong; SHI Junhui; ZHANG Deqiang

2008-01-01

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is at a high level in some forests of South China. The effects of addition of exogenous N and P on soil organic carbon mineralization were studied to address: (1) if the atmospheric N deposition promotes soil C storage through decreasing mineralization; (2) if the soil available P is a limitation to organic carbon mineralization. Soils (0-10 cm) was sampled from monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest (MEBF), coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest (CBMF), and Pinus massoniana forest (PMF) in Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve (located in Gnangdong Province, China). The soils were incubated at 25℃ for 45 weeks, with addition of N (NH4NO3 solution) or P (KH2PO4 solution). CO2-C emission and the inorganic N (NH4+-N and NO3--N) of the soils were determined during the incubation. The results showed that CO2-C emission decreased with the N addition. The addition of P led to a short-term sharp increase in CO2 emission after P application, and the responses of CO2-C evolution to P addition in the later period of incubation related to forest types. Strong P inhibition to CO2 emission occurred in both PMF and CBMF soils in the later incubation. The two-pool kinetic model was fitted well to the data for C turnover in this experiment. The model analysis demonstrated that the addition of N and P changed the distribution of soil organic C between the labile and recalcitrant pool, as well as their mineralization rates. In our experiment, soil pH can not completely explain the negative effect of N addition on CO2-C emission. The changes of soil inorganic N during incubation seemed to support the hypothesis that the polymerization of added nitrogen with soil organic compound by abiotic reactions during incubation made the added nitrogen retard the soil organic carbon mineralization. We conclude that atmospheric N deposition contributes to soil C accretion in the three subtropical forest ecosystems, however, the shortage of soil available P in CBMF and

Soil pH mapping with an on-the-go sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Schirrmann, Michael; Gebbers, Robin; Kramer, Eckart; Seidel, Jan

2011-01-01

Soil pH is a key parameter for crop productivity, therefore, its spatial variation should be adequately addressed to improve precision management decisions. Recently, the Veris pH Manager™, a sensor for high-resolution mapping of soil pH at the field scale, has been made commercially available in the US. While driving over the field, soil pH is measured on-the-go directly within the soil by ion selective antimony electrodes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Veris pH Manager™ under farming conditions in Germany. Sensor readings were compared with data obtained by standard protocols of soil pH assessment. Experiments took place under different scenarios: (a) controlled tests in the lab, (b) semicontrolled test on transects in a stop-and-go mode, and (c) tests under practical conditions in the field with the sensor working in its typical on-the-go mode. Accuracy issues, problems, options, and potential benefits of the Veris pH Manager™ were addressed. The tests demonstrated a high degree of linearity between standard laboratory values and sensor readings. Under practical conditions in the field (scenario c), the measure of fit (r(2)) for the regression between the on-the-go measurements and the reference data was 0.71, 0.63, and 0.84, respectively. Field-specific calibration was necessary to reduce systematic errors. Accuracy of the on-the-go maps was considerably higher compared with the pH maps obtained by following the standard protocols, and the error in calculating lime requirements was reduced by about one half. However, the system showed some weaknesses due to blockage by residual straw and weed roots. If these problems were solved, the on-the-go sensor investigated here could be an efficient alternative to standard sampling protocols as a basis for liming in Germany.

Effects of flooding on phosphorus and iron mobilization in highly weathered soils: Short-term effects and mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Maranguit, Deejay

2017-04-01

The strong affinity of phosphorus (P) to iron (Fe) oxides and hydroxides in highly weathered tropical soils limits P availability and therefore plant productivity. In flooded soils, however, P fixed by Fe oxides and hydroxides can be released and transformed to a more available form because of Fe3+ reduction to Fe2+. These P dynamics in flooded soils are well documented for rice paddies. Such effects are much less studied in other land-use types under the influence of seasonal flooding, especially in the tropics during heavy monsoon rains. The aim of this study was to investigate the mobilization of P during flooding leading to anaerobic conditions in topsoil and subsoil horizons depending on land-use type. Samples were collected in highly weathered soils from four replicate sites under natural rainforest, jungle rubber, rubber and oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. Topsoil and subsoil were taken to ensure a wide range of soil organic matter (SOM) and P contents. Soils were incubated under anaerobic, flooded conditions at 30 ± 1 oC for 60 days. Our results confirmed the hypothesis that soil flooding mobilizes P and increases P availability. Two distinct and opposite phases, however, were observed upon flooding. During the first three weeks of flooding, the dissolved P (DP) concentration peaked, simultaneously with a peak of dissolved Fe2+ (DFe2+) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the soil solution. After three weeks, P availability in soils decreased, although Fe-P and available P did not reach initial, pre-flooding levels. Accordingly, Fe dissolution and P mobilization were reversible processes. Furthermore, land-use type influenced the impacts of flooding on P and Fe forms mainly in the topsoil, where P dissolution and availability were generally higher under forest and, to a lesser extent, under jungle rubber. A positive correlation between DOC and DFe2+ (R2 = 0.42) in topsoil indicates that the intensity of microbially-mediated Fe3+ reduction is

Regional analysis of groundwater phosphate concentrations under acidic sandy soils: Edaphic factors and water table strongly mediate the soil P-groundwater P relation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mabilde, Lisa; De Neve, Stefaan; Sleutel, Steven

2017-12-01

Historic long-term P application to sandy soils in NW-Europe has resulted in abundant sorption, saturation and eventually leaching of P from soil to the groundwater. Although many studies recognize the control of site-specific factors like soil texture and phosphate saturation degree (PSD), the regional-scaled relevance of effects exerted by single factors controlling P leaching is unclear. Very large observational datasets of soil and groundwater P content are furthermore required to reveal indirect controls of soil traits through mediating soil variables. We explored co-variation of phreatic groundwater orthophosphate (o-P) concentration and soil factors in sandy soils in Flanders, Belgium. Correlation analyses were complemented with an exploratory model derived using 'path analysis'. Data of oxalate-extractable Al, Fe, P and pH KCl , phosphate sorption capacity (PSC) and PSD in three depth layers (0-30, 30-60, 60-90 cm), topsoil SOC, % clay and groundwater depth (fluctuation) were interpolated to predict soil properties on exact locations of a very extensive net of groundwater monitoring wells. The mean PSD was only poorly correlated to groundwater o-P concentration, indicating the overriding control of other factors in the transport of P to the groundwater. A significant (P soil pH and groundwater table depth than by PSD indicates the likely oversimplification of the latter index to measure the long-term potential risk of P leaching. Accounting for controls on leaching not included in PSD via an alternative index, however, seems problematic as in Flanders for example groundwater o-P turned out to be higher in finer textured soils or soils with higher pedogenic Fe content, probably because of their lower pedogenic Al content and higher soil pH. Path analysis of extensive soil and groundwater datasets seems a viable way to identify prime local determinants of soil P leaching and could be further on used for 'ground-truthing' more complex P-migration simulation

Alkaline extraction: can it be used for the removal of 137Cs from soil?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nageldinger, G.; Flowers, A.; Entwistle, J.

1998-01-01

A titration extraction procedure was applied to a silty clay which was spiked with 137 Cs. At least 20% of spiked 137 Cs silty clay was found to be associated with the humic acid (HA) fraction. This shows that HA contributes significantly to cesium fixing in soil and cesium is not only fixed between regular ion exchange complexes (REC) and specific sites in the frayed edges of clay minerals (FES). About 85% of 137 Cs was found in the 12M HCl extract. The titration extraction procedure was found useful for investigation of the impact of the soil pH on the radiocesium mobility. Only trace amounts of cesium were found between pH 1 to 7, demonstrating a high immobility of cesium over this pH range. If the alkaline digestion is applied to soil for the removal of radiocesium, then these can be significantly separated from the extract by protonation of the extracted HA. (P.A.)

Effect of Fixed Orthodontic Treatment on Salivary Flow, pH and Microbial Count

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sepideh Arab

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The present study was designed to evaluate the changes in saliva properties and oral microbial flora in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.Materials and Methods: Two important saliva properties namely the salivary flow rate and pH as well as oral microbial flora were assessed in 30 orthodontic patients before starting fixed orthodontic treatment and after six, 12 and 18 weeks of treatment. Selective media, Sabouraud dextrose agar, Mitis salivarius agar and Rogosa agar were used for isolation of Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using Friedman and Dunn’s tests. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: After six, 12 and 18 weeks of commencing fixed orthodontic treatment, the total colony counts of Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus showed a significant increase. The saliva pH decreased during the orthodontic treatment (P< 0.05 while the salivary flow did not change significantly. Conclusions: Fixed orthodontic treatment causes major changes in the saliva properties. The changes in oral microflora and saliva properties show the importance of caries preventive measures during orthodontic treatment.

Soil solution interactions may limit Pb remediation using P ...

Science.gov (United States)

Lead (Pb) contaminated soils are a potential exposure hazard to the public. Amending soils with phosphorus (P) may reduce Pb soil hazards. Soil from Cleveland, OH containing 726 ± 14 mg Pb kg-1 was amended in a laboratory study with bone meal and triple super phosphate (TSP) at 5:1 P:Pb molar ratios. Soil was acidified, neturalized and re-acidified to encourage Pb phosphate formation. PRSTM-probes were used to evaluate changes in soil solution chemistry. Soil acidification did not decrease in vitro bioaccessible (IVBA) Pb using either a pH 1.5, 0.4 M glycine solution or a pH 2.5 solution with organic acids. PRSTM-probe data found soluble Pb increased 10-fold in acidic conditions compared to circumnetural pH conditions. In acidic conditions (p = 3-4), TSP treated soils increased detected P 10-fold over untreated soils. Bone meal application did not increase PRSTM-probe detected P, indicating there may have been insufficient P to react with Pb. X-ray absorption spectroscopy suggested a 10% increase in pyromorphite formation for the TSP treated soil only. Treatments increased soil electrical conductivity above 16 mS cm-1, potentially causing a new salinity hazard. This study used a novel approach by combining the human ingestion endpoint, PRSTM-probes, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy to evaluate treatment efficacy. PRSTM-probe data indicated potentially excess Ca relative to P across incubation steps that could have competed with Pb for soluble P. Mor

Biochar contribution to soil pH buffer capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Tonutare, Tonu; Krebstein, Kadri; Utso, Maarius; Rodima, Ako; Kolli, Raimo; Shanskiy, Merrit

2014-05-01

Biochar as ecologically clean and stable form of carbon has complex of physical and chemical properties which make it a potentially powerful soil amendment (Mutezo, 2013). Therefore during the last decade the biochar application as soil amendment has been a matter for a great number of investigations. For the ecological viewpoint the trend of decreasing of soil organic matter in European agricultural land is a major problem. Society is faced with the task to find possibilities to stabilize or increase soil organic matter content in soil and quality. The availability of different functional groups (e.g. carboxylic, phenolic, acidic, alcoholic, amine, amide) allows soil organic matter to buffer over a wide range of soil pH values (Krull et al. 2004). Therefore the loss of soil organic matter also reduces cation exchange capacity resulting in lower nutrient retention (Kimetu et al. 2008). Biochar can retain elements in soil directly through the negative charge that develops on its surfaces, and this negative charge can buffer acidity in the soil. There are lack of investigations about the effect of biochar to soil pH buffering properties, The aim of our investigation was to investigate the changes in soil pH buffer capacity in a result of addition of carbonizated material to temperate region soils. In the experiment different kind of softwood biochars, activated carbon and different soil types with various organic matter and pH were used. The study soils were Albeluvisols, Leptosols, Cambisols, Regosols and Histosols . In the experiment the series of the soil: biochar mixtures with the biochar content 0 to 100% were used. The times of equiliberation between solid and liquid phase were from 1 to 168 hours. The suspension of soil: biochar mixtures was titrated with HCl solution. The titration curves were established and pH buffer capacities were calculated for the pH interval from 3.0 to 10.0. The results demonstrate the dependence of pH buffer capacity from soil type

Fractionation of applied 32P labeled TSP in calcareous soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asfary, A.F.; Al-Merey, R.; Al-Hameish, M.

2005-01-01

Calcareous dark brown red soil (calcixerollic xerochrept) from northern Syria was used in a pot experiment to study the fate of triple super phosphate fertilizer (TSP) with and without a crop (Local durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. group durum (Desf)) c v. Bohouth). The soil received 17μg P/g soil of 32 P labeled TSP, and samples were collected from soils and plants at successive dates. Soil inorganic P was ≅94% of total soil P, with only 50-80% being soluble. Calcium phosphate compounds were the dominant fraction (≤68%) of the soluble inorganic soil P followed by occluded iron phosphate (≤48%) and all other fractions were ≤9%. Isotopic measurements showed that ≅ 50% of fertilizer P was nonexchangeable within 2 days, and TSP values in each fraction of soil inorganic P fluctuated in relatively similar proportions to the concentrations of fractions in soil. Available P (soil and TSP) in cropped soil was more than that in the uncropped soil, and plants had no effect on the distribution of P from fertilizer amongst the different P fractions. (author)

Influence of pH on pesticide sorption by soil containing wheat residue-derived char

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng Guangyao; Yang Yaning; Huang Minsheng; Yang Kai

2005-01-01

Field burning of crop residues incorporates resulting chars into soil and may thus influence the environmental fate of pesticides in the soil. This study evaluated the influence of pH on the sorption of diuron, bromoxynil, and ametryne by a soil in the presence and absence of a wheat residue-derived char. The sorption was measured at pHs ∼3.0 and ∼7.0. Wheat char was found to be a highly effective sorbent for the pesticides, and its presence (1% by weight) in soil contributed >70% to the pesticide sorption (with one exception). The sorption of diuron was not influenced by pH, due to its electroneutrality. Bromoxynil becomes dissociated at high pHs to form anionic species. Its sorption by soil and wheat char was lower at pH ∼7.0 than at pH ∼3.0, probably due to reduced partition of the anionic species of bromoxynil into soil organic matter and its weak interaction with the carbon surface of the char. Ametryne in its molecular form at pH ∼7.0 was sorbed by char-amended soil via partitioning into soil organic matter and interaction with the carbon surface of the char. Protonated ametryne at pH ∼3.0 was substantially sorbed by soil primarily via electrostatic forces. Sorption of protonated ametryne by wheat char was also significant, likely due not only to the interaction with the carbon surface but also to interactions with hydrated silica and surface functional groups of the char. Sorption of ametryne by char-amended soil at pH ∼3.0 was thus influenced by both the soil and the char. Environmental conditions may thus significantly influence the sorption and behavior of pesticides in agricultural soils containing crop residue-derived chars. - Wheat char was effective for adsorption of pesticides in soil, with efficacy varying with pH and particular pesticides

Influence of pH on pesticide sorption by soil containing wheat residue-derived char

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheng Guangyao [Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States)]. E-mail: gsheng@uark.edu; Yang Yaning [Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States); Huang Minsheng [Department of Environmental Science and Technology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China); Yang Kai [Department of Environmental Science and Technology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China)

2005-04-01

Field burning of crop residues incorporates resulting chars into soil and may thus influence the environmental fate of pesticides in the soil. This study evaluated the influence of pH on the sorption of diuron, bromoxynil, and ametryne by a soil in the presence and absence of a wheat residue-derived char. The sorption was measured at pHs {approx}3.0 and {approx}7.0. Wheat char was found to be a highly effective sorbent for the pesticides, and its presence (1% by weight) in soil contributed >70% to the pesticide sorption (with one exception). The sorption of diuron was not influenced by pH, due to its electroneutrality. Bromoxynil becomes dissociated at high pHs to form anionic species. Its sorption by soil and wheat char was lower at pH {approx}7.0 than at pH {approx}3.0, probably due to reduced partition of the anionic species of bromoxynil into soil organic matter and its weak interaction with the carbon surface of the char. Ametryne in its molecular form at pH {approx}7.0 was sorbed by char-amended soil via partitioning into soil organic matter and interaction with the carbon surface of the char. Protonated ametryne at pH {approx}3.0 was substantially sorbed by soil primarily via electrostatic forces. Sorption of protonated ametryne by wheat char was also significant, likely due not only to the interaction with the carbon surface but also to interactions with hydrated silica and surface functional groups of the char. Sorption of ametryne by char-amended soil at pH {approx}3.0 was thus influenced by both the soil and the char. Environmental conditions may thus significantly influence the sorption and behavior of pesticides in agricultural soils containing crop residue-derived chars. - Wheat char was effective for adsorption of pesticides in soil, with efficacy varying with pH and particular pesticides.

A model to explain high values of pH in an alkali sodic soil Modelo para explicar valores elevados de pH em um solo sódico alcalino

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Guerrero-Alves

2002-12-01

Full Text Available For alkali sodic soils (pH>8.5, the "hydrolysis of exchangeable sodium" has been used as a possible explanation for the alkalinity production and rise in pH of these soils. As an alternative to this hypothesis, a model was developed to simulate and to explain that the alkalinity production and rise in pH is possible in a soil that accumulates alkaline sodium salts and CaCO3. Several simulations were performed by using different combinations of CO2 partial pressures (P, presence or absence of MgCO3, along with experimental values of exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP and ion concentrations in saturation extracts from an alkali sodic soil (named Pantanal. A hypothetical system with similar conditions to the Pantanal soil but with a Gapon selectivity coefficient (KG of 0.01475 (mmol L-1-1/2 was also considered. Good agreement was obtained between experimental and predicted values for pH and ion concentrations in the soil solution when the model (without MgCO3 was applied to the Pantanal soil. However, KG values calculated for the Pantanal soil were generally higher than 0.01475 (mmol L-1-1/2. Moreover, high pH values and elevated ionic strength were obtained when a KG of 0.01475 (mmol L-1-1/2 was used at high ESP (similar to those found in the Pantanal soil. KG values obtained for the Pantanal soil and the results obtained in the simulation of the hypothetical system are suggesting that a value higher than 0.01475 (mmol L-1-1/2 should be used to adequately simulate the behavior of the Pantanal soil at low ionic strength and high ESP values.Em solos alcalino sódicos (pH>8,5, a "hidrólise de sódio trocável" tem sido usada como uma possível explicação para a produção de álcali e elevação do pH nestes solos. Como uma alternativa a essa hipótese, um modelo foi desenvolvido para simular e explicar que a produção de álcali e elevação do pH é possível num solo que acumula sais alcalinos de sódio e CaCO3. Várias simulações foram

Root growth of Lotus corniculatus interacts with P distribution in young sandy soil

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B. Felderer

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Large areas of land are restored with unweathered soil substrates following mining activities in eastern Germany and elsewhere. In the initial stages of colonization of such land by vegetation, plant roots may become key agents in generating soil formation patterns by introducing gradients in chemical and physical soil properties. On the other hand, such patterns may be influenced by root growth responses to pre-existing substrate heterogeneities. In particular, the roots of many plants were found to preferentially proliferate into nutrient-rich patches. Phosphorus (P is of primary interest in this respect because its availability is often low in unweathered soils, limiting especially the growth of leguminous plants. However, leguminous plants occur frequently among the pioneer plant species on such soils, as they only depend on atmospheric nitrogen (N fixation as N source. In this study we investigated the relationship between root growth allocation of the legume Lotus corniculatus and soil P distribution on recently restored land. As test sites, the experimental Chicken Creek Catchment (CCC in eastern Germany and a nearby experimental site (ES with the same soil substrate were used. We established two experiments with constructed heterogeneity, one in the field on the experimental site and the other in a climate chamber. In addition, we conducted high-density samplings on undisturbed soil plots colonized by L. corniculatus on the ES and on the CCC. In the field experiment, we installed cylindrical ingrowth soil cores (4.5 × 10 cm with and without P fertilization around single two-month-old L. corniculatus plants. Roots showed preferential growth into the P-fertilized ingrowth-cores. Preferential root allocation was also found in the climate chamber experiment, where single L. corniculatus plants were grown in containers filled with ES soil and where a lateral portion of the containers was additionally supplied with a range of different P

Comparative study of P uptake and utilization from P fertilizers by Chilean wheat genotypes in volcanic ash soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pino, I.; Parada, A.M.; Zapata, F.; Navia, M.; Luzio, W.

2002-01-01

The intensification of the agricultural production in Southern Chile demand the application of P fertilizers to volcanic ash soils for optimum plant growth and crop yields. Due to the high P sorption capacities of these soils, high amounts of water-soluble phosphatic fertilizers need to be applied. Therefore, the direct application of locally available Bahia Inglesa phosphate rock has been utilized to supply P to crops in these acid soils. Phosphate rock is a very efficient P input for crops with long growth cycles or crop rotations nevertheless water-soluble P fertilizers must still be applied to crops of short growth cycle. Combined with these strategic P inputs, the use of acid-tolerant and P-efficient genotypes can further contribute to agricultural sustainability. Greenhouse studies were undertaken to explore and identify genotypic variations in P efficiency of wheat grown in Andisols of Southern Chile. 32 P isotopic techniques were utilized to measure the uptake of P from triple superphosphate, a water-soluble P fertilizer and the locally available Bahia Inglesa phosphate rock. Substantial genotypic variations in P use efficiency were found among the Chilean wheat genotypes tested. The utilization of the 32 P isotopic techniques enabled to quantify the P taken up from the P fertilizer and the assessment of differences among the genotypes. Significant genotypic differences were obtained in the P uptake from the local phosphate rock Bahia Inglesa. Much higher applications of phosphate rock were required in Santa Barbara soil series (Andisol) due to its high P retention. A sustainable strategy for agricultural production in the Andisols of Chile would therefore, be the combined utilization of those efficient wheat genotypes and the local phosphate rock Bahia Inglesa. As P efficiency is a multi-faceted trait, which interacts with a range of environmental factors, further field-testing and validation is required accompanied by in depth studies to assess the

The role of organic acids exuded from roots in phosphorus nutrition and aluminium tolerance in acidic soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hocking, P J; Randall, P J; Delhaize, E [CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra (Australia); Keerthisinghe, G [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

2000-06-01

Soil acidity is a major problem of large areas of arable land on a global scale. Many acid soils are low in plant-available phosphorus (P) or are highly P-fixing, resulting in poor plant growth. In addition, aluminium (Al) is soluble in acid soils in the toxic Al{sup 3+} form, which also reduces plant growth. There is considerable evidence that both P deficiency and exposure to Al{sup 3+} stimulate the efflux of organic acids from roots of a range of species. Organic acids such as citrate, malate and oxalate are able to desorb or solubilise fixed soil P, making it available for plant uptake. Organic acids also chelate Al{sup 3+} to render it non-toxic, and are, therefore, involved in Al tolerance mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the literature on the role of organic acids exuded from roots in improving plant P uptake and Al-tolerance in acid soils. Research is now attempting to understand how P deficiency or exposure to Al{sup 3+} activates or induces organic acid efflux at the molecular level, with the aim of improving P acquisition and Al tolerance by conventional plant breeding and by genetic engineering. At the agronomic level, it is desirable that existing crop and pasture plants with enhanced soil-P uptake and tolerance to Al due to organic acid exudation are integrated into farming systems. (author)

The role of organic acids exuded from roots in phosphorus nutrition and aluminium tolerance in acidic soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hocking, P.J.; Randall, P.J.; Delhaize, E.; Keerthisinghe, G.

2000-01-01

Soil acidity is a major problem of large areas of arable land on a global scale. Many acid soils are low in plant-available phosphorus (P) or are highly P-fixing, resulting in poor plant growth. In addition, aluminium (Al) is soluble in acid soils in the toxic Al 3+ form, which also reduces plant growth. There is considerable evidence that both P deficiency and exposure to Al 3+ stimulate the efflux of organic acids from roots of a range of species. Organic acids such as citrate, malate and oxalate are able to desorb or solubilise fixed soil P, making it available for plant uptake. Organic acids also chelate Al 3+ to render it non-toxic, and are, therefore, involved in Al tolerance mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the literature on the role of organic acids exuded from roots in improving plant P uptake and Al-tolerance in acid soils. Research is now attempting to understand how P deficiency or exposure to Al 3+ activates or induces organic acid efflux at the molecular level, with the aim of improving P acquisition and Al tolerance by conventional plant breeding and by genetic engineering. At the agronomic level, it is desirable that existing crop and pasture plants with enhanced soil-P uptake and tolerance to Al due to organic acid exudation are integrated into farming systems. (author)

Soil Properties under Selected Homestead Grown Indigenous Tree ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

P. Bamps, Buddleja polystachya Fres. and Chamaecytisus palmensis (Christ) Bisby and K. The first four are indigenous, while the last one is an exotic N-fixing species. The soil pH values under H. abyssinica and S. gigas were above 6.34 as compared to the soil pH values under C. palmensis, D. torrida and B. polystachya.

Phytoremediation of high phosphorus soil by annual ryegrass and common bermudagrass harvest

Science.gov (United States)

Removal of soil phosphorus (P) in crop harvest is a remediation option for soils high in P. This four-year field-plot study determined P uptake by annual ryegrass (ARG, Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and common bermudagrass (CB, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) from Ruston soil (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic...

Community structure and soil pH determine chemoautotrophic carbon dioxide fixation in drained paddy soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Xi-En; Yao, Huaiying; Wang, Juan; Huang, Ying; Singh, Brajesh K; Zhu, Yong-Guan

2015-06-16

Previous studies suggested that microbial photosynthesis plays a potential role in paddy fields, but little is known about chemoautotrophic carbon fixers in drained paddy soils. We conducted a microcosm study using soil samples from five paddy fields to determine the environmental factors and quantify key functional microbial taxa involved in chemoautotrophic carbon fixation. We used stable isotope probing in combination with phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and molecular approaches. The amount of microbial (13)CO2 fixation was determined by quantification of (13)C-enriched fatty acid methyl esters and ranged from 21.28 to 72.48 ng of (13)C (g of dry soil)(-1), and the corresponding ratio (labeled PLFA-C:total PLFA-C) ranged from 0.06 to 0.49%. The amount of incorporationof (13)CO2 into PLFAs significantly increased with soil pH except at pH 7.8. PLFA and high-throughput sequencing results indicated a dominant role of Gram-negative bacteria or proteobacteria in (13)CO2 fixation. Correlation analysis indicated a significant association between microbial community structure and carbon fixation. We provide direct evidence of chemoautotrophic C fixation in soils with statistical evidence of microbial community structure regulation of inorganic carbon fixation in the paddy soil ecosystem.

Rhizosphere organic anions play a minor role in improving crop species’ ability to take up residual phosphorus (P in agricultural soils low in P availability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanliang Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Many arable lands have accumulated large reserves of residual phosphorus (P and a relatively large proportion of soil P is less available for uptake by plants. Root released organic anions are widely documented as a key physiological strategy to enhance P availability, while limited information has been generated on the contribution of rhizosphere organic anions to P utilization by crops grown in agricultural soils that are low in available P and high in extractable Ca, Al and Fe. We studied the role of rhizosphere organic anions in P uptake from residual P in four common crops Triticum aestivum, Avena sativa, Solanum tuberosum and Brassica napus in low- and high-P availability agricultural soils from long-term fertilization field trials in a mini-rhizotron experiment with four replications. Malate was generally the dominant organic anion. More rhizosphere citrate was detected in low P soils than in high P soil. Brassica napus showed 74-103% increase of malate in low P loam, compared with clay loam. Avena sativa had the greatest rhizosphere citrate concentration in all soils (5.3-15.2 mol g-1 root DW. Avena sativa also showed the highest level of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (36% and 40%, the greatest root mass ratio (0.51 and 0.66 in the low-P clay loam and loam respectively, and the greatest total P uptake (5.92 mg P/mini-rhizotron in the low-P loam. Brassica napus had 15-44% more rhizosphere APase activity, ~0.1-0.4 units lower rhizosphere pH than other species, the greatest increase in rhizosphere water-soluble P in the low-P soils, and the greatest total P uptake in the low-P clay loam. Shoot P content was mainly explained by rhizosphere APase activity, water-soluble P and pH within low P soils across species. Within species, P uptake was mainly linked to rhizosphere water soluble P, APase and pH in low P soils. The effects of rhizosphere organic anions varied among species and they appeared to play minor roles in

Rhizosphere Organic Anions Play a Minor Role in Improving Crop Species' Ability to Take Up Residual Phosphorus (P) in Agricultural Soils Low in P Availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanliang; Krogstad, Tore; Clarke, Jihong L; Hallama, Moritz; Øgaard, Anne F; Eich-Greatorex, Susanne; Kandeler, Ellen; Clarke, Nicholas

2016-01-01

Many arable lands have accumulated large reserves of residual phosphorus (P) and a relatively large proportion of soil P is less available for uptake by plants. Root released organic anions are widely documented as a key physiological strategy to enhance P availability, while limited information has been generated on the contribution of rhizosphere organic anions to P utilization by crops grown in agricultural soils that are low in available P and high in extractable Ca, Al, and Fe. We studied the role of rhizosphere organic anions in P uptake from residual P in four common crops Triticum aestivum, Avena sativa, Solanum tuberosum , and Brassica napus in low- and high-P availability agricultural soils from long-term fertilization field trials in a mini-rhizotron experiment with four replications. Malate was generally the dominant organic anion. More rhizosphere citrate was detected in low P soils than in high P soil. B. napus showed 74-103% increase of malate in low P loam, compared with clay loam. A. sativa had the greatest rhizosphere citrate concentration in all soils (5.3-15.2 μmol g -1 root DW). A. sativa also showed the highest level of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; 36 and 40%), the greatest root mass ratio (0.51 and 0.66) in the low-P clay loam and loam respectively, and the greatest total P uptake (5.92 mg P/mini-rhizotron) in the low-P loam. B. napus had 15-44% more rhizosphere acid phosphatase (APase) activity, ~0.1-0.4 units lower rhizosphere pH than other species, the greatest increase in rhizosphere water-soluble P in the low-P soils, and the greatest total P uptake in the low-P clay loam. Shoot P content was mainly explained by rhizosphere APase activity, water-soluble P and pH within low P soils across species. Within species, P uptake was mainly linked to rhizosphere water soluble P, APase, and pH in low P soils. The effects of rhizosphere organic anions varied among species and they appeared to play minor roles in

Influence of Microsprinkler Irrigation Amount on Water, Soil, and pH Profiles in a Coastal Saline Soil

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Linlin Chu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Microsprinkler irrigation is a potential method to alleviate soil salinization. After conducting a homogeneous, highly saline, clayey, and coastal soil from the Bohai Gulf in northern China in a column experiment, the results show that the depth of the wetting front increased as the water amount applied increased, low-salinity and low-SAR enlarged after irrigation and water redistribution, and the soil pH increased with an increase in irrigation amount. We concluded that a water amount of 207 mm could be used to reclaim the coastal saline soil in northern China.

Natural abundances of 15N and 13C in leaves of some N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing trees and shrubs in Syria.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurdali, F; Al-Shamma'a, M

2009-09-01

A survey study was conducted on man-made plantations located at two different areas in the arid region of Syria to determine the variations in natural abundances of the (15)N and (13)C isotopes in leaves of several woody legume and non-legume species, and to better understand the consequence of such variations on nitrogen fixation and carbon assimilation. In the first study area (non-saline soil), the delta(15)N values in four legume species (Acacia cyanophylla,-1.73 per thousand Acacia farnesiana,-0.55 per thousand Prosopis juliflora,-1.64 per thousand; and Medicago arborea,+1.6 \\textperthousand) and one actinorhizal plant (Elaeagnus angustifolia,-0.46 to-2.1 per thousand) were found to be close to that of the atmospheric value pointing to a major contribution of N(2) fixing in these species; whereas, delta(15)N values of the non-fixing plant species were highly positive. delta(13)C per thousand; in leaves of the C3 plants were found to be affected by plant species, ranging from a minimum of-28.67 per thousand; to a maximum of-23 per thousand. However, they were relatively similar within each plant species although they were grown at different sites. In the second study area (salt affected soil), a higher carbon discrimination value (Delta(13)C per thousand) was exhibited by P. juliflora, indicating that the latter is a salt tolerant species; however, its delta(15)N was highly positive (+7.03 per thousand) suggesting a negligible contribution of the fixed N(2). Hence, it was concluded that the enhancement of N(2) fixation might be achieved by selection of salt-tolerant Rhizobium strains.

Effect of phosphorus on the growth and uptake of fertilizer P by mungbean in different soils of Bangladesh using 32P labelled superphosphate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, M.I.; Bhuiya, E.H.

1979-01-01

A pot experiment was carried out to find out the effects of P on the growth and yield of mungbean and to evaluate the P status in soils collected from 15 locations of Bangladesh using various rates of 32 P labelled superphosphate. Results indicated that P addition increased both straw and grain yields of mungbean on soils of various locations. Phosphorus concentration and the yield of P by plants also tended to increase due to P application. Spectacular increase in the uptake of applied P was recorded with the increasing rates of P application whereas, the uptake of soil P was reduced. 'A' values also tended to increase with the rates of P application. However, the correlation coefficient (r = 0.988) between the mean 'A' values and the NaHCO 3 soluble P in all soils was highly significant. (auth.)

Effects of pH-Induced Changes in Soil Physical Characteristics on the Development of Soil Water Erosion

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Shinji Matsumoto

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Soil water erosion is frequently reported as serious problem in soils in Southeast Asia with tropical climates, and the variations in pH affect the development of the erosion. This study investigated the effects of changes in pH on soil water erosion based on changes in the physical properties of the simulated soils with pH adjusted from 2.0 to 10.0 through artificial rainfall tests. The zeta potential was entirely shifted to positive direction at each pH condition due to Al, Ca, and Mg. In the pH range of 6.0 to 2.0, the aggregation of soil particles resulting from the release of Al3+ from clay minerals and/or molecular attraction between soil particles caused the plastic index (IP of the soil to decrease. The decrease in IP led to the development of soil water erosion at the pH range. When the pH exceeded 6.0, the repulsive force generated by the negative charges on soil particles decreased IP, resulting in accelerated erosion by water. The results suggest that changes in pH causes physical properties of the soil to change through changes of the zeta potential in the clayey soil rich in Al, Ca, and Mg, leading to the development of soil water erosion.

Effects of cropping systems on soil biology

Science.gov (United States)

The need for fertilizer use to enhance soil nutrient pools to achieve good crop yield is essential to modern agriculture. Specific management practices, including cover cropping, that increase the activities of soil microorganisms to fix N and mobilize P and micronutrients may reduce annual inputs ...

Relation Between pH and Desorption of Cu, Cr, Zn, and Pb from Industrially Polluted Soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Hansen, Henrik K.; Jensen, Pernille Erland

2009-01-01

Desorption of Cu, Cr, Pb, and Zn from industrially polluted soils as a result of acidification is in focus. The eight soils of the investigation vary greatly in composition and heavy metal concentration/combination. Three soils had elevated concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn; regardless of pollution...... level, pollution origin, and soil type, the order for desorption as pH decreased was Zn > Cu > Pb. Turning to a single heavy metal in different soils, there was a huge difference in the pH at which the major desorption started. The variation was most significant for Pb where, e.g., less than 10......% was desorbed at pH 2.5 from one soil, whereas in another soil 60% Pb was desorbed at this pH. Sequential extraction was made and the soils in which a high percentage of Pb was found in the residual phase (adsorbed strongest) was also the soils where less Pb was desorbed at low pH in the desorption experiments...

Biochar from commercially cultivated seaweed for soil amelioration

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, David A.; Paul, Nicholas A.; Dworjanyn, Symon A.; Bird, Michael I.; de Nys, Rocky

2015-04-01

Seaweed cultivation is a high growth industry that is primarily targeted at human food and hydrocolloid markets. However, seaweed biomass also offers a feedstock for the production of nutrient-rich biochar for soil amelioration. We provide the first data of biochar yield and characteristics from intensively cultivated seaweeds (Saccharina, Undaria and Sargassum - brown seaweeds, and Gracilaria, Kappaphycus and Eucheuma - red seaweeds). While there is some variability in biochar properties as a function of the origin of seaweed, there are several defining and consistent characteristics of seaweed biochar, in particular a relatively low C content and surface area but high yield, essential trace elements (N, P and K) and exchangeable cations (particularly K). The pH of seaweed biochar ranges from neutral (7) to alkaline (11), allowing for broad-spectrum applications in diverse soil types. We find that seaweed biochar is a unique material for soil amelioration that is consistently different to biochar derived from ligno-cellulosic feedstock. Blending of seaweed and ligno-cellulosic biochar could provide a soil ameliorant that combines a high fixed C content with a mineral-rich substrate to enhance crop productivity.

Biochar from commercially cultivated seaweed for soil amelioration

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, David A.; Paul, Nicholas A.; Dworjanyn, Symon A.; Bird, Michael I.; de Nys, Rocky

2015-01-01

Seaweed cultivation is a high growth industry that is primarily targeted at human food and hydrocolloid markets. However, seaweed biomass also offers a feedstock for the production of nutrient-rich biochar for soil amelioration. We provide the first data of biochar yield and characteristics from intensively cultivated seaweeds (Saccharina, Undaria and Sargassum – brown seaweeds, and Gracilaria, Kappaphycus and Eucheuma – red seaweeds). While there is some variability in biochar properties as a function of the origin of seaweed, there are several defining and consistent characteristics of seaweed biochar, in particular a relatively low C content and surface area but high yield, essential trace elements (N, P and K) and exchangeable cations (particularly K). The pH of seaweed biochar ranges from neutral (7) to alkaline (11), allowing for broad-spectrum applications in diverse soil types. We find that seaweed biochar is a unique material for soil amelioration that is consistently different to biochar derived from ligno-cellulosic feedstock. Blending of seaweed and ligno-cellulosic biochar could provide a soil ameliorant that combines a high fixed C content with a mineral-rich substrate to enhance crop productivity. PMID:25856799

Excessive application of pig manure increases the risk of P loss in calcic cinnamon soil in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yanju; Zhang, Haipeng; Qian, Xiaoqing; Duan, Jiannan; Wang, Gailan

2017-12-31

Soil phosphorus (P) is a critical factor affecting crop yields and water environmental quality. To investigate the degree of loss risk and forms of soil P in calcic cinnamon soil, the P fraction activities in soils were analysed using chemical methods, combined with an in situ field experiment. Seven treatments were set in this study, including control (unfertilized), no P fertilizer (No-P), mineral P fertilizer (Min-P), low (L-Man) and high (H-Man) quantities of pig manure, Min-P+L-Man, and Min-P+H-Man. The results showed that manure fertilizer could not only significantly increase maize yield but could also enhance the accumulation of soil P in organic and inorganic forms. After 23years of repeated fertilization, the soil Olsen-P contents respectively showed 64.7-, 43.7- and 31.9-fold increases in the Min-P+H-Man, Min-P+L-Man and H-Man treatments, while the soil Olsen-P in Min-P treatment only increased 23.7-fold. The soil Olsen-P thresholds ranged from 22.59 to 32.48mgkg -1 in calcic cinnamon soil to maintain a higher maize yield as well as a lower risk of P loss. Therefore, long-term excessive manure application could obviously raise the content of soil Olsen-P and increase the risk of P loss in calcic cinnamon soil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of humic substances on P sorption capacity of three different soils

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Antonio

2010-05-01

Organic matter decreases P sorption by soils. It has been demonstrated the effect of low molecular weight compounds decreasing P adsorption on active surfaces and the effect of humic and fulvic acids inhibiting the precipitation of hydroxyapatite and favouring the formation of more soluble phosphates. This contributes to increase the recovery of applied P fertilizer. The objective of this work was to study the effect of 4 different humic substances (commercially available and provided by Tradecorp Internacional S.A.) on the sorption capacity of three soils differing widely in chemical properties (two calcareous from south Spain, pH 8 and 8.5, and other acidic from Brazil, pH 5.9 and 50 % of exchangeable basic cations). To this end, sorption isotherms were performed at a soil:0.01 M CaCl2 ratio of 1:10 at 6, 30 and 90 days. 2.5 mg of humic substances per g of soil were added to the solution. Data were fitted to the best model and linearized sorption curves for each humic substance were compared with the linearized sorption curve for the control without humic substances application (intersection point and slopes). Soil from Brazil showed a much higher sorption capacity (400 mg P kg-1 soil sorbed at 1 mg L-1 of P in the solution at 1 day) than the other two soils (50 and 100 mg P kg-1). Slow reactions significantly contributed to P sorption in the three soils, amounts sorbed at 90 days being twice than those sorbed at 1 day. Two of the products increased P sorption in the soil from Brazil at 1 day. At 90 days all the products increased P sorption significantly. This increased P sorption can be only explained by metal complexation by the substances applied, which may result in organo-metallic compounds with a high P sorption capacity. This effect was independent of the proportion of humic and fulvic acids in the applied products because the amounts of metal complexed by these compouds depend on the amount of functional groups to coordinate with metals. In the Spanish

RESISTANCE OF KARST CAVERNS NITROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA TO EXTREME FACTORS

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Tashyrev O. B.

2014-10-01

Full Text Available To determine the studied bacteria resistance quantitative parameters of extreme factors such as toxic metals (Cu2+, organic xenobiotics (p-nitrochlorobenzene and UV-irradiation were the aim of the research. Six strains of nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from clays of two caverns Mushkarova Yama (Podolia, Ukraine and Kuybyshevskaya (Western Caucasus, Abkhazia and Azotobacter vinelandii УКМ В-6017 as a reference strain have been tested. For this purpose the maximum permissible concentration of Cu2+ and p-nitrochlorobenzene in the concentration gradient and lethal doses of UV by the survival caverns have been determined. Maximum permissible concentrations for strains were as 10 ppm Cu2+, 70–120 ppm of p-nitrochlorobenzene. The maximum doses of UV-irradiation varied in the range of 55–85 J/m2 (LD99.99. It is shown that three classes of extreme factors resistance parameters of karst caverns strains are similar to the strain of terrestrial soil ecosystems. The most active studied strains reduce the concentration of p-nitrochlorobenzene in the medium in 13 times. The ability of nitrogen-fixing bacteria to degrade p-nitrochlorobenzene could be used in creation new environmental biotechnology for industrial wastewater treatment from nitrochloroaromatic xenobiotics. Isolated strains could be used as destructors for soils bioremediation in agrobiotechnologies and to optimize plants nitrogen nutrition in terrestrial ecosystems.

Forest calcium depletion and biotic retention along a soil nitrogen gradient

Science.gov (United States)

Perakis, Steven S.; Sinkhorn, Emily R.; Catricala, Christina; Bullen, Thomas D.; Fitzpatrick, John A.; Hynicka, Justin D.; Cromack, Kermit

2013-01-01

High nitrogen (N) accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems can shift patterns of nutrient limitation and deficiency beyond N toward other nutrients, most notably phosphorus (P) and base cations (calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], and potassium [K]). We examined how naturally high N accumulation from a legacy of symbiotic N fixation shaped P and base cation cycling across a gradient of nine temperate conifer forests in the Oregon Coast Range. We were particularly interested in whether long-term legacies of symbiotic N fixation promoted coupled N and organic P accumulation in soils, and whether biotic demands by non-fixing vegetation could conserve ecosystem base cations as N accumulated. Total soil N (0–100 cm) pools increased nearly threefold across the N gradient, leading to increased nitrate leaching, declines in soil pH from 5.8 to 4.2, 10-fold declines in soil exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K, and increased mobilization of aluminum. These results suggest that long-term N enrichment had acidified soils and depleted much of the readily weatherable base cation pool. Soil organic P increased with both soil N and C across the gradient, but soil inorganic P, biomass P, and P leaching loss did not vary with N, implying that historic symbiotic N fixation promoted soil organic P accumulation and P sufficiency for non-fixers. Even though soil pools of Ca, Mg, and K all declined as soil N increased, only Ca declined in biomass pools, suggesting the emergence of Ca deficiency at high N. Biotic conservation and tight recycling of Ca increased in response to whole-ecosystem Ca depletion, as indicated by preferential accumulation of Ca in biomass and surface soil. Our findings support a hierarchical model of coupled N–Ca cycling under long-term soil N enrichment, whereby ecosystem-level N saturation and nitrate leaching deplete readily available soil Ca, stimulating biotic Ca conservation as overall supply diminishes. We conclude that a legacy of biological N fixation can increase N

The effects of high-tannin leaf litter from transgenic poplars on microbial communities in microcosm soils.

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Richard S. Winder

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The impacts of leaf litter from genetically-modified hybrid poplar accumulating high levels of condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins were examined in soil microcosms consisting of moss growing on sieved soil. Moss preferentially proliferated in microcosms with lower tannin content; DGGE detected increased fungal diversity in microcosms with low-tannin litter. The proportion of cloned rDNA sequences from Actinobacteria decreased with litter addition while Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, and α-Proteobacteria significantly increased. β–Proteobacteria were proportionally more numerous at high tannin levels. Tannins had no significant impact on overall diversity of bacterial communities analyzed with various estimators. There was an increased proportion of N-fixing bacteria corresponding to the addition of litter with low tannin levels. The addition of litter increased the proportion of Ascomycota/Basidiomycota. Dothideomycetes, Pucciniomycetes, and Tremellomycetes also increased and Agaricomycetes decreased. Agaricomycetes and Sordariomycetes were significantly more abundant in controls, whereas Pucciniomycetes increased in soil with litter from transformed trees (P = 0.051. Richness estimators and diversity indices revealed no significant difference in the composition of fungal communities; PCoA partitioned the fungal communities into three groups: (i those with higher amounts of added tannin from both transformed and untransformed treatments, (ii those corresponding to soils without litter, and (iii those corresponding to microcosms with litter added from trees transformed only with a β-glucuronidase (GUS control vector. While the litter from transformed poplars had significant effects on soil microbe communities, the observed impacts reflected known impacts on soil processes associated with tannins, and were similar to changes that would be expected from natural variation in tannin levels.

The effects of high-tannin leaf litter from transgenic poplars on microbial communities in microcosm soils.

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Winder, Richard S; Lamarche, Josyanne; Constabel, C Peter; Hamelin, Richard C

2013-01-01

The impacts of leaf litter from genetically modified hybrid poplar accumulating high levels of condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) were examined in soil microcosms consisting of moss growing on sieved soil. Moss preferentially proliferated in microcosms with lower tannin content; DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) detected increased fungal diversity in microcosms with low-tannin litter. The proportion of cloned rDNA sequences from Actinobacteria decreased with litter addition while Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, and α-Proteobacteria significantly increased. β-Proteobacteria were proportionally more numerous at high-tannin levels. Tannins had no significant impact on overall diversity of bacterial communities analyzed with various estimators. There was an increased proportion of N-fixing bacteria corresponding to the addition of litter with low-tannin levels. The addition of litter increased the proportion of Ascomycota/Basidiomycota. Dothideomycetes, Pucciniomycetes, and Tremellomycetes also increased and Agaricomycetes decreased. Agaricomycetes and Sordariomycetes were significantly more abundant in controls, whereas Pucciniomycetes increased in soil with litter from transformed trees (P = 0.051). Richness estimators and diversity indices revealed no significant difference in the composition of fungal communities; PCoA (principal coordinate analyses) partitioned the fungal communities into three groups: (i) those with higher amounts of added tannin from both transformed and untransformed treatments, (ii) those corresponding to soils without litter, and (iii) those corresponding to microcosms with litter added from trees transformed only with a β-glucuronidase control vector. While the litter from transformed poplars had significant effects on soil microbe communities, the observed impacts reflected known impacts on soil processes associated with tannins, and were similar to changes that would be expected from natural variation in

Forest wildfire increases soil microbial biomass C:N:P stoichiometry in long-term effects

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Zhou, Xuan

2017-04-01

Boreal forest fire strongly influences carbon (C) stock in permafrost soil by thawing permafrost table which accelerated microbe decomposition process. We studied soil microbial biomass stoichiometry in a gradient of four (3 yr, 25 yr, 46 yr and more than 100 yr) ages since fire in Canada boreal forest. Soil microbial biomass (MB) in long-term after fire is significantly higher than in short-term. MB C and nitrogen (N) were mainly dominated by corresponding soil element concentration and inorganic P, while MB phosphorus (P) changes were fully explained by soil N. Fire ages and soil temperature positively increased MB N and P, indicating the negative impact by fire. Microbial C:N:P gradually increased with fire ages from 15:2:1 to 76:6:1 and then drop down to 17:2:1 in the oldest fire ages. The degree of homeostasis of microbial C, N and P are close to 1 indicates non-homoeostasis within microbial elements, while it of C:N:P is close to 8 shows a strong homeostasis within element ratios and proved microbial stoichiometric ratio is not driven by soil element ratios. In conclusion, i) microbial biomass elements highly depends on soil nutrient supply rather than fire ages; ii) wildfire decreased microbial stoichiometry immediate after fire but increased with years after fire (YF) which at least 3 times higher than > 100 fire ages; iii) microbial biomass C, N and P deviated from strict homeostasis but C:N:P ratio reflects stronger homeostasis.

Bioavailable soil P as a main key for sustainable agriculture: its functional model determined using isotopic tracers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fardeau, J.C.; Guiraud, G.; Marol, C.

1994-12-31

Sustainable agriculture is defined in many ways. In all of them, two main complementary concepts appear: this agriculture must firstly satisfy the human needs of foods for the present and secondly must not compromise the ability for the future generations to meet their needs. Therefore, concerning P, the sustainability in an ecosystem can be maintained if, and only if: (i) bioavailable soil P is not a limiting factor of crop yields in the considered conditions; (ii) all the parameters describing the available soil P will be unmodified each time that P is simultaneously taken by crops and returned to soils; (iii) P inputs and outputs must be without negative consequences on environment. Whatever the ecosystem, P nutrition can be described in terms of fluxes of P between soil and plant roots. The isotopic exchange method gives informations not only on bioavailable soil P but also on potential fluxes of P between soil and soil-solution. As roots take phosphorus in the soil solution it is concluded that this method can be used to predict not only potential P uptake by plants or crops in native soils but also the contribution to crop nutrition of a P application in soil. Isotopic tracers of P seem to be, at the present time, the simplest tool useful to describe, with a high accuracy, the main link of P cycle in sustainable agriculture: the bioavailable soil P. (authors). 9 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (authors).

Bioavailable soil P as a main key for sustainable agriculture: its functional model determined using isotopic tracers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fardeau, J.C.; Guiraud, G.; Marol, C.

1994-01-01

Sustainable agriculture is defined in many ways. In all of them, two main complementary concepts appear: this agriculture must firstly satisfy the human needs of foods for the present and secondly must not compromise the ability for the future generations to meet their needs. Therefore, concerning P, the sustainability in an ecosystem can be maintained if, and only if: (i) bioavailable soil P is not a limiting factor of crop yields in the considered conditions; (ii) all the parameters describing the available soil P will be unmodified each time that P is simultaneously taken by crops and returned to soils; (iii) P inputs and outputs must be without negative consequences on environment. Whatever the ecosystem, P nutrition can be described in terms of fluxes of P between soil and plant roots. The isotopic exchange method gives informations not only on bioavailable soil P but also on potential fluxes of P between soil and soil-solution. As roots take phosphorus in the soil solution it is concluded that this method can be used to predict not only potential P uptake by plants or crops in native soils but also the contribution to crop nutrition of a P application in soil. Isotopic tracers of P seem to be, at the present time, the simplest tool useful to describe, with a high accuracy, the main link of P cycle in sustainable agriculture: the bioavailable soil P. (authors). 9 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (authors)

In situ measurements reveal extremely low pH in soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Knud Erik; Loibide, Amaia Irixar; Nielsen, Lars Peter

2017-01-01

We measured pH in situ in the top organic soil horizons in heathland and pine forest and found values between 2.6 and 3.2. This was 0.5e0.8 units lower than concurrent laboratory pH measurements of the same soil, which raises questions about the interpretation of pH measurements. We propose that ...... that the higher pH recorded by standard laboratory methods may be due to buffering ions from soil biota released from drying, grinding and rewetting of soil samples, whereas the in situ pH reflects the correct level of acidification....

Analyzing the mobility in granular forms of P fertilizer in Brazilians soils under laboratory conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, Robson C. de; Oliveira, Davi Ferreira de; Oliveira, Luis Fernando de; Anjos, Marcelino Jose dos

2013-01-01

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth. Million of tones of P are applied to the soils annually. However, only a small fraction of the P applied with fertilizers is taken up by crops in the year of application, and the effectiveness of any residual P fertilizer declines with time. To improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this response to P in the field, we have studied the mobility of P from 3 different fertilizes: monoammonium phosphate (MAP), polymer coated monoammonium phosphate (MAPp) and Organomineral phosphate (OMP) applied on high weathered soil samples in a Petri dish experiment. Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF) was used to determine the P diffusive flux at different distances (0 - 7.5, 7.5 – 13.5, 13.5 – 25.5 and 25.5 – 43 mm) from granular fertilizer. TXRF analyses were performed at the X-Ray Fluorescence Beamline D09B at Brazilian National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), in Campinas, Sao Paulo, using a polychromatic beam with maximum energy of 20 keV for the excitation and an Ultra-LEGe detector with resolution of 148 eV at 5.9 keV. Besides that, the detections were performed in a high vacuum chamber (2.5 x 10-5 mbar) to avoid air absorption. After a period of five weeks, the total P concentration increased in the soil sampled 7.5 to 13.5 mm from the fertilizer showing a diffusive flux of P. About 20% (considering MAP and MAPp) of the total P applied diffused out of the central soil ring. Different sources showed differences in diffusive flux of P. Soil pH also influenced diffusive flux of P showing higher flux on lower pH soils. (author)

Effect of growing plants on denitrification at high soil nitrate concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haider, K.; Mosier, A.; Heinemeyer, O.

1987-01-01

The availability of plant rhizosphere C deposits and its influence on microbial denitrification is not clearly defined. Conflicting reports as to the influence of plants and root exudation on denitrification continue to appear in the literature. The results of the authors earlier phytotron study indicated that denitrification was not stimulated in soils planted with corn or wheat compared to unplanted soils. Lower nitrate concentrations in the planted soils, however, may have led to misinterpretation of this data. A second study was conducted, to evaluate the effect of actively growing plants on denitrification where the NO 3 7 content of planted soils was maintained similar to unplanted soils. Simultaneously the C fixed by corn (Zea mays) and the fate of fertilizer N applied to the soil during the growing season were quantified. The corn was grown in a phytotron under a continuous supply of 14 CO 2 in 15 N fertilized soils to which 15 N-NO 3 - was added periodically during the growing season. The results of these studies showed that denitrification was not stimulated in soils planted with corn during active plant growth phase even when soil NO 3 - was relatively high. Denitrification was, however, greater in corn planted than unplanted soil when the recoverable root biomass began to decrease. Less N was immobilized and net 15 N immobilization was lower in planted soils than in unplanted soils. As denitrification was lower in planted soils during the time of active plant growth, the study suggests that root exudates did not stimulate either process

On seasonal fluctuations of available Olsen P in soils

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Vincenzo Tabaglio

Full Text Available The likelihood of a strong seasonal effect on the analytical results of soil chemical tests has been substantiated by several findings. The occurrence of such a trouble would heavily affect the routine work of chemical laboratories dealing with hundreds or thousands of soil samples every year and would possibly interfere even with current timing of soil sampling and testing in agronomical research. Soils from four different experimental fields were sampled and analyzed for Olsen P test through the growing season of both spring-summer crops (maize and autumn-spring crops (soft wheat. To avoid the cross effect of recent P applications, samples were collected only from the control plots, with no P applied. In a first long-time experiment the level of Olsen P was followed in three soils during two years, while in a second experiment the study considered two different soils for a couple of years each. The amount of extractable (available Olsen P showed significant fluctuations-with-time in four years out of six. The observed variations seems entirely due to P absorption by crops, as they appeared in the final samplings during the cropping season. The amount of decrease was nearly always small, less than 1-1.5 mg kg-1 soil, and consistent with the reduction of the available pool which is to be expected as crops gradually take up nutrients. As far as Olsen P is concerned, no evidence was found for the occurrence of erratic seasonal variations such as those previously reported. As soil samples for advisory purposes are usually taken at different times of the year, it seems reassuring that no complications are to be expected about information needed to interpret the results of chemical tests.

Solubility of lead and copper in biochar-amended small arms range soils: influence of soil organic carbon and pH.

Science.gov (United States)

Uchimiya, Minori; Bannon, Desmond I

2013-08-14

Biochar is often considered a strong heavy metal stabilizing agent. However, biochar in some cases had no effects on, or increased the soluble concentrations of, heavy metals in soil. The objective of this study was to determine the factors causing some biochars to stabilize and others to dissolve heavy metals in soil. Seven small arms range soils with known total organic carbon (TOC), cation exchange capacity, pH, and total Pb and Cu contents were first screened for soluble Pb and Cu concentrations. Over 2 weeks successive equilibrations using weak acid (pH 4.5 sulfuric acid) and acetate buffer (0.1 M at pH 4.9), Alaska soil containing disproportionately high (31.6%) TOC had nearly 100% residual (insoluble) Pb and Cu. This soil was then compared with sandy soils from Maryland containing significantly lower (0.5-2.0%) TOC in the presence of 10 wt % (i) plant biochar activated to increase the surface-bound carboxyl and phosphate ligands (PS450A), (ii) manure biochar enriched with soluble P (BL700), and (iii) unactivated plant biochars produced at 350 °C (CH350) and 700 °C (CH500) and by flash carbonization (corn). In weak acid, the pH was set by soil and biochar, and the biochars increasingly stabilized Pb with repeated extractions. In pH 4.9 acetate buffer, PS450A and BL700 stabilized Pb, and only PS450A stabilized Cu. Surface ligands of PS450A likely complexed and stabilized Pb and Cu even under acidic pH in the presence of competing acetate ligand. Oppositely, unactivated plant biochars (CH350, CH500, and corn) mobilized Pb and Cu in sandy soils; the putative mechanism is the formation of soluble complexes with biochar-borne dissolved organic carbon. In summary, unactivated plant biochars can inadvertently increase dissolved Pb and Cu concentrations of sandy, low TOC soils when used to stabilize other contaminants.

Phosphate fertilizers with varying water-solubility applied to Amazonian soils: II. Soil P extraction methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muraoka, T.; Brasil, E.C.; Scivittaro, W.B.

2002-01-01

A pot experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions at the Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Piracicaba (SP, Brazil), to evaluate the phosphorus availability of different phosphate sources in five Amazonian soils. The soils utilized were: medium texture Yellow Latosol, clayey Yellow Latosol, very clayey Yellow Latosol, clayey Red-Yellow Podzolic and very clayey Red-Yellow Podzolic. Four phosphate sources were applied: triple superphosphate, ordinary Yoorin thermophosphate, coarse Yoorin termo-phosphate and North Carolina phosphate rock at P rates of 0, 40, 80 and 120 mg kg -1 soil. The dry matter yield and the amount of P taken up by cowpea and rice were correlated with the extractable P by anionic exchangeable resin, Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3 and Bray-I. The results showed that the extractable P by Mehlich-1 was higher in the soils amended with North Carolina rock phosphate. Irrespective of the phosphorus sources used, the Mehlich-3 extractant showed close correlation with plant response. The Mehlich-3 and Bray-I extractants were more sensitive to soil variations. The Mehlich-3 extractant was more suitable in predicting the P availability to plants in the different soils and phosphorus sources studied. (author)

Soil solution interactions may limit Pb remediation using P amendments in an urban soil

Science.gov (United States)

Lead (Pb) contaminated soils are a potential exposure hazard to the public. Amending soils with phosphorus (P) may reduce Pb soil hazards. Soil from Cleveland, OH containing 726 ± 14 mg Pb kg-1 was amended in a laboratory study with bone meal and triple super phospha...

N2-fixing red alder indirectly accelerates ecosystem nitrogen cycling

Science.gov (United States)

Perakis, Steven S.; Matkins, Joselin J.; Hibbs, David E.

2012-01-01

Symbiotic N2-fixing tree species can accelerate ecosystem N dynamics through decomposition via direct pathways by producing readily decomposed leaf litter and increasing N supply to decomposers, as well as via indirect pathways by increasing tissue and detrital N in non-fixing vegetation. To evaluate the relative importance of these pathways, we compared three-year decomposition and N dynamics of N2-fixing red alder leaf litter (2.34 %N) to both low-N (0.68 %N) and high-N (1.21 %N) litter of non-fixing Douglas-fir, and decomposed each litter source in four forests dominated by either red alder or Douglas-fir. We also used experimental N fertilization of decomposition plots to assess elevated N availability as a potential mechanism of N2-fixer effects on litter mass loss and N dynamics. Direct effects of N2-fixing red alder on decomposition occurred primarily as faster N release from red alder than Douglas-fir litter, but direct increases in N supply to decomposers via fertilization did not stimulate decomposition of any litter. Fixed N indirectly influenced detrital dynamics by increasing Douglas-fir tissue and litter N concentrations, which accelerated litter N release without accelerating mass loss. By increasing soil N, tissue N, and the rate of N release from litter of non-fixers, we conclude that N2-fixing vegetation can indirectly foster plant-soil feedbacks that contribute to the persistence of elevated N availability in terrestrial ecosystems.

Isolation and Identification of Phosphate Solubilizing and Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria from Soil in Wamena Biological Garden, Jayawijaya, Papua

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SRI WIDAWATI

2005-07-01

Full Text Available A study was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB from soil samples of Wamena Biological Garden (WbiG. Eleven soil samples were collected randomly to estimate microbial population which used plate count method. The result showed that the microbial population ranged from 5.0x103-7.5x106 cells of bacteria/gram of soil and 5.0x103-1.5x107 cells of bacteria/gram of soil for PSB and NFB respectively. There were 17 isolates which have been identified till genus and species. The isolated microorganism were identified as PSB i.e. Bacillus sp., B. pantothenticus, B. megatherium, Flavobacterium sp., F. breve, Klebsiella sp., K. aerogenes, Chromobacterium lividum, Enterobacter alvei, E. agglomerans, Pseudomonas sp., Proteus sp. and as NFB i.e. Azotobacter sp., A. chroococcum, A. paspalii, Rhizobium sp., and Azospirillum sp.

Effect of pH and soil structure on transport of sulfonamide antibiotics in agricultural soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jong Yol; Huwe, Bernd

2016-06-01

We investigated the effect of solution pH and soil structure on transport of sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine) in combination with batch sorption tests and column experiments. Sorption isotherms properly conformed to Freundlich model, and sorption potential of the antibiotics is as follows; sulfadimethoxine > sulfamethoxazole > sulfamethazine. Decreasing pH values led to increased sorption potential of the antibiotics on soil material in pH range of 4.0-8.0. This likely resulted from abundance of neutral and positive-charged sulfonamides species at low pH, which electrostatically bind to sorption sites on soil surface. Due to destruction of macropore channels, lower hydraulic conductivities of mobile zone were estimated in the disturbed soil columns than in the undisturbed soil columns, and eventually led to lower mobility of the antibiotics in disturbed column. The results suggest that knowledge of soil structure and solution condition is required to predict fate and distribution of sulfonamide antibiotics in environmental matrix. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In situ stabilization of trace metals in a copper-contaminated soil using P-spiked Linz-Donawitz slag.

Science.gov (United States)

Negim, Osama; Mench, Michel; Bes, Clémence; Motelica-Heino, Mikael; Amin, Fouad; Huneau, Frédéric; Le Coustumer, Philippe

2012-03-01

A former wood exploitation revealing high Cu and As concentration of the soils served as a case study for assisted phytoextraction. P-spiked Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag was used as a soil additive to improve physico-chemical soil properties and in situ stabilize Cu and other trace metals in a sandy Cu-contaminated soil (630 mg kg⁻¹ soil). The LD slag was incorporated into the contaminated soil to consist four treatments: 0% (T1), 1% (T2), 2% (T3), and 4% (T4). A similar uncontaminated soil was used as a control (CTRL). After a 1-month reaction period, potted soils were used for a 2-week growth experiment with dwarf beans. Soil pH increased with the incorporation rate of LD slag. Similarly the soil electrical conductivity (EC, in millisiemens per centimetre) is ameliorated. Bean plants grown on the untreated soil (T1) showed a high phytotoxicity. All incorporation rates of LD slag increased the root and shoot dry weight yields compared to the T1. The foliar Ca concentration of beans was enhanced for all LD slag-amended soil, while the foliar Mg, K, and P concentrations were not increased. Foliar Cu, Zn, and Cr concentrations of beans decreased with the LD slag incorporation rate. P-spiked LD slag incorporation into polluted soil allow the bean growth and foliar Ca concentration, but also to reduce foliar Cu concentration below its upper critical value avoiding an excessive soil EC and Zn deficiency. This dual effect can be of interest for soil remediation at larger scale.

Coffea arabica L., a new host plant for Acetobacter diazotrophicus, and isolation of other nitrogen-fixing acetobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Jimenez-Salgado, T; Fuentes-Ramirez, L E; Tapia-Hernandez, A; Mascarua-Esparza, M A; Martinez-Romero, E; Caballero-Mellado, J

1997-09-01

Acetobacter diazotrophicus was isolated from coffee plant tissues and from rhizosphere soils. Isolation frequencies ranged from 15 to 40% and were dependent on soil pH. Attempts to isolate this bacterial species from coffee fruit, from inside vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spores, or from mealybugs (Planococcus citri) associated with coffee plants were not successful. Other acid-producing diazotrophic bacteria were recovered with frequencies of 20% from the coffee rhizosphere. These N2-fixing isolates had some features in common with the genus Acetobacter but should not be assigned to the species Acetobacter diazotrophicus because they differed from A. diazotrophicus in morphological and biochemical traits and were largely divergent in electrophoretic mobility patterns of metabolic enzymes at coefficients of genetic distance as high as 0.950. In addition, these N2-fixing acetobacteria differed in the small-subunit rRNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns obtained with EcoRI, and they exhibited very low DNA-DNA homology levels, ranging from 11 to 15% with the A. diazotrophicus reference strain PAI 5T. Thus, some of the diazotrophic acetobacteria recovered from the rhizosphere of coffee plants may be regarded as N2-fixing species of the genus Acetobacter other than A. diazotrophicus. Endophytic diazotrophic bacteria may be more prevalent than previously thought, and perhaps there are many more potentially beneficial N2-fixing bacteria which can be isolated from other agronomically important crops.

Controlling cyanobacterial blooms in hypertrophic Lake Taihu, China: will nitrogen reductions cause replacement of non-N2 fixing by N2 fixing taxa?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans W Paerl

Full Text Available Excessive anthropogenic nitrogen (N and phosphorus (P inputs have caused an alarming increase in harmful cyanobacterial blooms, threatening sustainability of lakes and reservoirs worldwide. Hypertrophic Lake Taihu, China's third largest freshwater lake, typifies this predicament, with toxic blooms of the non-N2 fixing cyanobacteria Microcystis spp. dominating from spring through fall. Previous studies indicate N and P reductions are needed to reduce bloom magnitude and duration. However, N reductions may encourage replacement of non-N2 fixing with N2 fixing cyanobacteria. This potentially counterproductive scenario was evaluated using replicate, large (1000 L, in-lake mesocosms during summer bloom periods. N+P additions led to maximum phytoplankton production. Phosphorus enrichment, which promoted N limitation, resulted in increases in N2 fixing taxa (Anabaena spp., but it did not lead to significant replacement of non-N2 fixing with N2 fixing cyanobacteria, and N2 fixation rates remained ecologically insignificant. Furthermore, P enrichment failed to increase phytoplankton production relative to controls, indicating that N was the most limiting nutrient throughout this period. We propose that Microcystis spp. and other non-N2 fixing genera can maintain dominance in this shallow, highly turbid, nutrient-enriched lake by outcompeting N2 fixing taxa for existing sources of N and P stored and cycled in the lake. To bring Taihu and other hypertrophic systems below the bloom threshold, both N and P reductions will be needed until the legacy of high N and P loading and sediment nutrient storage in these systems is depleted. At that point, a more exclusive focus on P reductions may be feasible.

Fertilization Shapes Bacterial Community Structure by Alteration of Soil pH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuting Zhang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Application of chemical fertilizer or manure can affect soil microorganisms directly by supplying nutrients and indirectly by altering soil pH. However, it remains uncertain which effect mostly shapes microbial community structure. We determined soil bacterial diversity and community structure by 454 pyrosequencing the V1-V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes after 7-years (2007–2014 of applying chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK fertilizers, composted manure or their combination to acidic (pH 5.8, near-neutral (pH 6.8 or alkaline (pH 8.4 Eutric Regosol soil in a maize-vegetable rotation in southwest China. In alkaline soil, nutrient sources did not affect bacterial Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU richness or Shannon diversity index, despite higher available N, P, K, and soil organic carbon in fertilized than in unfertilized soil. In contrast, bacterial OTU richness and Shannon diversity index were significantly lower in acidic and near-neutral soils under NPK than under manure or their combination, which corresponded with changes in soil pH. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance showed that bacterial community structure was significantly affected across these three soils, but the PCoA ordination patterns indicated the effect was less distinct among nutrient sources in alkaline than in acidic and near-neural soils. Distance-based redundancy analysis showed that bacterial community structures were significantly altered by soil pH in acidic and near-neutral soils, but not by any soil chemical properties in alkaline soil. The relative abundance (% of most bacterial phyla was higher in near-neutral than in acidic or alkaline soils. The most dominant phyla were Proteobacteria (24.6%, Actinobacteria (19.7%, Chloroflexi (15.3% and Acidobacteria (12.6%; the medium dominant phyla were Bacterioidetes (5.3%, Planctomycetes (4.8%, Gemmatimonadetes (4.5%, Firmicutes (3.4%, Cyanobacteria (2.1%, Nitrospirae (1.8%, and candidate division TM7 (1

Fertilization Shapes Bacterial Community Structure by Alteration of Soil pH.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuting; Shen, Hong; He, Xinhua; Thomas, Ben W; Lupwayi, Newton Z; Hao, Xiying; Thomas, Matthew C; Shi, Xiaojun

2017-01-01

Application of chemical fertilizer or manure can affect soil microorganisms directly by supplying nutrients and indirectly by altering soil pH. However, it remains uncertain which effect mostly shapes microbial community structure. We determined soil bacterial diversity and community structure by 454 pyrosequencing the V1-V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes after 7-years (2007-2014) of applying chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizers, composted manure or their combination to acidic (pH 5.8), near-neutral (pH 6.8) or alkaline (pH 8.4) Eutric Regosol soil in a maize-vegetable rotation in southwest China. In alkaline soil, nutrient sources did not affect bacterial Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) richness or Shannon diversity index, despite higher available N, P, K, and soil organic carbon in fertilized than in unfertilized soil. In contrast, bacterial OTU richness and Shannon diversity index were significantly lower in acidic and near-neutral soils under NPK than under manure or their combination, which corresponded with changes in soil pH. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance showed that bacterial community structure was significantly affected across these three soils, but the PCoA ordination patterns indicated the effect was less distinct among nutrient sources in alkaline than in acidic and near-neural soils. Distance-based redundancy analysis showed that bacterial community structures were significantly altered by soil pH in acidic and near-neutral soils, but not by any soil chemical properties in alkaline soil. The relative abundance (%) of most bacterial phyla was higher in near-neutral than in acidic or alkaline soils. The most dominant phyla were Proteobacteria (24.6%), Actinobacteria (19.7%), Chloroflexi (15.3%) and Acidobacteria (12.6%); the medium dominant phyla were Bacterioidetes (5.3%), Planctomycetes (4.8%), Gemmatimonadetes (4.5%), Firmicutes (3.4%), Cyanobacteria (2.1%), Nitrospirae (1.8%), and candidate division TM7 (1

Effect of acid rain pH on leaching behavior of cement stabilized lead-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yan-Jun; Wei, Ming-Li; Reddy, Krishna R; Liu, Zhao-Peng; Jin, Fei

2014-04-30

Cement stabilization is a practical approach to remediate soils contaminated with high levels of lead. However, the potential for leaching of lead out of these stabilized soils under variable acid rain pH conditions is a major environmental concern. This study investigates the effects of acid rain on the leaching characteristics of cement stabilized lead contaminated soil under different pH conditions. Clean kaolin clay and the same soil spiked with 2% lead contamination are stabilized with cement contents of 12 and 18% and then cured for 28 days. The soil samples are then subjected to a series of accelerated leaching tests (or semi-dynamic leaching tests) using a simulated acid rain leachant prepared at pH 2.0, 4.0 or 7.0. The results show that the strongly acidic leachant (pH ∼2.0) significantly altered the leaching behavior of lead as well as calcium present in the soil. However, the differences in the leaching behavior of the soil when the leachant was mildly acidic (pH ∼4.0) and neutral (pH ∼7.0) prove to be minor. In addition, it is observed that the lead contamination and cement content levels can have a considerable impact on the leaching behavior of the soils. Overall, the leachability of lead and calcium is attributed to the stability of the hydration products and their consequent influence on the soil buffering capacity and structure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organic Residues Affect Soil P Availability, Cowpea Yield And ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SH

control treatment, and 3.37 mg kg soil-1 for maize stover, which rather immobilized P throughout the ... potentially involves lower production costs ... controlling reduction of soil P-sorption capacity .... thick polyethylene film (to allow gas but not.

Spatial variability of soil pH based on GIS combined with geostatistics in Panzhihua tobacco area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Wei; Wang Changquan; Li Bing; Li Qiquan; Du Qian; Hu Jianxin; Liu Chaoke

2012-01-01

GIS and geostatistics were utilized to study the spatial variability of soil pH in Panzhihua tobacco area. Results showed that pH values in this area ranged from 4.5 to 8.3, especially 5.5 to 6.5, and in few areas were lower than 5.0 or higher than 7.0 which can meet the need of high-quality tobacco production. The best fitting model of variogram was exponential model with the nugget/sill of soil pH in 13.61% indicating strong spatial correlation. The change process was 5.40 km and the coefficient of determination was 0.491. The spatial variability of soil pH was mainly caused by structural factors such as cane, topography and soil type. The soil pH in Panzhihua tobacco area also showed a increasing trend of northwest to southeast trend. The pH of some areas in Caochang, Gonghe and Yumen were lower, and in Dalongtan were slightly higher. (authors)

Solarization soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou Ghraibe, W.

1995-01-01

Solar energy could be used in pest control, in soil sterilization technology. The technique consists of covering humid soils by plastic films steadily fixed to the soil. Timing must be in summer during 4-8 weeks, where soil temperature increases to degrees high enough to control pests or to produce biological and chemical changes. The technique could be applied on many pests soil, mainly fungi, bacteria, nematods, weeds and pest insects. The technique could be used in greenhouses as well as in plastic film covers or in orchards where plastic films present double benefits: soil sterilization and production of black mulch. Mechanism of soil solarization is explained. Results show that soil solarization can be used in pest control after fruit crops cultivation and could be a method for an integrated pest control. 9 refs

Surfactant flushing remediation of o-dichlorobenzene and p-dichlorobenzene contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Guangpeng; Zhu, Yuen; Cai, Xiatong; Shi, Weiyu; Li, Hua

2017-10-01

Surfactant-enhanced remediation is used to treat dichlorobenzene (DCB) contaminated soil. In this study, soil column experiments were conducted to investigate the removal efficiencies of o-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) and p-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) from contaminated soil using micellar solutions of biosurfactants (saponin, alkyl polyglycoside) compare to a chemically synthetic surfactant (Tween 80). Leachate was collected and analyzed for o-DCB and p-DCB content. In addition, soil was analyzed to explore the effect of surfactants on soil enzyme activities. Results showed that the removal efficiency of o-DCB and p-DCB was highest for saponin followed by alkyl polyglycoside and Tween 80. The maximum o-DCB and p-DCB removal efficiencies of 76.34% and 80.43%, respectively, were achieved with 4 g L -1 saponin solution. However, an opposite result was observed in the cumulative mass of o-DCB and p-DCB in leachate. The cumulative extent of o-DCB and p-DCB removal by the biosurfactants saponin and alkyl polyglycoside was lower than that of the chemically synthetic surfactant Tween 80 in leachate. Soil was also analyzed to explore the effect of surfactants on soil enzyme activities. The results indicated that surfactants were potentially effective in facilitating soil enzyme activities. Thus, it was confirmed that the biosurfactants saponin and alkyl polyglycoside could be used for remediation of o-DCB and p-DCB contaminated soil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pinus pinaster seedlings and their fungal symbionts show high plasticity in phosphorus acquisition in acidic soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, M A; Louche, J; Legname, E; Duchemin, M; Plassard, C

2009-12-01

Young seedlings of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Soland in Aït.) were grown in rhizoboxes using intact spodosol soil samples from the southwest of France, in Landes of Gascogne, presenting a large variation of phosphorus (P) availability. Soils were collected from a 93-year-old unfertilized stand and a 13-year-old P. pinaster stand with regular annual fertilization of either only P or P and nitrogen (N). After 6 months of culture in controlled conditions, different morphotypes of ectomycorrhiza (ECM) were used for the measurements of acid phosphatase activity and molecular identification of fungal species using amplification of the ITS region. Total biomass, N and P contents were measured in roots and shoots of plants. Bicarbonate- and NaOH-available inorganic P (Pi), organic P (Po) and ergosterol concentrations were measured in bulk and rhizosphere soil. The results showed that bulk soil from the 93-year-old forest stand presented the highest Po levels, but relatively higher bicarbonate-extractable Pi levels compared to 13-year-old unfertilized stand. Fertilizers significantly increased the concentrations of inorganic P fractions in bulk soil. Ergosterol contents in rhizosphere soil were increased by fertilizer application. The dominant fungal species was Rhizopogon luteolus forming 66.6% of analysed ECM tips. Acid phosphatase activity was highly variable and varied inversely with bicarbonate-extractable Pi levels in the rhizosphere soil. Total P or total N in plants was linearly correlated with total plant biomass, but the slope was steep only between total P and biomass in fertilized soil samples. In spite of high phosphatase activity in ECM tips, P availability remained a limiting nutrient in soil samples from unfertilized stands. Nevertheless young P. pinaster seedlings showed a high plasticity for biomass production at low P availability in soils.

Contribution of soil-32P, fertilizer-32P and VA mycorrhizal fungi to phosphorus nutrition of corn plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Gu; Yang Maoqiu; Bai Dengsha; Huang Quansheng

1997-01-01

32 P labelled fertilizer and five synthetic phosphates (dicalcium phosphate, octocalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminium phosphate and apatite), which were used to simulate inorganic phosphates such as Ca 2 -P, Ca 8 -P, Fe P , Al-P and Ca 10 -P in calcareous soil, were applied to corn plants inoculating with and without vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi in a calcareous soil. The results showed that VA mycorrhizal fungi and dicalcium phosphate, octocalcium phosphate, iron phosphate, aluminium phosphate promoted growth and increased phosphorus content of corn plant. The four synthetic phosphates except apatite had higher contributions to corn plant growth than VA mycorrhizal fungi. Contributions of fertilizer-P, soil-P and synthetic phosphates to phosphorus nutrition of corn plant were in order of synthetic phosphates (except apatite) > soil- P > fertilizer-P. Inoculating with VA mycorrhizal fungi increased the contribution of soil-P and decreased the contribution of synthetic phosphates, but did not affect the contribution of fertilizer-P

Control of lead solubility in soil contaminated with lead shot: Effect of soil pH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rooney, Corinne P.; McLaren, Ronald G.; Condron, Leo M.

2007-01-01

An incubation experiment was carried out to assess the rate of oxidation of Pb shot and subsequent transfer of Pb to the soil under a range of soil pH conditions. Lead shot corrosion was rapid, so that soil solution and fine earth ( 3 (CO 3 ) 2 (OH) 2 ), developed in crusts surrounding individual Pb pellets. However, irrespective of pH, Pb 2+ activities in the soil solutions, modelled using WHAM 6, were much lower than would be the case if they were controlled by the solubility of the dominant Pb compounds present in the Pb shot crust material. In contrast, modelling of soil solid-solution phase distribution of Pb, again using WHAM 6, suggested that, at least during the 24 months of the study, soil solution Pb concentrations were more likely to be controlled by sorption of Pb by the soil solid phase. - Sorption processes control Pb 2+ ion activity in soils contaminated with Pb shot

Effect of pH value of applied solution on radioiodine sorption by soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szabova, T.

1976-01-01

Sorption of radioiodine by soils was followed under static conditions at different pH values of the initial solution in five soil types. Sorption of radioiodine by soils is affected by the amount of the organic mass and by the pH of solutions. With the same pH, soils containing a higher amount of the organic mass absorb more radioiodine. The highest sorption percentage of 131 I - for all pH values was found in meadow chernozem soil and the lowest in the rendzina and in carboniferous meadow soils. The highest sorption of 131 I - for degraded chernozem, meadow chernozem soils and brown soil was recorded at pH 5 and for carboniferous meadow soil and rendzina at pH 7. (author)

Influence of soil pH on the sorption of ionizable chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franco, Antonio; Fu, Wenjing; Trapp, Stefan

2009-01-01

, the optimal pH to model dissociation was lower than the bulk soil pH. The knowledge of the soil pH allows calculation of the fractions of neutral and ionic molecules in the system, thus improving the existing regression for acids. The same approach was not successful with bases, for which the impact of p......The soil-water distribution coefficient of ionizable chemicals (K-d) depends on the soil acidity, mainly because the pH governs speciation. Using pH-specific K-d values normalized to organic carbon (K-OC) from the literature, a method was developed to estimate the K-OC of monovalent organic acids...

Effect of systemic herbicides on N2-fixing and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms in relation to availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in paddy soils of West Bengal.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Amal Chandra; Debnath, Anjan

2006-11-01

A field experiment has been conducted with four systemic herbicides viz., butachlor [N-(butoxymethyl)-2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl-acetanilide], fluchloralin [N-(2-chloroethyl)-(2,6-dinitro-N-propyl-4-trifluoromethyl) aniline], oxadiazon [5-terbutyl-3-(2,4-dichloro-5-isopro poxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-one] and oxyfluorfen [2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzene] at their recommended field rates (2.0, 1.5, 0.4 and 0.12kga.i.ha(-1), respectively) to investigate their effects on growth and activities of aerobic non-symbiotic N(2)-fixing bacteria and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms in relation to availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in the rhizosphere soils as well as yield of the rice crop (Oryza sativa L cv. IR-36). Application of herbicides, in general, highly stimulated the population and activities of the target microorganisms, which resulted in a greater amount of atmospheric nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization in the rhizosphere soils of the test crop. The greater microbial activities subsequently augmented the mineralization and availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil solution, which in turn increased the yield of the crop. Among the herbicides, oxyfluorfen was most stimulative followed by fluchloralin and oxadiazon in augmenting the microbial activities in soil. Butachlor also accentuated the mineralization and availability of nitrogen due to higher incitement of non-symbiotic N(2)-fixing bacteria in paddy soil. The grain and straw yields of the crop were also significantly increased due to the application of oxyfluorfen (20.2% and 21%) followed by fluchloralin (13.1% and 15.4%) and butachlor (9.1% and 10.2%), respectively.

Differences in Plant Traits among N-fixing Trees in Hawaii Affect Understory Nitrogen Cycling

Science.gov (United States)

August-Schmidt, E.; D'Antonio, C. M.

2016-12-01

Nitrogen (N) fixing trees are frequently used to restore soil functions to degraded ecosystems because they can increase soil organic matter and N availability. Although N-fixers are lumped into a single functional group, the quality and quantity of the plant material they produce and the rate at which they accrete and add N to the cycling pool likely vary. This talk will focus on the questions: (1) How does N-cycling differ among N-fixing tree species? And (2) Which plant traits are most important in distinguishing the soil N environment? To address these questions, we investigated planted stands of two Hawaiian native N-fixing trees (Acacia koa and Sophora chrysophylla) and `natural' stands of an invasive N-fixing tree (Morella faya) in burned seasonal submontane woodlands in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We measured the relative availability of nitrogen in the soil pool and understory plant community as well as characterizing the rate and amount of N cycling in these stands both in the field and using long term soil incubations in the laboratory. We found that N is cycled very differently under these three N-fixers and that this correlates with differences in their leaf traits. S. chrysophylla had the highest foliar %N and highest specific leaf area, and stands of these trees are associated with faster N-cycling, resulting in greater N availability compared to all other site types. Incubated S. chrysophylla soils mineralized almost twice as much N as any other soil type over the course of the experiment. The comparatively high-N environment under S. chrysophylla suggests that litter quality may be more important than litter quantity in determining nitrogen availability to the understory community.

Soil pH management without lime, a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cultivated soils

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeem, Shahid; Bakken, Lars; Reent Köster, Jan; Tore Mørkved, Pål; Simon, Nina; Dörsch, Peter

2015-04-01

For decades, agricultural scientists have searched for methods to reduce the climate forcing of food production by increasing carbon sequestration in the soil and reducing the emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O). The outcome of this research is depressingly meagre and the two targets appear incompatible: efforts to increase carbon sequestration appear to enhance the emissions of N2O. Currently there is a need to find alternative management strategies which may effectively reduce both the CO2 and N2O footprints of food production. Soil pH is a master variable in soil productivity and plays an important role in controlling the chemical and biological activity in soil. Recent investigations of the physiology of denitrification have provided compelling evidence that the emission of N2O declines with increasing pH within the range 5-7. Thus, by managing the soil pH at a near neutral level appears to be a feasible way to reduce N2O emissions. Such pH management has been a target in conventional agriculture for a long time, since a near-neutral pH is optimal for a majority of cultivated plants. The traditional way to counteract acidification of agricultural soils is to apply lime, which inevitably leads to emission of CO2. An alternative way to increase the soil pH is the use of mafic rock powders, which have been shown to counteract soil acidification, albeit with a slower reaction than lime. Here we report a newly established field trail in Norway, in which we compare the effects of lime and different mafic mineral and rock powders (olivine, different types of plagioclase) on CO2 and N2O emissions under natural agricultural conditions. Soil pH is measured on a monthly basis from all treatment plots. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission measurements are carried out on a weekly basis using static chambers and an autonomous robot using fast box technique. Field results from the first winter (fallow) show immediate effect of lime on soil pH, and slower effects of the mafic rocks. The

Phytotoxicity attenuation in Vigna radiata under heavy metal stress at the presence of biochar and N fixing bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Seneviratne, Mihiri; Weerasundara, Lakshika; Ok, Yong Sik; Rinklebe, Jörg; Vithanage, Meththika

2017-01-15

This study assesses the effect of N-fixing bacteria and biochar synergism on plant growth and development of Vigna mungo under heavy metal stress (HM). Heavy metal stress is a worldwide problem, which causes critical effects on plant life due to oxidative stress. Application of biochar is a recent biological remediation technique, which often leads to an immobilization of heavy metals in soil. . Synergism of bacteria and biochar is a novel aspect to enhance plant growth under heavy metal stress. Woody biochar a byproduct of a dendro power industry was added as 1, 2.5 and 5% amounts combination with Bradyrhizobium japonicum, where mung seedlings were planted in serpentine soil rich in Ni, Mn, Cr and Co. Pot experiments were conducted for 12 weeks. The plant height, heavy metal uptake by plants, soil bioavailable heavy metal contents, soil N and P and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were measured. The plant growth was enhanced with biochar amendment but a retardation was observed with high biochar application (5%). The soil N and P increased with the increase of biochar addition percentage while soil MBC showed reductions at 5% biochar amendment. Both soil bioavailable fractions of HM and up take of HMs by plants were gradually reduced with increase in biochar content. Based on the results, 2.5% biochar synergism with bacteria was the best for plant growth and soil nutrition status. Despite the synergism, available N was negatively correlated with the decrease of bioavailable metal percentage in soil whereas it was conversely for P. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Report of the Fixed-Target Proton-Accelerator Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, K.; Bunce, G.; Fisk, G.

1982-01-01

The fixed target proton accelerator group divided itself into two roughly equal parts. One sub-group concentrated on a high intensity (10 14 protons/sec) moderate energy (30 GeV) machine while the other worked on a moderate intensity (5 x 10 11 protons/sec) very high energy (20 TeV) machine. For experiments where the total available energy is adequate, the fixed target option added to a anti p p 20 TeV collider ring has several attractive features: (1) high luminosity afforded by intense beams striking thick solid targets; (2) secondary beams of hadrons, photons, and leptons; and (3) the versatility of a fixed target facility, where many experiments can be performed independently. The proposed experiments considered by the subgroup, including neutrino, photon, hadron, and very short lived particle beams were based both on scaled up versions of similar experiments proposed for Tevatron II at Fermilab and on the 400 GeV fixed target programs at Fermilab and CERN

Methodologically controlled variations in laboratory and field pH measurements in waterlogged soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elberling, Bo; Matthiesen, Henning

2007-01-01

artefacts is critical. But the study includes agricultural and forest soils for comparison. At a waterlogged site, Laboratory results were compared with three different field methods: calomel pH probes inserted in the soil from pits, pH measurements of soil solution extracted from the soil, and pH profiles...... using a solid-state pH electrode pushed into the soil from the surface. Comparisons between in situ and laboratory methods revealed differences of more than 1 pH unit. The content of dissolved ions in soil solution and field observations of O2 and CO2 concentrations were used in the speciation model...... PHREEQE in order to predict gas exchange processes. Changes in pH in soil solution following equilibrium in the laboratory could be explained mainly by CO2 degassing. Only soil pH measured in situ using either calomel or solid-state probes inserted directly into the soil was not affected by gas exchange...

Retention of phosphorus in highly weathered soils under a lowland Amazonian forest ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

M. E. McGroddy; W. L. Silver; Jr. de Oliveira; W. Z. de Mello; M. Keller

2008-01-01

The low available phosphorus (P) pools typical of highly weathered tropical forest soils are thought to result from a combination of export of phosphorus via erosion and leaching as well as chemical reactions resulting in physically and chemically protected P compounds. Despite the low apparent P availability, these soils support some of the highest terrestrial net...

Soil solution Zn and pH dynamics in non-rhizosphere soil and in the rhizosphere of Thlaspi caerulescens grown in a Zn/Cd-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Y M; Christie, P; Baker, A J

2000-07-01

Temporal changes in soil solution properties and metal speciation were studied in non-rhizosphere soil and in the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens J. & C. Presl (population from Prayon, Belgium) grown in a Zn- and Cd-contaminated soil. This paper focuses on soil solution Zn and pH dynamics during phytoextraction. The concentration of Zn in both non-rhizosphere and rhizosphere soil solutions decreased from 23 mg/l at the beginning to 2 mg/l at the end of the experiment (84 days after transplanting of seedlings), mainly due to chemical sorption. There was no significant difference in overall Zn concentration between the planted and the unplanted soil solutions (P > 0.05). Soil solution pH decreased initially and then increased slightly in both planted and unplanted soil zones. From 60 to 84 days after transplanting, the pH of the rhizosphere soil solution was higher than that of non-rhizosphere soil solution (P<0.05). Zn uptake by the hyperaccumulator plants was 8.8 mg per pot (each containing 1 kg oven-dry soil) on average. The data indicate that the potential of T. caerulescens to remove Zn from contaminated soil may not be related to acidification of the rhizosphere.

Screening and identification of p,p¢-DDT degrading soil isolates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vorasan Sobhon

2008-04-01

Full Text Available DDT is an organochlorine pesticide that can persist in the environment resulting in environmental problem with chronic effects on human and animal health. The determination of p,p¢-DDT in soil samples from 23 agricultural areas in Songkhla Province found DDT residue in the ranges of 0.17-9.84 ng/g soil. After repeated culturing in mineral salts-yeast extract medium (MSYM with an addition of 25 ppm p,p¢-DDT (DDT25, 167 morphologically different bacterial strains were isolated. Out of 167 isolates, only 5 strains showed p,p¢-DDT degrading ability as indicated by clear zone around the colony when grown on nutrient agar supplemented up to 100 ppm p,p¢-DDT. These 5 isolates include SB1A01, SB2A02, SB1A10, SB1A12 and SB1B05. Growth of these isolates in MSYM+DDT25 after 10 days indicated reductions of p,p¢-DDT by 30.5, 20.3, 37.4, 30.4 and 32.2%, respectively. Based on the morphological characteristics and 16S rDNA analysis, isolate SB1A10 which showed the highest degradation ability was found to be 99% identical (1360/1362 to Staphylococcus haemolyticus.

Dynamics of pH, Ferrum and Mangan, and Phosphorus on Newly Opened Paddy Soil having High Soil Organic Matter on Rice Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukristyonubowo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Research had been carried out at the Research and Soil Testing Laboratory and Greenhouse of Soil ResearchInstitute, Bogor using newly opened paddy soil from Pesisir Selatan districts, West Sumatra (one year old. Totaltreatments tested were 12 which were combination of farmer rate, NPK recommendation (½×; ¾×; 1½×, strawcompost (½×; ¾×; 1½×, and dolomite. The trial was conducted using a completely randomized design with threereplications. This research had been prepared in two units, one unit for observing plant response to nutrientmanagement and another unit for incubation trial with the same treatment placed in the greenhouse. Rice cultivarused was IR-42 in accordance to the preferred varieties of local farmers. The sampling method for measuring thesolubility of Fe2+ and Mn2+, as well as the availability of PO43- was by centrifuge 50 g mud samples from theincubation pots then separated clear extract using filter paper. The observation results on dynamics of pH, Fe2+,Mn2+ and PO4-3 mainly occured in 1 to 14 days after submerging (incubation. After 14 days soil reaction had reachedthermodynamic sequence of oxidation-reduction processes, the PO43- more available and pH of the soil reached thepeak. The optimum dose of NPK fertilizer obtained 0.875 NPK or equal to 175 kg of urea, 87.5 kg of SP-36 and 87.5 kgKCl ha-1. The highest number of hills achieved from straw compost treatment 1½ organic matter (OM or 3 tons withan increase of 20%. Application of ameliorant dolomite increased the number of tillers about 2-3%, but insignificantlydifferent with no dolomite treatment.

Mycorrhiza formation and nutrient concentration in leeks (¤Allium porrum¤) in relation to previous crop and cover crop management on high P soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, J.N.; Larsen, J.; Jakobsen, I.

2005-01-01

An improved integration of mycorrhizas may increase the sustainability in plant production. Two strategies for increasing the soil inoculum potential of mycorrhizal fungi were investigated in field experiments with leeks: Pre-cropping with mycorrhizal main crops and pre-establishment of mycorrhizal......, increased the colonization of leek roots by mycorrhizal fungi. During early growth stages, this increase was 45-95% relative to no cover crop. However, cover cropping did not significantly increase nutrient concentration or growth. These variables were not influenced by the time of cover crop incorporation...... or tillage treatments. Differences in colonization, nutrient uptake and plant growth diminished during the growing period and at the final harvest date, the effects on plant production disappeared. High soil P level or high soil inoculum level was most likely responsible for the limited response of increased...

The behavior of P in tropical soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittencourt, V.C.; Zambello Junior, E.

1975-06-01

The experimental data showed that the whole P retention process depends on the levels and the reactivities of the iron oxides in the soils. It was established that the retention mechanism occurs in 2 or 3 stages and it is related to both the maximum adsorption and the absorbent capacity of the several soils as determined by the Langmuir and the Freundlich equations respectively. The final step of the P interaction which shows small rate constants is due to a diffusion of the phosphate ions from the oxide surface to the internal layers producing more stable iron-phosphate compounds

Soil biota response to amendment with biochar as P and K fertilizer

Science.gov (United States)

Winding, Anne; Imparato, Valentina; Santos, Susana; Hansen, Veronika; Haugaard-Nielsen, Henrik; Browne, Patrick; Hestbjerg Hansen, Lars; Henning Krogh, Paul; Johansen, Anders

2017-04-01

Thermal gasification converts biomass into a combustible gas at oxygen-poor conditions, the bi-product being biochar which can be used as soil amendment to increase pH, sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, and supply phosphate and potassium to crops; replacing chemical or other alternative organic fertilizers. Amending soil with biochar can support three soil functions: production of food, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. This was tested in a field experiment with reduced-tillage agricultural management, where the effect of biochar amendment on soil ecosystem services, especially biodiversity and carbon sequestration were studied. The effects on soil microorganisms and fauna (protists and earthworms) were assessed with activity based assays and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Crops were alternating oil seed rape and winter wheat, and biochar was added annually for 3 years. The soil was a sandy loam soil with SOM content of ca. 5%. Earthworms and soil were sampled from field plots either left untreated, amended with straw or annually amended with either 6-8 t ha-1 or ca. 1 t ha-1 biochar. Soil was sampled from bulk soil and earthworm drilosphere. Earthworms had a priming effect on protist abundance and basal soil respiration. However, in biochar amended soil the protist abundance decreased in the drilosphere. Culturable bacteria and extracellular enzymatic activities were not significantly affected by earthworms. The abundance of only one earthworm species increased at high compared to low application levels of biochar, while still not differing from controls without biochar. Thus, no harmful effects were detected for earthworms. At the lower biochar amendment, significant changes were observed for the activity of a few selected enzymes related to biochar and also a relative increase in abundance of low abundant microorganisms was seen. At the high doses of biochar the abundance of protists increased compared to control. NGS analysis was more

Nestedness in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities along Soil pH Gradients in Early Primary Succession: Acid-Tolerant Fungi Are pH Generalists.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawahara, Ai; An, Gi-Hong; Miyakawa, Sachie; Sonoda, Jun; Ezawa, Tatsuhiro

2016-01-01

Soil acidity is a major constraint on plant productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi support plant colonization in acidic soil, but soil acidity also constrains fungal growth and diversity. Fungi in extreme environments generally evolve towards specialists, suggesting that AM fungi in acidic soil are acidic-soil specialists. In our previous surveys, however, some AM fungi detected in strongly acidic soils could also be detected in a soil with moderate pH, which raised a hypothesis that the fungi in acidic soils are pH generalists. To test the hypothesis, we conducted a pH-manipulation experiment and also analyzed AM fungal distribution along a pH gradient in the field using a synthesized dataset of the previous and recent surveys. Rhizosphere soils of the generalist plant Miscanthus sinensis were collected both from a neutral soil and an acidic soil, and M. sinensis seedlings were grown at three different pH. For the analysis of field communities, rhizosphere soils of M. sinensis were collected from six field sites across Japan, which covered a soil pH range of 3.0-7.4, and subjected to soil trap culture. AM fungal community compositions were determined based on LSU rDNA sequences. In the pH-manipulation experiment the acidification of medium had a significant impact on the compositions of the community from the neutral soil, but the neutralization of the medium had no effect on those of the community from the acidic soil. Furthermore, the communities in lower -pH soils were subsets of (nested in) those in higher-pH soils. In the field communities a significant nestedness pattern was observed along the pH gradient. These observations suggest that the fungi in strongly acidic soils are pH generalists that occur not only in acidic soil but also in wide ranges of soil pH. Nestedness in AM fungal community along pH gradients may have important implications for plant community resilience and early primary succession after disturbance in acidic soils.

Nestedness in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities along Soil pH Gradients in Early Primary Succession: Acid-Tolerant Fungi Are pH Generalists

Science.gov (United States)

Kawahara, Ai; An, Gi-Hong; Miyakawa, Sachie; Sonoda, Jun

2016-01-01

Soil acidity is a major constraint on plant productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi support plant colonization in acidic soil, but soil acidity also constrains fungal growth and diversity. Fungi in extreme environments generally evolve towards specialists, suggesting that AM fungi in acidic soil are acidic-soil specialists. In our previous surveys, however, some AM fungi detected in strongly acidic soils could also be detected in a soil with moderate pH, which raised a hypothesis that the fungi in acidic soils are pH generalists. To test the hypothesis, we conducted a pH-manipulation experiment and also analyzed AM fungal distribution along a pH gradient in the field using a synthesized dataset of the previous and recent surveys. Rhizosphere soils of the generalist plant Miscanthus sinensis were collected both from a neutral soil and an acidic soil, and M. sinensis seedlings were grown at three different pH. For the analysis of field communities, rhizosphere soils of M. sinensis were collected from six field sites across Japan, which covered a soil pH range of 3.0–7.4, and subjected to soil trap culture. AM fungal community compositions were determined based on LSU rDNA sequences. In the pH-manipulation experiment the acidification of medium had a significant impact on the compositions of the community from the neutral soil, but the neutralization of the medium had no effect on those of the community from the acidic soil. Furthermore, the communities in lower -pH soils were subsets of (nested in) those in higher-pH soils. In the field communities a significant nestedness pattern was observed along the pH gradient. These observations suggest that the fungi in strongly acidic soils are pH generalists that occur not only in acidic soil but also in wide ranges of soil pH. Nestedness in AM fungal community along pH gradients may have important implications for plant community resilience and early primary succession after disturbance in acidic soils. PMID

Adsorption-Desorption of Hexaconazole in Soils with Respect to Soil Properties, Temperature, and pH

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Maznah Zainol

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The effect of temperature and pH on adsorption-desorption of fungicide hexaconazole was studied in two Malaysian soil types; namely clay loam and sandy loam. The adsorption-desorption experiment was conducted using the batch equilibration technique and the residues of hexaconazole were analysed using the GC-ECD. The results showed that the adsorption-desorption isotherms of hexaconazole can be described with Freundlich equation. The Freundlich sorption coefficient (Kd values were positively correlated to the clay and organic matter content in the soils. Hexaconazole attained the equilibrium phase within 24 h in both soil types studied. The adsorption coefficient (Kd values obtained for clay loam soil and sandy loam soil were 2.54 mL/g and 2.27 mL/g, respectively, indicating that hexaconazole was weakly sorbed onto the soils due to the low organic content of the soils. Regarding thermodynamic parameters, the Gibb’s free energy change (ΔG analysis showed that hexaconazole adsorption onto soil was spontaneous and exothermic, plus it exhibited positive hysteresis. A strong correlation was observed between the adsorption of hexaconazole and pH of the soil solution. However, temperature was found to have no effect on the adsorption of hexaconazole onto the soils; for the range tested.

The use of MP-AES for determination of plant available P in soil by DL method and distribution of soils into P status classes by DL, AL and Mehlich 3 methods.

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Toomsoo, Avo; Jürgens, Meit; Kõlli, Raimo; Künnapas, Allan; Albre, Imbi; Tõnutare, Tõnu; Rodima, Ako

2017-04-01

Only small percentage of soil total phosphorus is easily exchangeable between solid and solution phase. Plants are able to assimilate P from environment only in the form of orthophosphate ions (H2PO4- and HPO42-) from soil solution. Deficit of P in soil solution prevents plant normal growth and decreases yield quantity and quality. The excess of P in soil solution causes the pollution of environment and eutrophication of water bodies. Therefore it is important to give to the plant producers the correct fertilization recommendations. Lot of analytical methods are developed for the determination of plant available P in soils. In the Baltic Sea region seven different soils' P analysis methods in use. Each method has its own gradation and often there is more than one gradation for the same method depending from agroecological conditions. For agricultural soils in Estonia there are soil P status gradations according to Mehlich 3, DL and AL methods. Phosphate content in soil can be determined by molybdate method Vis-spectrometrically. Very often for analysis of soils' P content also ICP-OES, ICP-MS and also MP-AES instrumental methods are used The aim of our work was to investigate the possibility of using MP-AES for determination of plant available P in soil by DL method and also to compare how the analysed soils are distributed to M3, AL and DL fertilizer requirement groups according to the P content.

Variation in pH optima of hydrolytic enzyme activities in tropical rain forest soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Benjamin L

2010-10-01

Extracellular enzymes synthesized by soil microbes play a central role in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in the environment. The pH optima of eight hydrolytic enzymes involved in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, were assessed in a series of tropical forest soils of contrasting pH values from the Republic of Panama. Assays were conducted using 4-methylumbelliferone-linked fluorogenic substrates in modified universal buffer. Optimum pH values differed markedly among enzymes and soils. Enzymes were grouped into three classes based on their pH optima: (i) enzymes with acidic pH optima that were consistent among soils (cellobiohydrolase, β-xylanase, and arylsulfatase), (ii) enzymes with acidic pH optima that varied systematically with soil pH, with the most acidic pH optima in the most acidic soils (α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase), and (iii) enzymes with an optimum pH in either the acid range or the alkaline range depending on soil pH (phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase). The optimum pH values of phosphomonoesterase were consistent among soils, being 4 to 5 for acid phosphomonoesterase and 10 to 11 for alkaline phosphomonoesterase. In contrast, the optimum pH for phosphodiesterase activity varied systematically with soil pH, with the most acidic pH optima (3.0) in the most acidic soils and the most alkaline pH optima (pH 10) in near-neutral soils. Arylsulfatase activity had a very acidic optimum pH in all soils (pH ≤3.0) irrespective of soil pH. The differences in pH optima may be linked to the origins of the enzymes and/or the degree of stabilization on solid surfaces. The results have important implications for the interpretation of hydrolytic enzyme assays using fluorogenic substrates.

Sterilization affects soil organic matter chemistry and bioaccumulation of spiked p,p'-DDE and anthracene by earthworms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelsey, Jason W., E-mail: kelsey@muhlenberg.ed [Program in Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104 (United States); Slizovskiy, Ilya B.; Peters, Richard D.; Melnick, Adam M. [Program in Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104 (United States)

2010-06-15

Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the effects of soil sterilization on the bioavailability of spiked p,p'-DDE and anthracene to the earthworms Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus terrestris. Physical and chemical changes to soil organic matter (SOM) induced by sterilization were also studied. Uptake of both compounds added after soil was autoclaved or gamma irradiated increased for E. fetida. Sterilization had no effect on bioaccumulation of p,p'-DDE by L. terrestris, and anthracene uptake increased only in gamma-irradiated soils. Analyses by FT-IR and DSC indicate sterilization alters SOM chemistry and may reduce pollutant sorption. Chemical changes to SOM were tentatively linked to changes in bioaccumulation, although the effects were compound and species specific. Artifacts produced by sterilization could lead to inaccurate risk assessments of contaminated sites if assumptions derived from studies carried out in sterilized soil are used. Ultimately, knowledge of SOM chemistry could aid predictions of bioaccumulation of organic pollutants. - Soil sterilization affects soil organic matter chemistry and pollutant bioaccumulation.

pH controls over methanogenesis and iron reduction along soil depth profile in Arctic tundra

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, J.; Gu, B.; Wullschleger, S. D.; Graham, D. E.

2017-12-01

Increasing soil temperature in the Arctic is expected to accelerate rates of soil organic matter decomposition. However, the magnitude of this impact is uncertain due to the many physical, chemical, and biological processes that control the decomposition pathways. Varying soil redox conditions present a key control over pathways of organic matter decomposition by diverting the flow of reductants among different electron accepting processes and further driving acid-base reactions that alter soil pH. In this study we investigated the pH controls over anaerobic carbon mineralization, methanogenesis, Fe(III) reduction and the interplay between these processes across a range of pH and redox conditions. pH manipulation experiments were conducted by incubating soils representing organic, mineral, cryoturbated transitional layers and permafrost. In the experiments we sought to understand (1) if methanogenesis or Fe(III) reduction had similar pH optima; (2) if this pH response also occurs at `upstream' fermentation process; and (3) if pH alters organo-mineral association or organic matter sorption and desorption and its availability for microbial degradation. Our preliminary results suggest that the common bell-shaped pH response curve provides a good fit for both Fe(III) reduction and methanogenesis, with optimum pH at 6.0-7.0. Exceptions to this were found in transitional layer where methanogenesis rates positively correlated with increasing pH, with maximum rates measured at pH 8.5. It is likely that the transitional layer harbors distinct groups of methanogens that prefer a high pH. Variations in the optimum pH of Fe(III) reduction and methanogenesis may play a significant role in regulating organic matter decomposition pathways and thus greenhouse gas production in thawing soils. These results support biogeochemical modeling efforts to accurately simulate organic matter decomposition under changing redox and pH conditions.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus CSY-P13 Mitigates Stress of Ferulic and p-Hydroxybenzoic Acids in Cucumber by Affecting Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Soil Bacterial Community

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Fenghui Wu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Ferulic acid (FA and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA are main phenolic compounds accumulated in rhizosphere of continuously cropped cucumber, causing stress in plants. Microbial degradation of a mixture of FA and PHBA is not well understood in soil. We isolated a strain CSY-P13 of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, inoculated it into soil to protect cucumber from FA and PHBA stress, and explored a mechanism underlying the protection. CSY-P13 effectively degraded a mixture of FA and PHBA in culture solution under conditions of 39.37°C, pH 6.97, and 21.59 g L-1 potassium dihydrogen phosphate, giving rise to 4-vinyl guaiacol, vanillin, vanillic acid, and protocatechuic acid. During FA and PHBA degradation, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and dehydroascorbate reductase in CSY-P13 were induced. Inoculated into cucumber-planted soil containing 220 μg g-1 mixture of FA and PHBA, CSY-P13 degraded FA and PHBA in soil, increased plant height, and decreased malonaldehyde, superoxide radical, and hydrogen peroxide levels in leaves. CSY-P13 also enhanced SOD, guaiacol peroxidase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase activities; increased ascorbate and glutathione contents; and elevated transcript levels of copper/zinc SOD, manganese SOD, and catalase in leaves under FA and PHBA. Moreover, CSY-P13 increased phosphatase, catalase, urease, and sucrase activities and changed bacterial richness, diversity, and community composition by high throughput sequencing in cucumber-planted soil supplemented with the mixture of FA and PHBA. So CSY-P13 degrades the mixture of FA and PHBA in soil and mitigates stress from the two phenolic compounds in cucumber by activating antioxidant enzymes, changing soil bacterial community, and inducing soil enzymes.

Influence of soil-extractable aluminium and pH on the uptake of aluminium from soil into the soybean plant (Glycine max).

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, D; Thornton, I; Ramsey, M H

1993-09-01

The effects of soil pH and other soil properties on the uptake of AI by soybean plants have been investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Six soils were compared that were developed over six contrasting bedrock types ranging widely in their AI content and other chemical and physical characteristics, namely Oxford Clay, Chalk, Lower Lias Clay, Devonian Shale, Granite and Lower Greensand. Soil pH varied naturally between soil types and each soil was also amended to give two other pH levels using elemental sulphur and/or calcium carbonate. AI concentrations in various parts of the soybean plants were determined by ICP-AES after acid digestion. The AI solubility in the soils and hence its availability to the plants was estimated using a number of different reagents designed to extract different forms of AI.The AI concentration measured in the soybean leaves was found to be predicted most accurately by the 'available' AI extracted from soils by 0.02 M CaCl2. The relationship appears to the linear, with a correlation coefficient of 0.97 (p <0.01). The AI content of the leaves increases with decreasing soil pH. The relationship is non-linear with a marked increase in leaf AI for soils with pH <4.4. The amounts of 'plant-available' AI in the soils extracted with 0.02 M CaCl2 was much less than that extracted with 0.05 M EDTA, although both increased markedly with decreasing soil pH. The amount of AI measured in the soybean plants was directly related to both the 'available' forms of AI in the soils, and also to the pH of the soils. Soil pH was identified as a major factor that controls the uptake of Al from soil into the soybean plant.

Effect of the pH on the radiocesium adsorption in tropical soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roque, Mario Lucio; Boaretto, Antonio E.; Moniz, Antonio C; Smolders, Erik E. T.

2002-01-01

The objective was to demonstrate that the pH dependent charges are specific change sites for radiocesium. Clay minerals occurrence in superficial samples of eight tropical soils was analyzed by X-Ray diffractometry. The variation of superficial charge of these soils were quantify by potentiometric titration in a range from 3 to 8 pH values. The results of radiocesium interception potential showed the presence of specific sites of adsorption of this radionuclide for all the soils. The variation of radiocesium adsorption for all soils was quantified in a pH defined range. The increase on the pH values caused increase on the radiocesium adsorption by the soils and a consequent decrease in the radiocesium activity in the equilibrium solution. The soil with predominance of the 2:1 clay minerals showed higher radiocesium adsorption than the soils with 1:1 clay minerals or iron and aluminum oxides. The increase on the negative charge in consequence of pH increase caused increase on radiocesium adsorption. The correction of soil acidity with lime by increasing the specific sites charge for radiocesium and decreasing the radionuclide activity in soil solution may cause decrease on the transference of radiocesium from soil to plant. (author)

15N enrichment of soil NH4+-N as an alternative non-N2-fixing reference for assessing varietal differences in N2 fixation of rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shrestha, R.K.; Ladha, J.K.

1996-01-01

A pot experiment in the greenhouse was conducted to assess the usefulness of 15 N enrichment of soil NH 4 + -N as an alternative to a non-fixing reference plant to determine varietal differences in N 2 fixation among rice varieties. Diverse rice genotypes were grown in a 15 N stabilized soil obtained after 6 wk of application under flooded conditions. Atom % 15 N excess of soil NH 4 + -N was decreased exponentially with amount of N mineralized (r=99). Close agreement was observed between the 15 N enrichment of reference rice plant and 15 N enrichment of KCl extractable NH 4 + -N from unplanted pots maintained in the greenhouse. Whole plant atom % 15 N excess was inversely correlated within growth duration. Therefore, it was necessary to calculate Ndfa within growth duration. Ndfa estimated within the growth duration using 15 N enrichment of soil NH 4 + -N and reference rice genotype correlated almost perfectly (r=998). Thus the study demonstrated the potential of using 15 N enrichment of soil NH 4 + -N as a non-N 2 fixing reference for reliable estimate of biological nitrogen fixation by nonlegumes under flooded conditions. (author)

[Variation characteristics of farmland soil pH in the past 30 years of Enshi Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Min; Xiang, Yong Sheng; Zhang, Zhi; Cong, Ri Huan; Huang, Fei Yue; Zhang, Jun Qiang; Shang, Li Li; Lu, Jian Wei

2017-04-18

In order to explore temporal-spatial variability of farmland soil pH at Enshi Antonomous Prefecture, Hubei, China, soil pH during the past three decades was analyzed, using the datasets of the Second National Soil Survey (1980-1983) and the Cultivated Land Quality Evaluation (2010-2013). The natural and human factors inducing the change of soil pH were evaluated to provide theoretical guidance for further soil acidification management. Results showed that acidic soil (i.e., pH＜6.5) and neutral and alkaline soil (i.e., pH 6.5-8.5) were accounted for 98.4% and 1.6% in the farmland during the period of 2010-2013, respectively. The ratio increased 61.4% for the acidic soil but decreased 61.2% for the neutral and alkaline soil as compared with the period of 1980-1983. In addition, there was no alkaline soil (pH>8.5) in the region in 2010-2013. According to the dataset of the Second National Soil Survey (1980-1983), acidic soil was mainly distributed at Laifeng, Lichuan, Xuanen and Xianfeng counties, with the area ratio of 74.4%, 63.5%, 61.3% and 60.7%, respectively. For the period of 2010-2013, the ratio of acidic soil enhanced widely which was above 96% for each county. At Enshi Autonomous Prefecture, farmland soil showed an obvious acidification trend during the past three decades, with spatial variation of higher in the eastern part and lower in the western part of the region. Furthermore, soil pH decline occurred among different land use types in different areas. Overall, farmland soil pH declined 0.90 on average, with 1.14 decrease for upland and 0.87 for paddy soil, respectively. Clearly, upland soil acidification was severe than paddy soil. Factors related to soil acidification in the Enshi Autonomous Prefecture were mainly human factors such as unreasonable fertilizer combination, fertilizer ratio change, and more base cations taking away by high crop yield.

Two fixed ratio dilutions for soil salinity monitoring in hypersaline wetlands.

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Juan Herrero

Full Text Available Highly soluble salts are undesirable in agriculture because they reduce yields or the quality of most cash crops and can leak to surface or sub-surface waters. In some cases salinity can be associated with unique history, rarity, or special habitats protected by environmental laws. Yet in considering the measurement of soil salinity for long-term monitoring purposes, adequate methods are required. Both saturated paste extracts, intended for agriculture, and direct surface and/or porewater salinity measurement, used in inundated wetlands, are unsuited for hypersaline wetlands that often are only occasionally inundated. For these cases, we propose the use of 1:5 soil/water (weight/weight extracts as the standard for expressing the electrical conductivity (EC of such soils and for further salt determinations. We also propose checking for ion-pairing with a 1:10 or more diluted extract in hypersaline soils. As an illustration, we apply the two-dilutions approach to a set of 359 soil samples from saline wetlands ranging in ECe from 2.3 dS m(-1 to 183.0 dS m(-1. This easy procedure will be useful in survey campaigns and in the monitoring of soil salt content.

Two fixed ratio dilutions for soil salinity monitoring in hypersaline wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Herrero, Juan; Weindorf, David C; Castañeda, Carmen

2015-01-01

Highly soluble salts are undesirable in agriculture because they reduce yields or the quality of most cash crops and can leak to surface or sub-surface waters. In some cases salinity can be associated with unique history, rarity, or special habitats protected by environmental laws. Yet in considering the measurement of soil salinity for long-term monitoring purposes, adequate methods are required. Both saturated paste extracts, intended for agriculture, and direct surface and/or porewater salinity measurement, used in inundated wetlands, are unsuited for hypersaline wetlands that often are only occasionally inundated. For these cases, we propose the use of 1:5 soil/water (weight/weight) extracts as the standard for expressing the electrical conductivity (EC) of such soils and for further salt determinations. We also propose checking for ion-pairing with a 1:10 or more diluted extract in hypersaline soils. As an illustration, we apply the two-dilutions approach to a set of 359 soil samples from saline wetlands ranging in ECe from 2.3 dS m(-1) to 183.0 dS m(-1). This easy procedure will be useful in survey campaigns and in the monitoring of soil salt content.

Effectiveness of Direct Application of Phosphate Rock in Upland Acid Inceptisols Soils on Available-P and Maize Yield

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Nurjaya

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Source of P fertilizer which is used by farmers in upland acid soils area is generally acidulated phosphate rock (PR,such as tripel super phosphate (TSP, super phosphate 36% P2O5 (SP-36, as well as partial acidulated phosphate rock (PAPR which contain 10-30% P2O5. Their effectiveness, however, varies and depends on the soil and planttypes. Phosphate rock fertilizers have a high prospects for acid soils because its effectiveness equals to the SP-36,cheaper, slow release, and its application can also leave the residual P in the soil that available for plants for next few seasons. Field experiment aimed to study the effectiveness of direct application of PR at upland acid soils and its effect on soil available-P as well as maize (Zea mays L. yield was conducted in Acid Inceptisols of Ciampea,Bogorin wet season years 2008/2009. The experiment was arranged by a Randomized Completely Block Design with 3 replications. Maize of P-12 variety was used as a plant indicator. The treatment consisted of 6 levels of phosphate rock: 0, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 kg P ha-1, as well as one level of SP-36 40 kg P ha-1 as standard fertilizer. In addition, urea of 300 kg ha-1 and KCl of 100 kg ha-1 were used as basal fertilization. The result showed that the application of PRin the amount ranging from 20 to 60 kg P ha-1 increased total-P and available-P, and pH, decreased exchangeable Al in the soils as well as increased maize straw and grain. Phosphate rock application at 40 kg P ha-1 level was equally effective as SP-36 in the tested soils. Critical level of soil P for maize grown in the soil was 675 and 5.00 mg P2O5 kg-1 extracted with HCl 25% and Bray I, respectively. The requirement of P for maize grown in the soil to achieve maximum profit was 38 kg P ha-1 and 17.5 kg P ha-1 or equivalent to PR of 583 and 268 kg ha-1 in low (soil P critical level soil P status, respectively.

Phosphorus content as a function of soil aggregate size and paddy cultivation in highly weathered soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Baozhen; Ge, Tida; Xiao, Heai; Zhu, Zhenke; Li, Yong; Shibistova, Olga; Liu, Shoulong; Wu, Jinshui; Inubushi, Kazuyuki; Guggenberger, Georg

2016-04-01

Red soils are the major land resource in subtropical and tropical areas and are characterized by low phosphorus (P) availability. To assess the availability of P for plants and the potential stability of P in soil, two pairs of subtropical red soil samples from a paddy field and an adjacent uncultivated upland were collected from Hunan Province, China. Analysis of total P and Olsen P and sequential extraction was used to determine the inorganic and organic P fractions in different aggregate size classes. Our results showed that the soil under paddy cultivation had lower proportions of small aggregates and higher proportions of large aggregates than those from the uncultivated upland soil. The portion of >2-mm-sized aggregates increased by 31 and 20 % at Taoyuan and Guiyang, respectively. The total P and Olsen P contents were 50-150 and 50-300 % higher, respectively, in the paddy soil than those in the upland soil. Higher inorganic and organic P fractions tended to be enriched in both the smallest and largest aggregate size classes compared to the middle size class (0.02-0.2 mm). Furthermore, the proportion of P fractions was higher in smaller aggregate sizes (2 mm). In conclusion, soils under paddy cultivation displayed improved soil aggregate structure, altered distribution patterns of P fractions in different aggregate size classes, and to some extent had enhanced labile P pools.

Effect of Fixed Orthodontic Treatment on Salivary Flow, pH and Microbial Count.

Science.gov (United States)

Arab, Sepideh; Nouhzadeh Malekshah, Sepideh; Abouei Mehrizi, Ehsan; Ebrahimi Khanghah, Anita; Naseh, Roya; Imani, Mohammad Moslem

2016-01-01

The present study was designed to evaluate the changes in saliva properties and oral microbial flora in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Two important saliva properties namely the salivary flow rate and pH as well as oral microbial flora were assessed in 30 orthodontic patients before starting fixed orthodontic treatment and after six, 12 and 18 weeks of treatment. Selective media, Sabouraud dextrose agar, Mitis salivarius agar and Rogosa agar were used for isolation of Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using Friedman and Dunn's tests. Porthodontic treatment, the total colony counts of Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus showed a significant increase. The saliva pH decreased during the orthodontic treatment (Porthodontic treatment causes major changes in the saliva properties. The changes in oral microflora and saliva properties show the importance of caries preventive measures during orthodontic treatment.

pH dominates variation in tropical soil archaeal diversity and community structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Binu M; Kim, Mincheol; Lai-Hoe, Ang; Shukor, Nor A A; Rahim, Raha A; Go, Rusea; Adams, Jonathan M

2013-11-01

Little is known of the factors influencing soil archaeal community diversity and composition in the tropics. We sampled soils across a range of forest and nonforest environments in the equatorial tropics of Malaysia, covering a wide range of pH values. DNA was PCR-amplified for the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene, and 454-pyrosequenced. Soil pH was the best predictor of diversity and community composition of Archaea, being a stronger predictor than land use. Archaeal OTU richness was highest in the most acidic soils. Overall archaeal abundance in tropical soils (determined by qPCR) also decreased at higher pH. This contrasts with the opposite trend previously found in temperate soils. Thaumarcheota group 1.1b was more abundant in alkaline soils, whereas group 1.1c was only detected in acidic soils. These results parallel those found in previous studies in cooler climates, emphasizing niche conservatism among broad archaeal groups. Among the most abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs), there was clear evidence of niche partitioning by pH. No individual OTU occurred across the entire range of pH values. Overall, the results of this study show that pH plays a major role in structuring tropical soil archaeal communities. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Spatiotemporal variation of soil pH in Guangdong Province of China in past 30 years].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Zhi-Xing; Wang, Jing; Chai, Min; Chen, Ze-Peng; Zhan, Zhen-Shou; Zheng, Wu-Ping; Wei, Xiu-Guo

2011-02-01

Based on the 1980s' soil inventory data and the 2002-2007 soil pH data of Guangdong Province, the spatiotemporal variation of soil pH in the Province in past 30 years was studied. In the study period, the spatial distribution pattern of soil pH in the Province had less change (mainly acidic), except that in Pearl River Delta and parts of Qingyuan and Shaoguan (weak alkaline). The overall variation of soil pH was represented as acidification, with the average pH value changed from 5.70 to 5.44. Among the soil types in the Province, alluvial soil had an increased pH, lateritic red soil, paddy soil, and red soil had a large decrement of pH value, and lime soil was most obvious in the decrease of pH value and its area percentage. The soil acidification was mainly induced by soil characteristics, some natural factors such as acid rain, and human factors such as unreasonable fertilization and urbanization. In addition, industrialization and mining increased the soil pH in some areas.

Water balance creates a threshold in soil pH at the global scale

Science.gov (United States)

Slessarev, E. W.; Lin, Y.; Bingham, N. L.; Johnson, J. E.; Dai, Y.; Schimel, J. P.; Chadwick, O. A.

2016-12-01

Soil pH regulates the capacity of soils to store and supply nutrients, and thus contributes substantially to controlling productivity in terrestrial ecosystems. However, soil pH is not an independent regulator of soil fertility—rather, it is ultimately controlled by environmental forcing. In particular, small changes in water balance cause a steep transition from alkaline to acid soils across natural climate gradients. Although the processes governing this threshold in soil pH are well understood, the threshold has not been quantified at the global scale, where the influence of climate may be confounded by the effects of topography and mineralogy. Here we evaluate the global relationship between water balance and soil pH by extracting a spatially random sample (n = 20,000) from an extensive compilation of 60,291 soil pH measurements. We show that there is an abrupt transition from alkaline to acid soil pH that occurs at the point where mean annual precipitation begins to exceed mean annual potential evapotranspiration. We evaluate deviations from this global pattern, showing that they may result from seasonality, climate history, erosion and mineralogy. These results demonstrate that climate creates a nonlinear pattern in soil solution chemistry at the global scale; they also reveal conditions under which soils maintain pH out of equilibrium with modern climate.

Correlation of Cadmium Distribution Coefficients to Soil Characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Peter Engelund; Rootzen, Helle; Borggaard, Ole K.

2003-01-01

on whole soil samples have shown that pH is the main parameter controlling the distribution. To identify further the components that are important for Cd binding in soil we measured Cd distribution coefficients (K-d) at two fixed pH values and at low Cd loadings for 49 soils sampled in Denmark. The Kd...... values for Cd ranged from 5 to 3000 L kg(-1). The soils were described pedologically and characterized in detail (22 parameters) including determination of contents of the various minerals in the clay fraction. Correlating parameters were grouped and step-wise regression analysis revealed...... interlayered clay minerals [HIM], chlorite, quartz, microcline, plagioclase) were significant in explaining the Cd distribution coefficient....

Spatial variability of soil carbon, pH, available phosphorous and potassium in organic farm located in Mediterranean Croatia

Science.gov (United States)

Bogunović, Igor; Pereira, Paulo; Šeput, Miranda

2016-04-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, available phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are some of the most important factors to soil fertility. These soil parameters are highly variable in space and time, with implications to crop production. The aim of this work is study the spatial variability of SOC, pH, P and K in an organic farm located in river Rasa valley (Croatia). A regular grid (100 x 100 m) was designed and 182 samples were collected on Silty Clay Loam soil. P, K and SOC showed moderate heterogeneity with coefficient of variation (CV) of 21.6%, 32.8% and 51.9%, respectively. Soil pH record low spatial variability with CV of 1.5%. Soil pH, P and SOC did not follow normal distribution. Only after a Box-Cox transformation, data respected the normality requirements. Directional exponential models were the best fitted and used to describe spatial autocorrelation. Soil pH, P and SOC showed strong spatial dependence with nugget to sill ratio with 13.78%, 0.00% and 20.29%, respectively. Only K recorded moderate spatial dependence. Semivariogram ranges indicate that future sampling interval could be 150 - 200 m in order to reduce sampling costs. Fourteen different interpolation models for mapping soil properties were tested. The method with lowest Root Mean Square Error was the most appropriated to map the variable. The results showed that radial basis function models (Spline with Tension and Completely Regularized Spline) for P and K were the best predictors, while Thin Plate Spline and inverse distance weighting models were the least accurate. The best interpolator for pH and SOC was the local polynomial with the power of 1, while the least accurate were Thin Plate Spline. According to soil nutrient maps investigated area record very rich supply with K while P supply was insufficient on largest part of area. Soil pH maps showed mostly neutral reaction while individual parts of alkaline soil indicate the possibility of penetration of seawater and salt accumulation in the

Wood ash application increases pH but does not harm the soil mesofauna

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qin, Jiayi; Hovmand, Mads Frederik; Ekelund, Flemming

2017-01-01

Application of bioash from biofuel combustion to soil supports nutrient recycling, but may have unwanted and detrimental ecotoxicological side-effects, as the ash is a complex mixture of compounds that could affect soil invertebrates directly or through changes in their food or habitat conditions...... is the likely cause of effects while high pH and heavy metals is of minor importance.......Application of bioash from biofuel combustion to soil supports nutrient recycling, but may have unwanted and detrimental ecotoxicological side-effects, as the ash is a complex mixture of compounds that could affect soil invertebrates directly or through changes in their food or habitat conditions....... To examine this, we performed laboratory toxicity studies of the effects of wood-ash added to an agricultural soil and the organic horizon of a coniferous plantation soil with the detrivore soil collembolans Folsomia candida and Onychiurus yodai, the gamasid predaceous mite Hypoaspis aculeifer...

Effects of artificial sand fixing on community characteristics of a rare desert shrub.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Huiliang; Tao, Ye; Qiu, Dong; Zhang, Daoyuan; Zhang, Yongkuan

2013-10-01

Eremosparton songoricum (Fabaceae) is a rare, native, clonal small shrub of the deserts of central Asia. Although human activities have greatly fragmented the distribution of E. songoricum, it occurs in areas where artificial sand fixing (AS) has been implemented. We sought to explore whether AS promotes survival and growth of E. songoricum. In the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China in June 2010, we established 10 plots in an area where sand fixing occurred (5-10 years previously) and 11 plots on original sand substrate on which some plants had settled without fixing sand. Sand fixing changed soil properties and biological characteristics in sand-fixed plots. The soil surface where sand fixing occurred was covered by algal crusts and some lichen, but not bare sand (BS). Soil nutrients; water content of deep soil (30-150 cm); overall plant and herbaceous species richness, diversity, abundance, and cover; above- and belowground biomass; and cover, biomass, and height of E. songoricum in the sand-fixed plots were significantly greater than in plots of BS. However, distribution of E. songoricum individuals in the 2 types of plots did not differ. Our results indicate AS may enhance survival of E. songoricum and increase the overall diversity and stability of the desert plant community. We suggest AS as a way to protect this rare desert plant in situ. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Using a toxicokinetics approach to explain the effect of soil pH on cadmium bioavailability to Folsomia candida

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ardestani, Masoud M.; Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of metal bioavailability in soil by linking the biotic ligand approach with toxicokinetics modelling. We determined cadmium bioaccumulation kinetics in Folsomia candida (Collembola) as a function of soil pH. Animals were exposed for 21 days to LUFA 2.2 soil at 5 or 20 μg Cd g −1 dry soil followed by 21 days elimination in clean soil. Internal cadmium concentrations were modelled using a first-order one-compartment model, relating uptake rate constants (k 1 ) to total soil, water or 0.01 M CaCl 2 extractable and porewater concentrations. Based on total soil concentrations, k 1 was independent of soil pH while it strongly increased with increasing pH based on porewater concentrations explaining the reduced competition of H + ions making cadmium more bioavailable in pore water at high pH. This shows that the principles of biotic ligand modelling are applicable to predict cadmium accumulation kinetics in soil-living invertebrates. -- Highlights: •Cadmium uptake and elimination in Folsomia candida were investigated. •Animals were exposed to LUFA 2.2 soil at different pH levels. •Langmuir isotherms were used to describe interaction of Ca and protons with Cd. •pH was the main factor affecting Cd toxicokinetics when pore water was considered. -- Integrating bioaccumulation kinetics with a BLM approach provides novel insights into the bioavailability of cadmium to springtails in soil

Can mushrooms fix atmospheric nitrogen?

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

Introduction. Rhizobium is a genus of symbiotic N2-fixing soil bacteria that induce ... To produce biofilm cultures, a 2 × 2 cm yeast manitol agar. (YMA) slab was .... determination of antibiotic susceptibilities of bacterial biofilms;. J. Clin. Microbiol.

Division S-4-soil fertility and plant nutrition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman, R.J.; Gilmour, J.T.

1987-01-01

A portion of anhydrous NH 3 fertilizer applied to soil can be rendered nonexchangeable through fixation by clay minerals and soil organic matter. The plant availability of anhydrous NH 3 fixed by these two soil fractions can be important agronomically if such fixation limits plant uptake of the fertilizer N. In this study, three soils with clay and organic C contents ranging from 120 to 310 and 7.8 to 30.1 g kg -1 , respectively, were injected with 15 N-labeled (2 atom % 15 N) liquid anhydrous NH 3 at a rate equivalent to 245 kg N ha -1 . Soluble and exchangeable N were removed by leaching and the soil was cropped to rye grass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in pots. Soils were analyzed before and after cropping for clay fixed N and organic matter fixed N. Four cuttings (harvests) were made at 3- to 4-week intervals and roots were collected at the termination of the experiment. Above ground dry matter, total N uptake, and fertilizer-derived fixed N uptake (mg N pot -1 ) increased from the first to the second harvest and declined thereafter. Nitrogen recovered in the roots accounted for <11% of the total N and <7% of the fixed N utilized, and root dry matter accounted for 13 to 14% of the total dry matter produced. The ratio of fertilizer-derived fixed N uptake to total N uptake declined with harvest suggesting that the fixed N became less available to the rye grass with time. Fertilizer-derived fixed N recovered in the rye grass ranged from 19 to 26% of that originally fixed by the soil. The percentages of fertilizer-derived clay fixed N removed from the soils during cropping (35-72%) were much larger than those of the fertilizer-derived organic matter fixed N (<12%) suggesting that a majority of the plant uptake of fixed N originated in the clay fraction. Overall, fertilizer-derived fixed N removal from the soils (21-30%) agreed well with plant uptake data

[Effects of phosphorus sources on phosphorus fractions in rhizosphere soil of wild barley genotypes with high phosphorus utilization efficiency].

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Qiu-Yan; Zhang, Xi-Zhou; Li, Ting-Xuan; Chen, Guang-Deng

2014-11-01

High P-efficiency (IS-22-30, IS-22-25) and low P-efficiency (IS-07-07) wild barley cultivars were chosen to evaluate characteristics of phosphorus uptake and utilization, and properties of phosphorus fractions in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere in a pot experiment with 0 (CK) and 30 mg P · kg(-1) supplied as only Pi (KH2PO4), only Po (phytate) or Pi + Po (KH2PO4+ phytate). The results showed that dry matter and phosphorus accumulation of wild barley in the different treatments was ranked as Pi > Pi + Po > Po > CK. In addition, dry matter yield and phosphorus uptake of wild barley with high P-efficiency exhibited significantly greater than that with low P-efficiency. The concentration of soil available phosphorus was significantly different after application of different phosphorus sources, which was presented as Pi > Pi + Po > Po. The concentration of soil available phosphorus in high P-efficiency wild barley was significantly higher than that of low P-efficiency in the rhizosphere soil. There was a deficit in rhizosphere available phosphorus of high P-efficiency wild barley, especially in Pi and Pi+Po treatments. The inorganic phosphorus fractions increased with the increasing Pi treatment, and the concentrations of inorganic phosphorus fractions in soil were sorted as follows: Ca10-P > O-P > Fe-P > Al-P > Ca2-P > Ca8-P. The contents of Ca2-P and Ca8-P for high P-efficiency wild barley showed deficits in rhizosphere soil under each phosphorus source treatment. In addition, enrichment of Al-P and Fe-P was observed in Pi treatment in rhizosphere soil. The concentrations of organic phosphorus fractions in soil were sorted as follows: moderate labile organic phosphorus > moderate resistant, resistant organic phosphorus > labile organic phosphorus. The labile and moderate labile organic phosphorus enriched in rhizosphere soil and the greatest enrichment appeared in Pi treatment. Furthermore, the concentrations of moderate resistant organic phosphorus and resistant

The effects of extreme rainfall events on carbon release from Biological Soil Crusts covered soil in fixed sand dunes in the Tengger Desert, northern China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yang; Li, Xinrong; Pan, Yanxia; Hui, Rong

2016-04-01

How soil cover types and extreme rainfall event influence carbon (C) release in temperate desert ecosystems has largely been unexplored. We assessed the effects of extreme rainfall (quantity and intensity) events on the carbon release from soils covered by different types of biological soil crusts (BSCs) in fixed sand dunes in the Tengger Desert, Shapotou regionof northern China. We removed intact crusts down to 10 cm and measured them in PVC mesocosms. A Li-6400-09 Soil Chamber was used to measure the respiration rates of the BSCs immediately after the rainfall stopped, and continued until the respiration rates of the BSCs returned to the pre-rainfall basal rate. Our results showed that almost immediately after extreme rainfall events the respiration rates of algae crust and mixed crust were significantly inhibited, but moss crust was not significantly affected. The respiration rates of algae crust, mixed crust, and moss crust in extreme rainfall quantity and intensity events were, respectively, 0.12 and 0.41 μmolCO2/(m2•s), 0.10 and 0.45 μmolCO2/(m2•s), 0.83 and 1.69 μmolCO2/(m2•s). Our study indicated that moss crust in the advanced succession stage can well adapt to extreme rainfall events in the short term. Keywords: carbon release; extreme rainfall events; biological soil crust

Diphenylarsinic acid contaminated soil remediation by titanium dioxide (P25) photocatalysis: Degradation pathway, optimization of operating parameters and effects of soil properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, A-nan; Teng, Ying; Hu, Xue-feng; Wu, Long-hua; Huang, Yu-juan; Luo, Yong-ming; Christie, Peter

2016-01-01

Diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA) is formed during the leakage of arsenic chemical weapons in sites and poses a high risk to biota. However, remediation methods for DPAA contaminated soils are rare. Here, the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) process by nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO_2) was applied to degrade DPAA in soil. The degradation pathway was firstly studied, and arsenate was identified as the final product. Then, an orthogonal array experimental design of L_9(3)"4, only 9 experiments were needed, instead of 81 experiments in a conventional one-factor-at-a-time, was used to optimize the operational parameters soil:water ratio, TiO_2 dosage, irradiation time and light intensity to increase DPAA removal efficiency. Soil:water ratio was found to have a more significant effect on DPAA removal efficiency than other properties. The optimum conditions to treat 4 g soil with a DPAA concentration of 20 mg kg"−"1 were found to be a 1:10 soil: water ratio, 40 mW cm"−"2 light intensity, 5% TiO_2 in soil, and a 3-hour irradiation time, with a removal efficiency of up to 82.7%. Furthermore, this method (except for a change in irradiation time from 3 to 1.5 h) was validated in nine different soils and the removal efficiencies ranged from 57.0 to 78.6%. Removal efficiencies were found to be negatively correlated with soil electrical conductivity, organic matter content, pH and total phosphorus content. Finally, coupled with electron spin resonance (ESR) measurement, these soil properties affected the generation of OH• by TiO_2 in soil slurry. This study suggests that TiO_2 photocatalytic oxidation is a promising treatment for removing DPAA from soil. - Highlights: • DPAA was degraded into arsenate through TiO_2 (P25) photocatalytic oxidation. • Soil/water ratio was more influential on the removal of DPAA in soil by TiO_2 (P25). • Soil properties affected the adsorption of DPAA and the generation of OH• by TiO_2.

Rigorous high-precision enclosures of fixed points and their invariant manifolds

Science.gov (United States)

Wittig, Alexander N.

The well established concept of Taylor Models is introduced, which offer highly accurate C0 enclosures of functional dependencies, combining high-order polynomial approximation of functions and rigorous estimates of the truncation error, performed using verified arithmetic. The focus of this work is on the application of Taylor Models in algorithms for strongly non-linear dynamical systems. A method is proposed to extend the existing implementation of Taylor Models in COSY INFINITY from double precision coefficients to arbitrary precision coefficients. Great care is taken to maintain the highest efficiency possible by adaptively adjusting the precision of higher order coefficients in the polynomial expansion. High precision operations are based on clever combinations of elementary floating point operations yielding exact values for round-off errors. An experimental high precision interval data type is developed and implemented. Algorithms for the verified computation of intrinsic functions based on the High Precision Interval datatype are developed and described in detail. The application of these operations in the implementation of High Precision Taylor Models is discussed. An application of Taylor Model methods to the verification of fixed points is presented by verifying the existence of a period 15 fixed point in a near standard Henon map. Verification is performed using different verified methods such as double precision Taylor Models, High Precision intervals and High Precision Taylor Models. Results and performance of each method are compared. An automated rigorous fixed point finder is implemented, allowing the fully automated search for all fixed points of a function within a given domain. It returns a list of verified enclosures of each fixed point, optionally verifying uniqueness within these enclosures. An application of the fixed point finder to the rigorous analysis of beam transfer maps in accelerator physics is presented. Previous work done by

Use of radioactive 32P technique to study phosphate rock dissolution in acid soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahisarakul, J.; Mullins, G.L.; Chien, S.H.

2002-01-01

A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the dissolution of six sources of phosphate rock in two acid soils (Ultisols): a sandy soil and a red clay soil. Labile P was determined using the radioactive 32 P technique for Pi extractable P and resin extractable P. Incubations were conducted for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks for 32 P exchangeable technique, 0 and 5 weeks for Pi technique and 5 weeks for resin technique. Rates of PR were 0 and 400 mgP/ha. The results showed that labile P in the sandy soil decreased from 0-1 weeks for all the PRs except Hahotoe PR and Hazara PR's. Between 1 and 5 weeks labile P remained relatively constant. The ranking of labile P from PRs was: North Carolina = Kouribga > Matam > Hahotoe = Hazara> Patos de Minas. In the red soil, labile P from all PRs appeared to be relatively unchanged during the 0-5 week incubation. Pi extractable P in sandy soil showed no significant differences due to incubation time. In the red clay soil, there was a significant decrease in Pi-P extracted from soil mixtures with PRs after 5 weeks as compared to 0 weeks. Results of the Resin-extractable P in both sandy and red soils were in agreement with labile P as measured by 32 P exchange technique. (author)

Sorption behavior of cesium on various soils under different pH levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giannakopoulou, F.; Haidouti, C.; Chronopoulou, A.; Gasparatos, D.

2007-01-01

In the present study we investigated the sorption behavior of Cs in four different soils (sandyloam, loam, clayloam and clay) by using batch experiment. Cs sorption characteristics of the studied soils were examined at 4 mg L -1 Cs concentration, at various pH levels, at room temperature and with 0.01 M CaCl 2 as a background electrolyte. Among different soils the decrease of k d (distribution coefficient) of cesium, at all pH levels, followed the sequence sandyloam > loam > clayloam > clay, indicating that the particle size fractions and especially the clay content plays predominant role on sorption of Cs. The effect of pH on cesium sorption displays a similar pattern for all soils, depending on soil type. At acid pH levels less cesium was sorbed, due to a greater competition with other cations for available sorption sites. The maximum sorption of Cs was observed at pH 8, where the negative charge density on the surface of the absorbents was the highest. For all soils was observed significantly lower Cs sorption at pH 10

Fluctuations in ammonia oxidizing communities across agricultural soils are driven by soil structure and pH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele C ePereira e Silva

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The milieu in soil in which microorganisms dwell is never constant. Conditions such as temperature, water availability, pH and nutrients frequently change, impacting the overall functioning of the soil system. To understand the effects of such factors on soil functioning, proxies (indicators of soil function are needed that, in a sensitive manner, reveal normal amplitude of variation. Thus, the so-called normal operating range (NOR of soil can be defined. In this study we determined different components of nitrification by analyzing, in eight agricultural soils, how the community structures and sizes of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively, and their activity, fluctuate over spatial and temporal scales. The results indicated that soil pH and soil type are the main factors that influence the size and structure of the AOA and AOB, as well as their function. The nitrification rates varied between 0.11 ± 0.03 µgN.h-1.gdw-1 and 1.68 ± 0.11 µgN.h-1.gdw-1, being higher in soils with higher clay content (1.09 ± 0.12 µgN.h-1.gdw-1 and lower in soils with lower clay percentages (0.27 ± 0.04 µgN.h-1.gdw-1. Nitrifying activity was driven by soil pH, mostly related to its effect on AOA but not on AOB abundance. Regarding the influence of soil parameters, clay content was the main soil factor shaping the structure of both the AOA and AOB communities. Overall, the potential nitrifying activities were higher and more variable over time in the clayey than in the sandy soils. Whereas the structure of AOB fluctuated more (62.7 ± 2.10% the structure of AOA communities showed lower amplitude of variation (53.65 ± 3.37%. Similar trends were observed for the sizes of these communities. The present work represents a first step towards defining a NOR for soil nitrification. Moreover, the clear effect of soil texture established here suggests that the NOR should be defined in a soil-type-specific manner.

pH-Dependent Bioavailability, Speciation, and Phytotoxicity of Tungsten (W) in Soil Affect Growth and Molybdoenzyme Activity of Nodulated Soybeans.

Science.gov (United States)

Oburger, Eva; Vergara Cid, Carolina; Preiner, Julian; Hu, Junjian; Hann, Stephan; Wanek, Wolfgang; Richter, Andreas

2018-06-05

Increasing use of tungsten (W)-based products opened new pathways for W into environmental systems. Due to its chemical alikeness with molybdenum (Mo), W is expected to behave similarly to its "twin element", Mo; however, our knowledge of the behavior of W in the plant-soil environment remains inadequate. The aim of this study was to investigate plant growth as well as W and nutrient uptake depending on soil chemical properties such as soil pH and texture. Soybean ( Glycine max cv. Primus) was grown on two acidic soils differing in soil texture that were either kept at their natural soil pH (pH of 4.5-5) or limed (pH of ≥7) and amended with increasing concentrations of metallic W (control and 500 and 5000 mg kg -1 ). In addition, the activity of molybdoenzymes involved in N assimilation (nitrate reductase) and symbiotic N 2 fixation (nitrogenase) was also investigated. Our results showed that the risk of W entering the food web was significantly greater in high-pH soils due to increased solubility of mainly monomeric W. The effect of soil texture on W solubility and phytoavailability was less pronounced compared to soil pH. Particularly at intermediate W additions (W 500 mg kg -1 ), symbiotic nitrogen fixation was able to compensate for reduced leaf nitrate reductase activity. When W soil solution concentrations became too toxic (W 5000 mg kg -1 ), nodulation was more strongly inhibited than nitrogenase activity in the few nodules formed, suggesting a more-efficient detoxification and compartmentalization mechanism in nodules than in soybean leaves. The increasing presence of polymeric W species observed in low-pH soils spiked with high W concentrations resulted in decreased W uptake. Simultaneously, polymeric W species had an overall negative effect on nutrient assimilation and plant growth, suggesting a greater phytotoxicity of W polymers. Our study demonstrates the importance of accounting for soil pH in risk assessment studies of W in the plant-soil

Availability of native and added phosphates for the soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scivittaro, W.B.; Boaretto, A.E.; Muraoka, T.

1995-01-01

In superficial composite samples of two Red-Yellow Latosols with different physical and chemical properties, analyses were carried out on inorganic form of phosphorus as well as the availability of native and added phosphates. The method applied was soil phosphorus fractionation associated with isotopic dilution technique ( 32 P). The samples were taken from pots containing soils incubated for a month with fluid phosphatic fertilizers (phosphoric acid and 10-30-00 suspension) and solid phosphatic fertilizers (mono ammonium phosphate and triple superphosphate), at the rate of 210 mg P 2 O 5 /kg of soil. A control treatment was included. In both soils the availability of inorganic phosphorus fractions decreased at the following order: H 2 O-P > Al-P > Fe-P > CA-P > occluded-P. The water soluble and aluminium phosphates represented the main source of available P for the newly fertilizer, the iron phosphates were also an important source of available phosphorus. The soil phosphorus fixing capacity influenced the availability of native and added phosphates. (author). 17 refs, 3 tabs

Fixed capital investments for the uranium soils integrated demonstration soil treatment technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douthat, D.M.; Armstrong, A.Q. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Stewart, R.N. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

1995-05-01

The development of a nuclear industry in the United States required mining, milling, and fabricating a large variety of uranium products. One of these products was purified uranium metal which was used in the Savannah River and Hanford Site reactors. Most of this feed material was produced at the United States Department of Energy (DOE) facility formerly called the Feed Materials Production Center at Fernald, Ohio. During operation of this facility, soils became contaminated with uranium from a variety of sources. To address remediation and management of uranium-contaminated soils at sites owned by DOE, the Uranium Soils Integrated Demonstration (USID) Program was formed to evaluate and compare the versatility, efficiency, and economics of various technologies that may be combined into systems designed to characterize and remediate uranium contaminated soils. The USID Program has five major tasks in developing and demonstrating these technologies. Each must be able to (1) characterize the uranium in soil, (2) decontaminate or remove uranium from soil, (3) treat or dispose of resulting waste streams, (4) meet necessary state and federal regulations, and (5) meet performance assessment objectives. The role of the performance assessment objectives is to provide the information necessary to conduct evaluations of the technologies. These performance assessments provide the basis for selecting the optimum system for remediation of large areas contaminated with uranium. One of the performance assessment tasks is to address the economics of full-scale implementation of soil treatment technologies developed by the USID Program. The cost of treating contaminated soil is one of the criteria used in the decision-making process for selecting remedial alternatives.

Fixed capital investments for the uranium soils integrated demonstration soil treatment technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Douthat, D.M.; Armstrong, A.Q.; Stewart, R.N.

1995-05-01

The development of a nuclear industry in the United States required mining, milling, and fabricating a large variety of uranium products. One of these products was purified uranium metal which was used in the Savannah River and Hanford Site reactors. Most of this feed material was produced at the United States Department of Energy (DOE) facility formerly called the Feed Materials Production Center at Fernald, Ohio. During operation of this facility, soils became contaminated with uranium from a variety of sources. To address remediation and management of uranium-contaminated soils at sites owned by DOE, the Uranium Soils Integrated Demonstration (USID) Program was formed to evaluate and compare the versatility, efficiency, and economics of various technologies that may be combined into systems designed to characterize and remediate uranium contaminated soils. The USID Program has five major tasks in developing and demonstrating these technologies. Each must be able to (1) characterize the uranium in soil, (2) decontaminate or remove uranium from soil, (3) treat or dispose of resulting waste streams, (4) meet necessary state and federal regulations, and (5) meet performance assessment objectives. The role of the performance assessment objectives is to provide the information necessary to conduct evaluations of the technologies. These performance assessments provide the basis for selecting the optimum system for remediation of large areas contaminated with uranium. One of the performance assessment tasks is to address the economics of full-scale implementation of soil treatment technologies developed by the USID Program. The cost of treating contaminated soil is one of the criteria used in the decision-making process for selecting remedial alternatives

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: Extending its application to soil pH measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferreira, Edilene Cristina, E-mail: edilene@iq.unesp.br [São Paulo State University – UNESP, Analytical Chemistry Department, Rua Prof. Francisco Degni 55, CEP 14800-060, Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Gomes Neto, José A. [São Paulo State University – UNESP, Analytical Chemistry Department, Rua Prof. Francisco Degni 55, CEP 14800-060, Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Milori, Débora M.B.P.; Ferreira, Ednaldo José [Embrapa Agricultural Instrumentation, Rua XV de Novembro 1452, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP (Brazil); Anzano, Jesús Manuel [Laser Laboratory & Environment, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/. Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Zaragoza (Spain)

2015-08-01

Acid–base equilibria are involved in almost all the processes that occur in soil. The bioavailability of nutrients for plants, for instance, depends on the solubilization of mineral nutrients in the soil solution, which is a pH-dependent process. The determination of pH in soil solutions is usually carried out by potentiometry using a glass membrane electrode, after extracting some of the soil components with water or CaCl{sub 2} solution. The present work describes a simple method for determining the pH of soil, using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Sixty samples presenting different textural composition and pH (previously determined by potentiometry) were employed. The samples were divided into a calibration set with fifty samples and a validation set with ten samples. LIBS spectra were recorded for each pelleted sample using laser pulse energy of 115 mJ. The intensities of thirty-two emission lines for Al, Ca, H, and O were used to fit a partial least squares (PLS) model. The model was validated by prediction of the pH of the validation set samples, which showed good agreement with the reference values. The prediction mean absolute error was 0.3 pH units and the root mean square error of the prediction was 0.4. These results highlight the potential of LIBS for use in other applications beyond elemental composition determinations. For soil analysis, the proposed method offers the possibility of determining pH, in addition to nutrients and contaminants, using a single LIBS measurement. - Highlights: • Physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil are influenced by pH. • The pH of mineral soils is normally determined in slurries of water and soil sample by potentiometric measurements. • The association of LIBS elemental emissions with multivariate strategies of analysis has become LIBS a powerful technique. • LIBS was unprecedentedly applied for direct pH determination in different kinds of soil sample. • The clean and fast proposed

Fluctuations in ammonia oxidizing communities across agricultural soils are driven by soil structure and pH

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Cassia Pereira e Silva, M.; Poly, F.; Guillaumaud, N.; van Elsas, J.D.; Falcao Salles, J.

2012-01-01

The milieu in soil in which microorganisms dwell is never constant. Conditions such as temperature, water availability, pH and nutrients frequently change, impacting the overall functioning of the soil system. To understand the effects of such factors on soil functioning, proxies (indicators) of

Microbial community structure and soil pH correspond to methane production in Arctic Alaska soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Robert; Zona, Donatella; Oechel, Walter; Lipson, David

2017-08-01

While there is no doubt that biogenic methane production in the Arctic is an important aspect of global methane emissions, the relative roles of microbial community characteristics and soil environmental conditions in controlling Arctic methane emissions remains uncertain. Here, relevant methane-cycling microbial groups were investigated at two remote Arctic sites with respect to soil potential methane production (PMP). Percent abundances of methanogens and iron-reducing bacteria correlated with increased PMP, while methanotrophs correlated with decreased PMP. Interestingly, α-diversity of the methanogens was positively correlated with PMP, while β-diversity was unrelated to PMP. The β-diversity of the entire microbial community, however, was related to PMP. Shannon diversity was a better correlate of PMP than Simpson diversity across analyses, while rarefied species richness was a weak correlate of PMP. These results demonstrate the following: first, soil pH and microbial community structure both probably control methane production in Arctic soils. Second, there may be high functional redundancy in the methanogens with regard to methane production. Third, iron-reducing bacteria co-occur with methanogens in Arctic soils, and iron-reduction-mediated effects on methanogenesis may be controlled by α- and β-diversity. And finally, species evenness and rare species abundances may be driving relationships between microbial groups, influencing Arctic methane production. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multiple exchange and high-energy fixed-angle scattering

CERN Document Server

Halliday, I G; Orzalesi, C A; Tau, M

1975-01-01

The application of the eikonal ansatz to fermion fermion elastic scattering with Abelian vector gluon exchanges is discussed. The behaviours of the elastic scattering amplitude and the elastic form factor are considered and an important mechanism for fixed angle high energy elastic scattering is identified. (6 refs).

Effect of pH on the adsorption of carbendazim in Polish mineral soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paszko, Tadeusz

2012-01-01

The study aimed to determine the influence of pH on the adsorption of carbendazim in soil profiles of three mineral agricultural soils: Hyperdystric Arenosol, Haplic Luvisol and Hypereutric Cambisol. In the examined pH range between 3 and 7 the adsorption of carbendazim was inversely correlated to the pH of the soil. The adsorption coefficients were in the range between 0.3 and 151.8 mL g −1 . Decreasing the pH in the soil suspensions from 7 to 3 increased the value of this coefficient by 3 to 70 times. A decrease in the amounts of organic matter down the soil profiles was not associated with weaker carbendazim adsorption. In the samples from all soil horizons, at pH values between 3 and 6, the predominant sorption process was carbendazim adsorption on clay minerals. The adsorption of carbendazim on organic matter prevailed over that on clays only at pH > 6 and only in the Ap horizon of the examined soils. The developed mathematical models yielded very good results when the adsorption of the protonated form of carbendazim was assumed to be the predominant adsorption process on clays together with the adsorption of neutral molecules on organic matter and clays. The results from both the model fitting and the experiments revealed the negative effect of Al oxides and hydroxides and Al cations on the adsorption of the protonated form of carbendazim on clay minerals. The developed models successfully described the pH-dependent adsorption processes of carbendazim for both data from particular soil horizons and those from all three examined soil profiles. -- Highlights: ► Adsorption of carbendazim in soils was inversely correlated to soil pH. ► At low pH carbendazim was adsorbed predominantly by clay minerals. ► Al 3+ influenced adsorption of the protonated form of carbendazim on clays. ► Created models predict pH-dependent sorption processes in the whole soil profiles.

Red soil as a regenerable sorbent for high temperature removal of hydrogen sulfide from coal gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, T.-H.; Chu Hsin; Lin, H.-P.; Peng, C.-Y.

2006-01-01

In this study, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) was removed from coal gas by red soil under high temperature in a fixed-bed reactor. Red soil powders were collected from the northern, center and southern of Taiwan. They were characterized by XRPD, porosity analysis and DCB chemical analysis. Results show that the greater sulfur content of LP red soils is attributed to the higher free iron oxides and suitable sulfidation temperature is around 773 K. High temperature has a negative effect for use red soil as a desulfurization sorbent due to thermodynamic limitation in a reduction atmosphere. During 10 cycles of regeneration, after the first cycle the red soil remained stable with a breakthrough time between 31 and 36 min. Hydrogen adversely affects sulfidation reaction, whereas CO exhibits a positive effect due to a water-shift reaction. COS was formed during the sulfidation stage and this was attributed to the reaction of H 2 S and CO. Results of XRPD indicated that, hematite is the dominant active species in fresh red soil and iron sulfide (FeS) is a product of the reaction between hematite and hydrogen sulfide in red soils. The spinel phase FeAl 2 O 4 was found during regeneration, moreover, the amount of free iron oxides decreased after regeneration indicating the some of the free iron oxide formed a spinel phase, further reducting the overall desulfurization efficiency

Improving phosphorus availability in an acid soil using organic amendments produced from agroindustrial wastes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ch'ng, Huck Ywih; Ahmed, Osumanu Haruna; Majid, Nik Muhamad Ab

2014-01-01

In acid soils, soluble inorganic phosphorus is fixed by aluminium and iron. To overcome this problem, acid soils are limed to fix aluminium and iron but this practice is not economical. The practice is also not environmentally friendly. This study was conducted to improve phosphorus availability using organic amendments (biochar and compost produced from chicken litter and pineapple leaves, resp.) to fix aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus. Amending soil with biochar or compost or a mixture of biochar and compost increased total phosphorus, available phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus fractions (soluble inorganic phosphorus, aluminium bound inorganic phosphorus, iron bound inorganic phosphorus, redundant soluble inorganic phosphorus, and calcium bound phosphorus), and organic phosphorus. This was possible because the organic amendments increased soil pH and reduced exchangeable acidity, exchangeable aluminium, and exchangeable iron. The findings suggest that the organic amendments altered soil chemical properties in a way that enhanced the availability of phosphorus in this study. The amendments effectively fixed aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus, thus rendering phosphorus available by keeping the inorganic phosphorus in a bioavailable labile phosphorus pool for a longer period compared with application of Triple Superphosphate without organic amendments.

Improving Phosphorus Availability in an Acid Soil Using Organic Amendments Produced from Agroindustrial Wastes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huck Ywih Ch’ng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In acid soils, soluble inorganic phosphorus is fixed by aluminium and iron. To overcome this problem, acid soils are limed to fix aluminium and iron but this practice is not economical. The practice is also not environmentally friendly. This study was conducted to improve phosphorus availability using organic amendments (biochar and compost produced from chicken litter and pineapple leaves, resp. to fix aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus. Amending soil with biochar or compost or a mixture of biochar and compost increased total phosphorus, available phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus fractions (soluble inorganic phosphorus, aluminium bound inorganic phosphorus, iron bound inorganic phosphorus, redundant soluble inorganic phosphorus, and calcium bound phosphorus, and organic phosphorus. This was possible because the organic amendments increased soil pH and reduced exchangeable acidity, exchangeable aluminium, and exchangeable iron. The findings suggest that the organic amendments altered soil chemical properties in a way that enhanced the availability of phosphorus in this study. The amendments effectively fixed aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus, thus rendering phosphorus available by keeping the inorganic phosphorus in a bioavailable labile phosphorus pool for a longer period compared with application of Triple Superphosphate without organic amendments.

49 CFR 231.2 - Hopper cars and high-side gondolas with fixed ends.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Hopper cars and high-side gondolas with fixed ends... cars and high-side gondolas with fixed ends. (Cars with sides more than 36 inches above the floor are high-side cars.) (a) Hand brakes—(1) Number. Same as specified for “Box and other house cars” (see...

Seismic response of elevated rectangular water tanks considering soil structure interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Visuvasam, J.; Simon, J.; Packiaraj, J. S.; Agarwal, R.; Goyal, L.; Dhingra, V.

2017-11-01

The overhead staged water tanks are susceptible for high lateral forces during earthquakes. Due to which, the failure of beam-columns joints, framing elements and toppling of tanks arise. To avoid such failures, they are analyzed and designed for lateral forced induced by devastating earthquakes assuming the base of the structures are fixed and considering functional needs, response reduction, soil types and severity of ground shaking. In this paper, the flexible base was provided as spring stiffness in order to consider the effect of soil properties on the seismic behaviour of water tanks. A linear time history earthquake analysis was performed using SAP2000. Parametric studies have been carried out based on various types of soils such as soft, medium and hard. The soil stiffness values highly influence the time period and base shear of the structure. The ratios of time period of flexible to fixed base and base shear of flexible to fixed base were observed against capacities of water tank and the overall height of the system. The both responses are found to be increased as the flexibility of soil medium decreases

Reduction of exchangeable calcium and magnesium in soil with increasing pH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miyazawa Mário

2001-01-01

Full Text Available A laboratory study was conducted with soil samples and synthetic solutions to investigate possible mechanisms related with reduction in KCl exchangeable Ca and Mg with increasing pH. Increasing soil pH over 5.3 with CaCO3 added to the soil and with NaOH solution added to soil/KCl suspension increased adsorptions of Ca and Mg. The reduction of Mg was greater than Ca and was related to the concentration of soil exchangeable Al. The decreases of soluble Ca and Mg following addition of Al in synthetic solution were at pH > 7.5. The isomorphic coprecipitation reaction with Al compounds may be the most possible mechanism responsible for the decrease of exchangeable Ca and Mg with increasing pH. Possible chemical reactions are presented.

Soil pH controls the environmental availability of phosphorus: Experimental and mechanistic modelling approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devau, Nicolas; Cadre, Edith Le; Hinsinger, Philippe; Jaillard, Benoit; Gerard, Frederic

2009-01-01

Inorganic P is the least mobile major nutrient in most soils and is frequently the prime limiting factor for plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, the extraction of soil inorganic P with CaCl 2 (P-CaCl 2 ) and geochemical modelling were combined in order to unravel the processes controlling the environmentally available P (EAP) of a soil over a range of pH values (pH ∼ 4-10). Mechanistic descriptions of the adsorption of cations and anions by the soil constituents were used (1-pK Triple Plane, ion-exchange and NICA-Donnan models). These models are implemented into the geochemical code Visual MINTEQ. An additive approach was used for their application to the surface horizon of a Cambisol. The geochemical code accurately reproduced the concentration of extracted P at the different soil pH values (R 2 = 0.9, RMSE = 0.03 mg kg -1 ). Model parameters were either directly found in the literature or estimated by fitting published experimental results in single mineral systems. The strong agreement between measurements and modelling results demonstrated that adsorption processes exerted a major control on the EAP of the soil over a large range of pH values. An influence of the precipitation of P-containing mineral is discounted based on thermodynamic calculations. Modelling results indicated that the variations in P-CaCl 2 with soil pH were controlled by the deprotonation/protonation of the surface hydroxyl groups, the distribution of P surface complexes, and the adsorption of Ca and Cl from the electrolyte background. Iron-oxides and gibbsite were found to be the major P-adsorbing soil constituents at acidic and alkaline pHs, whereas P was mainly adsorbed by clay minerals at intermediate pH values. This study demonstrates the efficacy of geochemical modelling to understand soil processes, and the applicability of mechanistic adsorption models to a 'real' soil, with its mineralogical complexity and the additional contribution of soil organic matter.

Soil pH controls the environmental availability of phosphorus: Experimental and mechanistic modelling approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devau, Nicolas [INRA, UMR 1222 Eco and Sols - Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Biogeochimie des Sols (INRA-IRD-SupAgro), Place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier (France); Cadre, Edith Le [Supagro, UMR 1222 Eco and Sols - Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Biogeochimie des Sols (INRA-IRD-SupAgro), Place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier (France); Hinsinger, Philippe; Jaillard, Benoit [INRA, UMR 1222 Eco and Sols - Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Biogeochimie des Sols (INRA-IRD-SupAgro), Place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier (France); Gerard, Frederic, E-mail: gerard@supagro.inra.fr [INRA, UMR 1222 Eco and Sols - Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Biogeochimie des Sols (INRA-IRD-SupAgro), Place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier (France)

2009-11-15

Inorganic P is the least mobile major nutrient in most soils and is frequently the prime limiting factor for plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, the extraction of soil inorganic P with CaCl{sub 2} (P-CaCl{sub 2}) and geochemical modelling were combined in order to unravel the processes controlling the environmentally available P (EAP) of a soil over a range of pH values (pH {approx} 4-10). Mechanistic descriptions of the adsorption of cations and anions by the soil constituents were used (1-pK Triple Plane, ion-exchange and NICA-Donnan models). These models are implemented into the geochemical code Visual MINTEQ. An additive approach was used for their application to the surface horizon of a Cambisol. The geochemical code accurately reproduced the concentration of extracted P at the different soil pH values (R{sup 2} = 0.9, RMSE = 0.03 mg kg{sup -1}). Model parameters were either directly found in the literature or estimated by fitting published experimental results in single mineral systems. The strong agreement between measurements and modelling results demonstrated that adsorption processes exerted a major control on the EAP of the soil over a large range of pH values. An influence of the precipitation of P-containing mineral is discounted based on thermodynamic calculations. Modelling results indicated that the variations in P-CaCl{sub 2} with soil pH were controlled by the deprotonation/protonation of the surface hydroxyl groups, the distribution of P surface complexes, and the adsorption of Ca and Cl from the electrolyte background. Iron-oxides and gibbsite were found to be the major P-adsorbing soil constituents at acidic and alkaline pHs, whereas P was mainly adsorbed by clay minerals at intermediate pH values. This study demonstrates the efficacy of geochemical modelling to understand soil processes, and the applicability of mechanistic adsorption models to a 'real' soil, with its mineralogical complexity and the additional

Soil algae

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Timothy Ademakinwa

Also, the importance of algae in soil formation and soil fertility improvement cannot be over ... The presence of nitrogen fixing microalgae (Nostoc azollae) in the top soil of both vegetable ..... dung, fish food and dirty water from fish ponds on.

Soil sterilization affects aging-related sequestration and bioavailability of p,p'-DDE and anthracene to earthworms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slizovskiy, Ilya B.; Kelsey, Jason W.

2010-01-01

Laboratory experiments investigated the effects of soil sterilization and compound aging on the bioaccumulation of spiked p,p'-DDE and anthracene by Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus terrestris. Declines in bioavailability occurred as pollutant residence time in both sterile and non-sterile soils increased from 3 to 203 d. Accumulation was generally higher in sterile soils during initial periods of aging (from 3-103 d). By 203 d, however, bioavailability of the compounds was unaffected by sterilization. Gamma irradiation and autoclaving may have altered bioavailability by inducing changes in the chemistry of soil organic matter (SOM). The results support a dual-mode partitioning sorption model in which the SOM components associated with short-term sorption (the 'soft' or 'rubbery' phases) are more affected than are the components associated with long-term sorption (the 'glassy' or microcrystalline phases). Risk assessments based on data from experiments in which sterile soil was used could overestimate exposure and bioaccumulation of pollutants. - Soil sterilization affects aging-related sequestration of organic contaminants.

Phosphate Sorption Characteristics and External P Requirements of Selected South African Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. M. Gichangi

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The Transkei is the largest consolidated area in South Africa where land is held by smallholder farmers but little is known about the extent of phosphate fixation in the region. This study was conducted to determine the phosphate sorption properties and external P requirements (EPR of selected soils from the Transkei region, South Africa and to relate derived sorption values to selected soil parameters. The P sorption maxima and EPR values varied widely ranging from 192.3 to 909.1 mg P kg−1 and from 2 to 123 mg P kg−1−1 soil, respectively. Citrate dithionite bicarbonate-extractable aluminum explained most of the observed variations in P sorption. About 43% of the soils were found to be moderate P fixers and may need management interventions to ensure adequate P availability to crops. The single point sorption index accurately predicted the EPR of the soils obviating the need to use multiple point sorption isotherms. The results suggested that the use of blanket phosphate fertilizer recommendations may not be a good strategy for the region as it may lead to under-application or over-application of P in some areas.

Evaluation of coal combustion byproducts as soil liming materials - their influence on soil pH and enzyme activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCarty, G W; Siddaramappa, R; Wright, R J; Codling, E E; Gao, G

1994-03-01

To evaluate coal combustion byproducts as liming materials and address issues related to soil quality, the authors compared the influence of different amounts of four combustion byproducts (fly ash and bed ash from a fluidized bed combustion furnace, lime-injected multistage burner residue, and spray dryer residue) and CaCO[sub 3] on soil pH and activities of urease, phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and dehydrogenase in an acidic soil. Studies comparing the influence of the combustion byproducts and CaCO[sub 3] on soil pH showed that on weight basis of application, substantial differences were observed in the ability of these materials to influence soil pH but that such differences decreased markedly after the data were transformed to a CaCO[sub 3] equivalent basis of application. Analysis of covariance for these transformed data indicated that whereas the liming abilities of fly ash and CaCO[sub 3] were not significantly different when compared on the CaCO[sub 3] equivalent basis, those of bed ash, multistage burner residue, and spray dryer residue were less than that of CaCO[sub 3]. Studies comparing the influence of the byproducts and CaCO[sub 3] on soil enzyme activities showed that the effect of these liming materials on the enzyme activities studied was largely due to their influence on soil pH. These studies showed that the combustion byproducts tested functioned as soil liming materials in a manner similar to that of CaCO[sub 3] and seemed to have little adverse effect on soil quality.

Diphenylarsinic acid contaminated soil remediation by titanium dioxide (P25) photocatalysis: Degradation pathway, optimization of operating parameters and effects of soil properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, A-nan [Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Teng, Ying [Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China); Hu, Xue-feng [Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003 (China); Wu, Long-hua; Huang, Yu-juan [Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China); Luo, Yong-ming, E-mail: ymluo@yic.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China); Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003 (China); Christie, Peter [Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China)

2016-01-15

Diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA) is formed during the leakage of arsenic chemical weapons in sites and poses a high risk to biota. However, remediation methods for DPAA contaminated soils are rare. Here, the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) process by nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) was applied to degrade DPAA in soil. The degradation pathway was firstly studied, and arsenate was identified as the final product. Then, an orthogonal array experimental design of L{sub 9}(3){sup 4}, only 9 experiments were needed, instead of 81 experiments in a conventional one-factor-at-a-time, was used to optimize the operational parameters soil:water ratio, TiO{sub 2} dosage, irradiation time and light intensity to increase DPAA removal efficiency. Soil:water ratio was found to have a more significant effect on DPAA removal efficiency than other properties. The optimum conditions to treat 4 g soil with a DPAA concentration of 20 mg kg{sup −1} were found to be a 1:10 soil: water ratio, 40 mW cm{sup −2} light intensity, 5% TiO{sub 2} in soil, and a 3-hour irradiation time, with a removal efficiency of up to 82.7%. Furthermore, this method (except for a change in irradiation time from 3 to 1.5 h) was validated in nine different soils and the removal efficiencies ranged from 57.0 to 78.6%. Removal efficiencies were found to be negatively correlated with soil electrical conductivity, organic matter content, pH and total phosphorus content. Finally, coupled with electron spin resonance (ESR) measurement, these soil properties affected the generation of OH• by TiO{sub 2} in soil slurry. This study suggests that TiO{sub 2} photocatalytic oxidation is a promising treatment for removing DPAA from soil. - Highlights: • DPAA was degraded into arsenate through TiO{sub 2} (P25) photocatalytic oxidation. • Soil/water ratio was more influential on the removal of DPAA in soil by TiO{sub 2} (P25). • Soil properties affected the adsorption of DPAA and the generation of OH• by Ti

Soil pH effects on the interactions between dissolved zinc, non-nano- and nano-ZnO with soil bacterial communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Read, Daniel S.; Matzke, Marianne; Gweon, Hyun S.

2016-01-01

nanoparticles due to the practice of applying sewage sludge as a fertiliser or as an organic soil improver. However, understanding on the interactions between soil properties, nanoparticles and the organisms that live within soil is lacking, especially with regards to soil bacterial communities. We studied......Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are used in an array of products and processes, ranging from personal care products to antifouling paints, textiles, food additives, antibacterial agents and environmental remediation processes. Soils are an environment likely to be exposed to manmade...... the effects of nanoparticulate, non-nanoparticulate and ionic zinc (in the form of zinc chloride) on the composition of bacterial communities in soil with a modified pH range (from pH 4.5 to pH 7.2). We observed strong pH-dependent effects on the interaction between bacterial communities and all forms of zinc...

Soybean growth on fly ash-amended strip mine soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fail, Jr, J L; Wochok, Z S

1977-01-01

The use of fly ash as an amendment for strip mine soils has been studied under field conditions. Soils ranging in pH from 4.0 to 6.0 were tested. The addition of fly ash in all cases was effective as an acid soil neutralizer and substantially enhanced the growth and development of all experimental plants. The parameters used in growth analyses were plant height, dry weight, root/shoot ratios, nodulation, pod production, and nitrogen fixing capacity for legumes.

Responses of soil N-fixing bacteria communities to invasive plant species under different types of simulated acid deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Congyan; Zhou, Jiawei; Jiang, Kun; Liu, Jun; Du, Daolin

2017-06-01

Biological invasions have incurred serious threats to native ecosystems in China, and soil N-fixing bacteria communities (SNB) may play a vital role in the successful plant invasion. Meanwhile, anthropogenic acid deposition is increasing in China, which may modify or upgrade the effects that invasive plant species can cause on SNB. We analyzed the structure and diversity of SNB by means of new generation sequencing technology in soils with different simulated acid deposition (SAD), i.e., different SO4 2- to NO3 - ratios, and where the invasive ( Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and the native species ( Amaranthus tricolor L.) grew mixed or isolated for 3 months. A. retroflexus itself did not exert significant effects on the diversity and richness of SNB but did it under certain SO4 2- to NO3 - ratios. Compared to soils where the native species grew isolated, the soils where the invasive A. retroflexus grew isolated showed lower relative abundance of some SNB classes under certain SAD treatments. Some types of SAD can alter soil nutrient content which in turn could affect SNB diversity and abundance. Specifically, greater SO4 2- to NO3 - ratios tended to have more toxic effects on SNB likely due to the higher exchange capacity of hydroxyl groups (OH-) between SO4 2- and NO3 -. As a conclusion, it can be expected a change in the structure of SNB after A. retroflexus invasion under acid deposition rich in sulfuric acid. This change may create a plant soil feedback favoring future A. retroflexus invasions.

Adsorption of sulfamethoxazole and sulfapyridine antibiotics in high organic content soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kuen-Lin; Liu, Li-Chun; Chen, Wan-Ru

2017-12-01

Many antibiotics, including sulfonamides, are being frequently detected in soil and groundwater. Livestock waste is an important source of antibiotic pollution, and sulfonamides may be present along with organic-rich substances. This study aims to investigate the sorption reaction of two sulfonamides, sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and sulfapyridine (SPY) in two organic-rich sorbents: a commercial peat soil (38.41% carbon content) and a composted manure (24.33% carbon content). Batch reactions were conducted to evaluate the impacts of pH (4.5-9.5) and background ions (0.001 M-0.1 M CaCl 2 ) on their sorption. Both linear partitioning and Freundlich sorption isotherms fit the reaction well. The n values of Freundlich isotherm were close to 1 in most conditions suggesting that the hydrophobic partition is the major adsorption mechanism. In terms of SMZ, K d declined with increases in the pH. SPY has a pyridine group that is responsible for adsorption at high pH values, and thus, no significant trend between K d and pH was observed. At high pH ranges, SPY sorption deviated significantly from linear partitioning. The results suggested the sorption mechanism of these two sulfonamide antibiotics tended to be hydrophobic partitioning under most of the experimental conditions, especially at pH values lower than their corresponding pK a2. The fluorescence excitation emission matrix and dissolved organic carbon leaching test suggested composted manure has higher fulvic acid organics and that peat soil has higher humus-like organics. Small organic molecules showed stronger affinity toward sulfonamide antibiotics and cause the composted manure to exhibit higher sorption capacity. Overall, this study suggests that the chemical structure and properties of sulfonamides antibiotics and the type of organic matter in soils will greatly influence the fate and transport of these contaminants into the environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential Ability of Maize and Soybean to Acquire and Utilize Phosphorus from Sparingly Soluble Forms in Low- and Medium-P Soils Using {sup 32}P

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adu-Gyamfi, J. J.; Aigner, M.; Linic, S. [Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory, Seibersdorf (Austria); Gludovacz, D. [Nuclear Material Laboratory, Safeguard Analytical Services, International Atomic Energy Agency, Seibersdorf (Austria)

2013-11-15

A glasshouse pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the differential ability of maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) to utilize soil phosphorus (P) for plant growth from total-P, available-P and inorganic (Ca-P, Al-P and Fe-P) soil P pools using a carrier-free {sup 32}P solution. A maize variety (DK 315) and a soybean variety (TGX 1910-4F) were grown in pots containing 1 kg of a low available P soil (Hungarian) or a medium available P (Waldviertel) soil labelled with {sup 32}P for 42 days or without {sup 32}P (unlabelled) for 42 and 60 days. The shoot and root biomass of maize and soybean were significantly greater when grown on the Waldviertel than on the Hungarian soils. The shoot P concentrations were higher for soybean (1.7-2.2 g kg{sup -1}) than for maize (1.1-1.4 g kg{sup -1}). The total radioactivity (dpm x 10{sup 6}) was higher in plants grown in Waldviertel than in Hungarian soil and the values reflected plant P uptake and shoot biomass of soybean and maize. The L-values ({mu}g P g soil{sup -1}) of maize and soybean were higher in Waldviertel (72-78) than in Hungarian (9.6-20) soil. No significant differences in L-values were observed for maize and soybean grown on the Waldviertel soil, but for the Hungarian soil, the L-values were higher for maize (20.0) than for soybean (9.6) suggesting that in this low-P soil, maize was more efficient than soybean in taking up soil P. The available P (Bray II) and the Ca-P were the fractions most depleted by plants followed by the Fe-P fractions in the two soils, but differences between the crops were not significant. When soil P is limited, maize and soybean are able to access P mainly from the available P (Bray II), Fe- and Ca-P sparingly soluble fractions and not Al-P from the soil. (author)

The behavior of P in tropical soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittencourt, V.C.; Zambello Junior, E.

1975-06-01

The 32 P isotopic exchange between the equilibrium solution and the soil can be described by 2 or 3 first order reactions, which are mainly determined by the iron oxide content of the samples. The first reaction in Terra Roxa Estruturada and in Latosol Roxo soils was found to be independent of the ionic strength of the solution and this may be atributed to a chemical adsorption of the phosphate in the solid phase surface, with an ulterior occlusion of the ion in the internal layers. Since the constant rates of the second and third reactions was found to depend on the ionic strength of the solution and after these interactions a considerable amount of isotopic exchangeable P was observed, it is suggested that 2 phosphate diffusion processes occur: One from the hydratation shell to the solid surface and the other the equilibrium solution to the hydratation shell. The reactions in the Latosol Vermelho Escuro-fase arenosa and in the Podzolizados de Lins e Marilia, variacao Lins, soils were more intense in the liquid phase, and therefore less amounts of phosphate was subject to chemical adsorption

Retention of available P in acid soils of tropical and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHEN Jianhui; ZOU Xiaoming; YANG Xiaodong

2007-01-01

Precipitation of mineral phosphate is often recognized as a factor of limiting the availability of P in acidic soils of tropical and subtropical forests.For this paper,we studied the extractable P pools and their transformation rates in soils of a tropical evergreen forest at Xishuangbanna and a subtropical montane wet forest at the Ailao Mountains in order to understand the biogeochemical processes regulating P availability in acidic soils.The two forests differ in forest humus layer;it is deep in the Ailao forest while little is present in the Xishuangbanna forest.The extractable P pools by resin and sodium-bicarbonate decreased when soil organic carbon content was reduced.The lowest levels of extractable P pools occurred in the surface (0-10 era) mineral soils of the Xishuangbanna forest.However,microbial P in the mineral soil of the Xishuangbauna forest was twice that in the Ailao forest.Potential rates of microbial P immobilization were greater than those of organic P mineralization in mineral soils for both forests.We suggest that microbial P immobilization plays an essential role in avoiding mineral P precipitation and retaining available P of plant in tropical acidic soils,whereas both floor mass accumulation and microbial P immobilization function benefit retaining plant available P in subtropical montane wet forests.

[Uncertainty evaluation of the determination of toxic equivalent quantity of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in soil by isotope dilution high resolution gas chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry].

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Bing; Liu Aimin; Huang, Yeru

2014-09-01

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in soil samples were analyzed by isotope dilution method with high resolution gas chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry (ID-HRGC/HRMS), and the toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) were calculated. The impacts of major source of measurement uncertainty are discussed, and the combined relative standard uncertainties were calculated for each 2, 3, 7, 8 substituted con- gener. Furthermore, the concentration, combined uncertainty and expanded uncertainty for TEQ of PCDD/Fs in a soil sample in I-TEF, WHO-1998-TEF and WHO-2005-TEF schemes are provided as an example. I-TEF, WHO-1998-TEF and WHO-2005-TEF are the evaluation schemes of toxic equivalent factor (TEF), and are all currently used to describe 2,3,7,8 sub- stituted relative potencies.

Impact of wheat / faba bean mixed cropping or rotation systems on soil microbial functionalities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanâa Wahbi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Cropping systems based on carefully designed species mixtures reveal many potential advantages in terms of enhancing crop productivity, reducing pest and diseases and enhacing ecological serices. Associating cereals and legume production either through intercropping or rotations might be a relevant strategy of producing both type of culture, while benefiting from combined nitrogen fixed by the legume through its symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and from a better use of P and water through mycorrhizal associations. These practices also participate to the diversification of agricultural productions, enabling to secure the regularity of income returns across the seasonal and climatic uncertainties. In this context, we designed a field experiment aiming to estimate the two years impact of these practices on wheat yield and on soil microbial activities as estimated through Substrate Induced Respiration (SIR method and mycorrhizal soil infectivity (MSI measurement. It is expected that understanding soil microbial functionalities in response to these agricultural practices might allows to target the best type of combination, in regard to crop productivity. We found that the tested cropping systems largely impacted soil microbial functionalities and mycorrhizal soil infectivity. Intercropping gave better results in terms of crop productivity than the rotation practice after 2 cropping seasons. Benefits resulting from intercrop should be highly linked with changes recorded on soil microbial functionalities.

Can conservation agriculture improve phosphorus (P) availability in weathered soils? Effects of tillage and residue management on soil P status after 9 years in a Kenyan Oxisol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Margenot, Andrew; Paul, B.K.; Pulleman, M.M.; Parikh, Sanjai; Fonte, Steven J.

2017-01-01

The widespread promotion of conservation agriculture (CA) in regions with weathered soils prone to phosphorus (P) deficiency merits explicit consideration of its effect on P availability. A long-term CA field trial located on an acid, weathered soil in western Kenya was evaluated for effects of

Bioremediation of PAH contaminated soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshi, M.M.; Lee, S.

1994-01-01

Soils contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pose a hazard to life. The remediation of such sites can be done using physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods or a combination of them. It is of interest to study the decontamination of soil using bioremediation. The experiments were conducted using Acinetobacter (ATCC 31012) at room temperature without pH or temperature control. In the first series of experiments, contaminated soil samples obtained from Alberta Research Council were analyzed to determine the toxic contaminant and their composition in the soil. These samples were then treated using aerobic fermentation and removal efficiency for each contaminant was determined. In the second series of experiments, a single contaminant was used to prepare a synthetic soil sample. This sample of known composition was then treated using aerobic fermentation in continuously stirred flasks. In one set of flasks, contaminant was the only carbon source and in the other set, starch was an additional carbon source. In the third series of experiments, the synthetic contaminated soil sample was treated in continuously stirred flasks in the first set and in fixed bed in the second set and the removal efficiencies were compared. The removal efficiencies obtained indicated the extent of biodegradation for various contaminants, the effect of additional carbon source, and performance in fixed bed without external aeration

Interrill Erodibility of P and C on conventially and organically farmed Devon soils

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, N. J.

2012-04-01

Soil erosion can have significant off-site effects on water quality and thus human and habitat health. Apart from sedimentation, the transfer of nutrients, both dissolved and particulate, is a major concern. The particulate transfer of nutrients from agricultural land can occur either by rill or interrill erosion. Rill erosion is non-selective and affects only a limited extent of agricultural land. Interrill processes such as crusting, splash and raindrop-impacted wash, on the other hand, act on all cropland and affect the quality of the water from all areas generating runoff. A significant amount of phosphorus (P) is contained in the surface soil layer transformed by interrill processes annually. In the EU, the P content of a crusted (2 mm) surface layer corresponds to 4 to 40 kg ha-1 of P on arable land (1.094 mil km2). Therefore, the role of interrill processes and erosion for regional nutrient cycling requires close attention. Interrill erosion is a complex phenomenon, involving the detachment, transport and deposition of soil particles by raindrop impacted flow. Resistance to interrill erosion varies between soils depending on their physical, chemical and mineralogical properties. In addition, significant changes in soil resistance to interrill erosion occur during storms as a result of changes in surface roughness, cohesion and particle size. As a consequence, erosion on interrill areas is selective, moving the most easily detached small and/or light soil particles which are often enriched in clay, P and organic C. Commonly, the risk of erosion associated with organically farmed soils is lower than those farmed in a conventional way. This is attributed to greater aggregate stability and thus greater infiltration and lower erodibility. Erosion of nutrients on organically farmed soils is therefore considered to be reduced by the same order of magnitude than the amount of eroded soil compared to conventionally farmed soils. However, the selective nature of

Influences of micro-geomorphology on the stoichiometry of C, N and P in Chenier Island soils and plants in the Yellow River Delta, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Fanzhu; Meng, Ling; Yu, Junbao; Liu, Jingtao; Sun, Jingkuan; Yang, Hongjun; Dong, Linshui

2017-01-01

Studies have indicated that consistent or well-constrained (relatively low variability) carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) ratios exist in large-scale ecosystems, including both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Little is known about the C, N and P stoichiometric ratios that exist in the soils and plants of Chenier Island in the Yellow River Delta (YRD). We examined the distribution patterns and relationships of C, N and P stoichiometry in the soils and plants of Chenier Island, as well as the potential influences of the island's micro-geomorphology. Based on a study of four soil profile categories and Phragmites australis and Suaeda heteroptera plant tissues, our results showed that micro-geomorphology could leave a distinct imprint on the soil and plant elemental stoichiometry of Chenier Island; significant variation in the atomic C:N:P ratios (RCNP) existed in soils and plants, indicating that the RCNP values in both the soil and plants are not well constrained at the Chenier Island scale. RCN and RCP in Chenier Island soils were high, whereas the RNP values were comparatively low, indicating that the ecosystems of Chenier Island are nutrient-limited by N and P. However, the RNP values in P. australis and S. heteroptera plant tissues were high, suggesting that the plants of Chenier Island are nutrient-limited by P. Finally, we suggest that soil and plant N:P ratios may be good indicators of the soil and plant nutrient status during soil development and plant growth, which could be a useful reference for restoring the degraded soils of Chenier Island.

Seasonal Belowground Ecosystem and Eco-enzymatic Responses to Soil pH and Phosphorus Availability in Temperate Hardwood Forests

Science.gov (United States)

Smemo, K. A.; Deforest, J. L.; Petersen, S. L.; Burke, D.; Hewins, C.; Kluber, L. A.; Kyker, S. R.

2013-12-01

all enzymes measured. Phosphatase enzymes did not respond to our treatments and were generally greatest in the unglaciated soils, particularly in winter and spring. Enzyme stoichiometric relationships revealed that soil microbial populations in the glaciated site were consistently less P and N-limited than unglaciated sites but this difference was less pronounced during the growing season. The trajectory of nutrient limitation in response to soil pH and P availability was highly variable, but we observed that enzyme ratios in the early summer were particularly shifted relative to other seasons suggesting that both sites were increasingly P and N-limited during this period. Overall, our results suggest that ecosystem and microbial responses to soil pH and P availability vary with both season and site history and that more spatially and temporally explicit observations are needed to improve our understanding of ecosystem acidification, nutrient limitation, and the cost-benefit relationships of microbial investments in extracellular enzymes.

Aging of nickel added to soils as predicted by soil pH and time.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yibing; Lombi, Enzo; McLaughlin, Mike J; Oliver, Ian W; Nolan, Annette L; Oorts, Koen; Smolders, Erik

2013-08-01

Although aging processes are important in risk assessment for metals in soils, the aging of Ni added to soils has not been studied in detail. In this study, after addition of water soluble Ni to soils, the changes over time in isotopic exchangeability, total concentrations and free Ni(2+) activity in soil pore water, were investigated in 16 European soils incubated outdoors for 18 months. The results showed that after Ni addition, concentrations of Ni in soil pore water and isotopic exchangeability of Ni in soils initially decreased rapidly. This phase was followed by further decreases in the parameters measured but these occurred at slower rates. Increasing soil pH increased the rate and extent of aging reactions. Semi-mechanistic models, based on Ni precipitation/nucleation on soil surfaces and micropore diffusion, were developed and calibrated. The initial fast processes, which were attributed to precipitation/nucleation, occurred over a short time (e.g. 1h), afterwards the slow processes were most likely controlled by micropore diffusion processes. The models were validated by comparing predicted and measured Ni aging in three additional, widely differing soils aged outdoors for periods up to 15 months in different conditions. These models could be used to scale ecotoxicological data generated in short-term studies to longer aging times. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of fixed-bearing and mobile-bearing total knee arthroplasty after high tibial osteotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernigou, Philippe; Huys, Maxime; Pariat, Jacques; Roubineau, François; Flouzat Lachaniette, Charles Henri; Dubory, Arnaud

2018-02-01

There is no information comparing the results of fixed-bearing total knee replacement and mobile-bearing total knee replacement in the same patients previously treated by high tibial osteotomy. The purpose was therefore to compare fixed-bearing and mobile-bearing total knee replacements in patients treated with previous high tibial osteotomy. We compared the results of 57 patients with osteoarthritis who had received a fixed-bearing prosthesis after high tibial osteotomy with the results of 41 matched patients who had received a rotating platform after high tibial osteotomy. The match was made for length of follow-up period. The mean follow-up was 17 years (range, 15-20 years). The patients were assessed clinically and radiographically. The pre-operative knee scores had no statistically significant differences between the two groups. So was the case with the intra-operative releases, blood loss, thromboembolic complications and infection rates in either group. There was significant improvement in both groups of knees, and no significant difference was observed between the groups (i.e., fixed-bearing and mobile-bearing knees) for the mean Knee Society knee clinical score (95 and 92 points, respectively), or the Knee Society knee functional score (82 and 83 points, respectively) at the latest follow-up. However, the mean post-operative knee motion was higher for the fixed-bearing group (117° versus 110°). In the fixed-bearing group, one knee was revised because of periprosthetic fracture. In the rotating platform mobile-bearing group, one knee was revised because of aseptic loosening of the tibial component. The Kaplan-Meier survivorship for revision at ten years of follow-up was 95.2% for the fixed bearing prosthesis and 91.1% for the rotating platform mobile-bearing prosthesis. Although we did manage to detect significant differences mainly in clinical and radiographic results between the two groups, we found no superiority or inferiority of the mobile

[Effects of soil pH on the competitive uptake of amino acids by maize and microorganisms].

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qing Xu; Wang, Jun; Cao, Xiao Chuang; Sun, Yan; Sun, Tao; Wu, Liang Huan

2017-07-18

Organic nitrogen can play an important role in plant growth, and soil pH changed greatly due to the over-use of chemical fertilizers, but the effects of soil pH on the competitive uptake of amino acids by plants and rhizosphere microorganisms are lack of detailed research. To study the effects of soil pH on the uptake of amino acids by maize and soil microorganisms, two soils from Hangzhou and Tieling were selected, and the soil pH was changed by the electrokinesis, then the 15 N-labeled glycine was injected to the centrifuge tube with a short-term uptake of 4 h. Soil pH had a significant effect on the shoot and root biomass, and the optimal pH for maize shoot growth was 6.48 for Hangzhou red soil, while it was 7.65 for Tieling brown soil. For Hangzhou soil, the 15 N abundance of maize shoots under pH=6.48 was significantly higher than under other treatments, and the uptake amount of 15 N-glycine was also much higher. However, the 15 N abundance of maize shoots and roots under pH=7.65 Tieling soil was significantly lower than it under pH=5.78, but the uptake amount of 15 N-glycine under pH=7.65 was much higher. The microbial biomass C was much higher in pH=6.48 Hangzhou soil, while it was much lower in pH=7.65 Tieling soil. According to the results of root uptake, root to shoot transportation, and the competition with microorganisms, we suggested that although facing the fierce competition with microorganisms, the maize grown in pH=6.48 Hangzhou soil increased the uptake of glycine by increasing its root uptake and root to shoot transportation. While in pH=7.65 Tieling soil, the activity of microorganisms was decreased, which decreased the competition with maize for glycine, and increased the uptake of glycine by maize.

Effect of soil pH on sorption of salinomycin in clay and sandy soils

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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The sorption of salinomycin to the sandy soil marginally increased as the pH decreased, while the sorption to the two .... plastic containers at room temperature for further analysis. ... The pH was adjusted eight times over 20 days to stabilize at.

Natural abundances of 15N and 13C in leaves of some N2- fixing and non N2- fixing trees and shrubs in Syria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurdali, F.; Al-Shamma'a, M.

2010-01-01

A survey study was conducted on man-made plantations located at two different areas in the arid region of Syria to determine the variations in natural abundances of the 12 N and 13 C isotopes in leaves of several woody legume and non-legume species, and to better understand the consequence of such variations on nitrogen fixation and carbon assimilation. In the first study area (non-saline soil), the δ 15 N values in four legume species (Acacia cyanopylla, -1.73 %; Acacia farnesiana, -0.55%; Prosopis juliflora, -1.64%, and Medicago arborea, +1.6%) and one actinorhizal plant (Elaeagnus angustifolia, -0.46 to -2.1%) were found to be close to that of the atmospheric value pointing to a major contribution of N 2 fixing in these species; whereas, δ 15 N values of the non-fixing plant species were highly positive.δ 13 C% in leaves of the C 3 plants were found to be affected by plant species, ranging from a minimum of -28.67% to a maximum of -23%. However, they were relatively similar within each plant species although they were grown at different sites. In the second study area (salt affected soil) a higher carbon discrimination value (Δ 3 C%) was exhibited by Prosopis juliflora indicating that the latter is a salt tolerant species; however, its δ 15 N was highly positive (+7.03%) suggesting a negligible contribution of the fixed N 2 . Hence, it was concluded that the enhancement of N 2 fixation might be achieved by selection of salt-tolerant rhizobium strains. (author)

Microbial N and P mining regulates the effect of N deposition on soil organic matter turnover

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Nele; Welp, Gerhard; Rodionov, Andrei; Borchard, Nils; Martius, Christopher; Amelung, Wulf

2017-04-01

-fertilized treatments. Nutrient additions had no effect on cumulative CO2 evolution in tropical topsoils. Subsoils of the tropical sites (20 - 100 cm depth) were co-limited by N and P. Here, alleviation of either N or P deficiency was necessary to stimulate the mineralization of glucose. In the deep subsoil (>150 cm depth) only the combined additions of N+P induced any CO2 release. Our results reveal that mining of both N and P potentially occurs but is restricted by multiple nutrient limitations, by the absence of potentially accessible nutrients (e.g., in the deep subsoil), and by full nutrient supply (e.g., high nutrient contents make mining unnecessary). The results suggest several implications for N deposition effects: 1) N deposition decreases (recalcitrant) SOC mineralization in former N-deficient soils, 2) N deposition increases SOC mineralization in former co-limited soils as it facilitates mining of the required P, 3) N deposition has no effect in nutrient rich topsoils.

pH is the primary determinant of the bacterial community structure in agricultural soils impacted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yucheng; Zeng, Jun; Zhu, Qinghe; Zhang, Zhenfa; Lin, Xiangui

2017-01-01

Acidification and pollution are two major threats to agricultural ecosystems; however, microbial community responses to co-existed soil acidification and pollution remain less explored. In this study, arable soils of broad pH (4.26-8.43) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) gradients (0.18-20.68 mg kg-1) were collected from vegetable farmlands. Bacterial community characteristics including abundance, diversity and composition were revealed by quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies significantly correlated with soil carbon and nitrogen contents, suggesting the control of nutrients accessibility on bacterial abundance. The bacterial diversity was strongly related to soil pH, with higher diversity in neutral samples and lower in acidic samples. Soil pH was also identified by an ordination analysis as important factor shaping bacterial community composition. The relative abundances of some dominant phyla varied along the pH gradient, and the enrichment of a few phylotypes suggested their adaptation to low pH condition. In contrast, at the current pollution level, PAH showed marginal effects on soil bacterial community. Overall, these findings suggest pH was the primary determinant of bacterial community in these arable soils, indicative of a more substantial influence of acidification than PAH pollution on bacteria driven ecological processes.

Fixed target physics at high energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirk, T.B.

1984-01-01

The number and type of fixed target experiments that can be pursued at a proton synchrotron are very large. The advent of the Fermilab superconducting accelerator, the Tevatron, will extend and improve the results which are given here from recent CERN and Fermilab experiments. The sample of experiments given in this paper is neither meant to be inclusive nor intensive. Hopefully, it will give the flavor of contemporary fixed target physics to a predominantly cosmic ray oriented audience. (author)

Functional shifts in unvegetated, perhumid, recently-deglaciated soils do not correlate with shifts in soil bacterial community composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Sattin, Sarah R; Cleveland, Cory C; Hood, Eran; Reed, Sasha C; King, Andrew J; Schmidt, Steven K; Robeson, Michael S; Ascarrunz, Nataly; Nemergut, Diana R

2009-12-01

Past work in recently deglaciated soils demonstrates that microbial communities undergo shifts prior to plant colonization. To date, most studies have focused on relatively 'long' chronosequences with the ability to sample plant-free sites over at least 50 years of development. However, some recently deglaciated soils feature rapid plant colonization and questions remain about the relative rate of change in the microbial community in the unvegetated soils of these chronosequences. Thus, we investigated the forelands of the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, AK, USA, where plants rapidly establish. We collected unvegetated samples representing soils that had been ice-free for 0, 1, 4, and 8 years. Total nitrogen (N) ranged from 0.00 approximately 0.14 mg/g soil, soil organic carbon pools ranged from 0.6 approximately 2.3 mg/g soil, and both decreased in concentration between the 0 and 4 yr soils. Biologically available phosphorus (P) and pH underwent similar dynamics. However, both pH and available P increased in the 8 yr soils. Nitrogen fixation was nearly undetectable in the most recently exposed soils, and increased in the 8 yr soils to approximately 5 ng N fixed/cm(2)/h, a trend that was matched by the activity of the soil N-cycling enzymes urease and beta-l,4-N-acetyl-glucosa-minidase. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed no significant differences between the 0 and 8 yr soils; however, 8 yr soils featured the presence of cyanobacteria, a division wholly absent from the 0 yr soils. Taken together, our results suggest that microbes are consuming allochtonous organic matter sources in the most recently exposed soils. Once this carbon source is depleted, a competitive advantage may be ceded to microbes not reliant on in situ nutrient sources.

Dairy heifer manure management, dietary phosphorus, and soil test P effects on runoff phosphorus.

Science.gov (United States)

Jokela, William E; Coblentz, Wayne K; Hoffman, Patrick C

2012-01-01

Manure application to cropland can contribute to runoff losses of P and eutrophication of surface waters. We conducted a series of three rainfall simulation experiments to assess the effects of dairy heifer dietary P, manure application method, application rate, and soil test P on runoff P losses from two successive simulated rainfall events. Bedded manure (18-21% solids) from dairy heifers fed diets with or without supplemental P was applied on a silt loam soil packed into 1- by 0.2-m sheet metal pans. Manure was either surface-applied or incorporated (Experiment 1) or surface-applied at two rates (Experiment 2) to supply 26 to 63 kg P ha. Experiment 3 evaluated runoff P from four similar nonmanured soils with average Bray P1-extractable P levels of 11, 29, 51, and 75 mg kg. We measured runoff quantity, total P (TP), dissolved reactive P (DRP), and total and volatile solids in runoff collected for 30 min after runoff initiation from two simulated rain events (70 mm h) 3 or 4 d apart. Manure incorporation reduced TP and DRP concentrations and load by 85 to 90% compared with surface application. Doubling the manure rate increased runoff DRP and TP concentrations an average of 36%. In the same experiment, P diet supplementation increased water-extractable P in manure by 100% and increased runoff DRP concentration threefold. Concentrations of solids, TP, and DRP in runoff from Rain 2 were 25 to 75% lower than from Rain 1 in Experiments 1 and 2. Runoff DRP from nonmanured soils increased quadratically with increasing soil test P. These results show that large reductions in P runoff losses can be achieved by incorporation of manure, avoiding unnecessary diet P supplementation, limiting manure application rate, and managing soils to prevent excessive soil test P levels. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Labile pools of Pb in vegetable-growing soils investigated by an isotope dilution method and its influence on soil pH.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Hong; Huang, Zhi-Yong; Cao, Ying-Lan; Cai, Chao; Zeng, Xiang-Cheng; Li, Jian

2012-08-01

Pollution of Pb in the surface of agricultural soils is of increasing concern due to its serious impact on the plant growth and the human health through the food chain. However, the mobility, activity and bioavailability of Pb rely mainly on its various chemical species in soils. In the present study, E and L values, the labile pools of isotopically exchangeable Pb, were estimated using the method of isotope dilution in three vegetable-growing soils. The experiments involved adding a stable enriched isotope ((206)Pb > 96%) to a soil suspension and to soils in which plants are subsequently grown, the labile pools of Pb were then estimated by measuring the isotopic composition of Pb in soil solutions and in the plant tissues, respectively. In addition, the correlation of E values and soil pH was investigated at the ranges of pH 4.5-7.0. The amount of labile Pb in soils was also estimated using different single chemical extractants and a modified BCR approach. The results showed that after spiking the enriched isotopes of (206)Pb (>96%) for 24 hours an equilibration of isotopic exchanges in soil suspensions was achieved, and the isotope ratios of (208)Pb/(206)Pb measured at that time was used for calculating the E(24 h) values. The labile pools of Pb by %E(24 h) values, ranging from 53.2% to 61.7% with an average 57%, were found to be significantly higher (p soil pH was found in the tested soil sample. The results indicate that the %E(24 h) value can more rapidly and easily predict the labile pools of Pb in soils compared with L values, but it might be readily overestimated because of the artificial soil acidity derived from the spiked isotopic tracer and the excess of spiked enriched isotopes. The results also suggest that the amounts of Pb extracted with EDTA and the Σ(BCR) values extracted with the modified BCR approach are helpful to detect the labile pools of Pb in soils. In addition, the negative correlation between soil pH and the labile pools of Pb in soils

Identifying key soil cyanobacteria easy to isolate and culture for arid soil restoration

Science.gov (United States)

Roncero-Ramos, Beatriz; Ángeles Muñoz-Martín, M.; Chamizo, Sonia; Román, Raúl; Rodriguez-Caballero, Emilio; Mateo, Pilar; Cantón, Yolanda

2017-04-01

Drylands represent an important fraction of the Earth land's surface. Low cover of vascular plants characterizes these regions, and the large open areas among plants are often colonized by cyanobacteria, mosses, lichens, algae, bryophytes, bacteria and fungi, known as biocrusts. Because these communities are on or within the soil surface, they contribute to improve physicochemical properties of the uppermost soil layers and have important effects on soil fertility and stability, so they could play an important role on soil restoration. Cyanobacteria appear to be a cross component of biocrusts and they have been demonstrated to enhance water availability, soil fertility (fixing atmospheric C and N), and soil aggregation (thanks to their filamentous morphology and the exopolysaccharides they excrete), and significantly reduce water and wind erosion. Besides, they are able to tolerate high temperatures and UV radiation. All these features convert cyanobacteria in pioneer organisms capable of colonizing degraded soils and may be crucial in facilitating the succession of more developed organisms such as vascular plants. Therefore, the use of native cyanobacteria, already adapted to site environmental conditions, could guarantee a successful restoration approach of degraded soils. However, previous to their application for soil restoration, the most representative species inhabiting these soils should be identified. The objective of this study was to identify (morphologically and genetically) and isolate representative native cyanobacteria species from arid soils in SE Spain, characterized for being easily isolated and cultured with the aim of using them to inoculate degraded arid soil. We selected two study areas in Almería, SE Spain, where biocrust cover most of the open spaces between plants: El Cautivo experimental site located in the Tabernas desert and a limestone quarry located at the southeastern edge of the Gádor massif. The first site is characterized by

The influence of temperature, pH/molarity and extractant on the removal of arsenic, chromium and zinc from contaminated soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rastas Amofah, Lea; Maurice, Christian; Kumpiene, Jurate [Luleaa Univ. of Technology, Luleaa (Sweden). Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources; Bhattacharya, Prosun [Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Land and Water Resources Engineering

2011-12-15

Normal soil washing leave high residual pollutant content in soil. The remediation could be improved by targeting the extraction to coarser fractions. Further, a low/high extraction pH and higher temperature enhance the pollutant removal, but these measures are costly. In this study, the utility of NaOH, oxalate-citrate (OC) and dithionite-citrate-oxalate (DCO) solutions for extracting of arsenic, chromium and zinc from contaminated soil were assessed and compared. In addition the effects of NaOH concentration and temperature on NaOH extractions, and those of temperature and pH on OC and DCO extractions, were evaluated. A two-level, full-factorial design with a centre point was implemented. Two factors, concentration and temperature,were evaluated in NaOH extractions, and pH and temperature for OC and DCO solutions. In all cases, the extraction temperature was 20 C, 30 C and 40 C. The studied NaOH concentrations were 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1 M. The pH in OC solutions was 3, 5 and 7, and in DCO solutions, 4.7, 6.3 and 6.7. Water-washed and medium coarse soil fraction of arsenic, chromium and zinc contaminated soil was agitated for 15 min with the extraction solution. In NaOH extractions, the temperature and (less strongly) NaOH concentration significantly affected As and Cr mobilisation, but only the latter affected Zn mobilisation. Both pH and temperature significantly (and similarly) influenced As and Cr mobilisation in OC extractions, while only the pH influenced Zn mobilisation. In contrast, the extraction temperature (but not pH) influenced As, Cr and Zn mobilisation in DCO extractions. For all extractants, mobilisation was most efficient at elevated temperature (40 C). None of the extractants reduced the soil's As content to below the Swedish EPA's guideline value. Use of DCO is not recommended because dithionite has a short lifetime and residual arsenic contents in DCO-extracted soil are relatively high. Instead, sequential extraction with NaOH followed

Soil sterilization affects aging-related sequestration and bioavailability of p,p'-DDE and anthracene to earthworms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slizovskiy, Ilya B. [Program in Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104 (United States); Kelsey, Jason W., E-mail: Kelsey@muhlenberg.ed [Program in Environmental Science and Department of Chemistry, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104 (United States)

2010-10-15

Laboratory experiments investigated the effects of soil sterilization and compound aging on the bioaccumulation of spiked p,p'-DDE and anthracene by Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus terrestris. Declines in bioavailability occurred as pollutant residence time in both sterile and non-sterile soils increased from 3 to 203 d. Accumulation was generally higher in sterile soils during initial periods of aging (from 3-103 d). By 203 d, however, bioavailability of the compounds was unaffected by sterilization. Gamma irradiation and autoclaving may have altered bioavailability by inducing changes in the chemistry of soil organic matter (SOM). The results support a dual-mode partitioning sorption model in which the SOM components associated with short-term sorption (the 'soft' or 'rubbery' phases) are more affected than are the components associated with long-term sorption (the 'glassy' or microcrystalline phases). Risk assessments based on data from experiments in which sterile soil was used could overestimate exposure and bioaccumulation of pollutants. - Soil sterilization affects aging-related sequestration of organic contaminants.

Can the watershed non-point phosphorus pollution be interpreted by critical soil properties? A new insight of different soil P states.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chen; Ma, Ronghua; Xiong, Junfeng

2018-07-01

The physicochemical properties of surface soil play a key role in the fate of watershed non-point source pollution. Special emphasis is needed to identify soil properties that are sensitive to both particulate P (PP) pollution and dissolved P (DP) pollution, which is essential for watershed environmental management. The Chaohu Lake basin, a typical eutrophic lake in China, was selected as the study site. The spatial features of the Non-point Source (NPS) PP loads and DP loads were calculated simultaneously based on the integration of sediment delivery distributed model (SEDD) and pollution loads (PLOAD) model. Then several critical physicochemical soil properties, especially various soil P compositions, were innovatively introduced to determine the response of the critical soil properties to NPS P pollution. The findings can be summarized: i) the mean PP load value of the different sub-basins was 5.87 kg, and PP pollution is regarded to be the primary NPS P pollution state, while the DP loads increased rapidly under the rapid urbanization process. ii) iron-bound phosphorus (Fe-P) and aluminum-bound phosphorus (Al-P) are the main components of available P and showed the most sensitive responses to NPS PP pollution, and the correlation coefficients were approximately 0.9. Otherwise, the residual phosphorus (Res-P) was selected as a sensitive soil P state that was significantly negatively correlated with the DP loads. iii) The DP and PP concentrations were represented differently when they were correlated with various soil properties, and the clay proportion was strongly negatively related to the PP loads. Meanwhile, there is a non-linear relationship between the DP loads and the critical soil properties, such as Fe and Total Nitrogen (TN) concentrations. Specifically, a strong inhibitory effect of TN concentration on the DP load was apparent in the Nanfei river (NF) and Paihe (PH) river basins where the R 2 reached 0.67, which contrasts with the relatively poor

Shifting Foliar N:P Ratios with Experimental Soil Warming in Tussock Tundra

Science.gov (United States)

Jasinski, B.; Mack, M. C.; Schuur, E.; Mauritz, M.; Walker, X. J.

2017-12-01

Warming temperatures in the Arctic and boreal ecosystems are currently driving widespread permafrost thaw. Thermokarst is one form of thaw, in which a deepening active soil layer and associated hydrologic changes can lead to increased nutrient availability and shifts in plant community composition. Individual plant species often differ in their ability to access nutrients and adapt to new environmental conditions. While nitrogen (N) is often the nutrient most limiting to Arctic plant communities, the extent to which plant available phosphorus (P) from previously frozen mineral soil may increase as the active layer deepens is still uncertain. To understand the changing relationship between species' uptake of N and P in a thermokarst environment, we assessed foliar N:P ratios from 2015 in two species, a tussock sedge (Eriophorum vaginatum) and a dwarf shrub (Rubus chamaemorus), at a moist acidic tussock tundra experimental passive soil warming site. The passive soil warming treatment increased active layer depth in warmed plots by 35.4 cm (+/- 1.1 cm), an 80% increase over the control plots. E.vaginatum demonstrated a 16.9% decrease (p=0.012, 95% CI [-27.99%, -5.94%]) in foliar N:P ratios in warmed plots, driven mostly by an increase in foliar phosphorus. Foliar N:P ratios of R.chamaemorus showed no significant change. However, foliar samples of R.chamaemorus were significantly enriched in the isotope 15N in soil warming plots (9.9% increase (p=0.002, 95% CI [4.45%, 15.39%])), while the sedge E.vaginatum was slightly depleted. These results suggest that (1) in environments with thawing mineral soil plant available phosphorus may increase more quickly than nitrogen, and (2) that species' uptake strategies and responses to increasing N and P will vary, which has implications for future ecological shifts in thawing ecosystems.

Lead, zinc and pHconcentrationsof Enyigba soils in Abakaliki Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-07-18

Jul 18, 2008 ... Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State,. Nigeria. F. N. Nweke1 ... establish a base line pollution index for lead and zinc in Enyigba soil as an exogenous source of these .... is done to reduce the pH value of the soil.

Effect of heavy metals on pH buffering capacity and solubility of Ca, Mg, K, and P in non-spiked and heavy metal-spiked soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Najafi, Sarvenaz; Jalali, Mohsen

2016-06-01

In many parts of the world, soil acidification and heavy metal contamination has become a serious concern due to the adverse effects on chemical properties of soil and crop yield. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pH (in the range of 1 to 3 units above and below the native pH of soils) on calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) solubility in non-spiked and heavy metal-spiked soil samples. Spiked samples were prepared by cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) as chloride salts and incubating soils for 40 days. The pH buffering capacity (pHBC) of each sample was determined by plotting the amount of H(+) or OH(-) added (mmol kg(-1)) versus the related pH value. The pHBC of soils ranged from 47.1 to 1302.5 mmol kg(-1) for non-spiked samples and from 45.0 to 1187.4 mmol kg(-1) for spiked soil samples. The pHBC values were higher in soil 2 (non-spiked and spiked) which had higher calcium carbonate content. The results indicated the presence of heavy metals in soils generally decreased the solution pH and pHBC values in spiked samples. In general, solubility of Ca, Mg, and K decreased with increasing equilibrium pH of non-spiked and spiked soil samples. In the case of P, increasing the pH to about 7, decreased the solubility in all soils but further increase of pH from 7, enhanced P solubility. The solubility trends and values for Ca, Mg, and K did not differed significantly in non-spiked and spiked samples. But in the case of P, a reduction in solubility was observed in heavy metal-spiked soils. The information obtained in this study can be useful to make better estimation of the effects of soil pollutants on anion and cation solubility from agricultural and environmental viewpoints.

A statistically based mapping of the influence of geology and land use on soil pH

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balstrøm, Thomas; Breuning-Madsen, Henrik; Krüger, Johannes

2013-01-01

. The data have been analysed using statistical spatial analysis methods, and a model has been erected demonstrating areas of homogeneous low, high, or inhomogeneous pH values relative to deposits from different ice advances and regional variations in land use. The investigation shows that the major part......The purpose of this paper is to investigate the geographical distribution of pH values in Danish soils of different ages representing the main Saalian and Weichselian ice advances. The investigation is based on soil sampling from top- and subsoils in soil profiles located in a nationwide 7-km grid...... of Jutland is characterized by low pH values in the topsoils and subsoils compared to the islands east of the peninsula. This corresponds with the maximum extension of the Weichselian Young Baltic Ice Cap. A Hot Spot analysis carried out on regional and local scales shows that most of the Danish islands form...

Soil mixing design methods and construction techniques for use in high organic soils.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Organic soils present a difficult challenge for roadway designers and construction due to the high : compressibility of the soil structure and the often associated high water table and moisture content. For : other soft or loose inorganic soils, stab...

Baseline geochemistry of soil and bedrock Tshirege Member of the Bandelier Tuff at MDA-P

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, R.G.; McDonald, E.V.; Ryti, R.T.

1997-08-01

This report provides baseline geochemistry for soils (including fill), and for bedrock within three specific areas that are planned for use in the remediation of Material Disposal Area P (MDA-P) at Technical Area 16 (TA-16). The baseline chemistry includes leachable element concentrations for both soils and bedrock and total element concentrations for all soil samples and for two selected bedrock samples. MDA-P operated from the early 1950s to 1984 as a landfill for rubble and debris generated by the burning of high explosives (HE) at the TA-16 Burning Ground, HE-contaminated equipment and material, barium nitrate sand, building materials, and trash. The aim of this report is to establish causes for recognizable chemical differences between the background and baseline data sets. In many cases, the authors conclude that recognizable differences represent natural enrichments. In other cases, differences are best attributed to analytical problems. But most importantly, the comparison of background and baseline geochemistry demonstrates significant contamination for several elements not only at the two remedial sites near the TA-16 Burning Ground, but also within the entire region of the background study. This contamination is highly localized very near to the surface in soil and fill, and probably also in bedrock; consequently, upper tolerance limits (UTLs) calculated as upper 95% confidence limits of the 95th percentile are of little value and thus are not provided. This report instead provides basic statistical summaries and graphical comparisons for background and baseline samples to guide strategies for remediation of the three sites to be used in the restoration of MDA-P

Development of p-y curves of laterally loaded piles in cohesionless soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Khari, Mahdy; Kassim, Khairul Anuar; Adnan, Azlan

2014-01-01

The research on damages of structures that are supported by deep foundations has been quite intensive in the past decade. Kinematic interaction in soil-pile interaction is evaluated based on the p-y curve approach. Existing p-y curves have considered the effects of relative density on soil-pile interaction in sandy soil. The roughness influence of the surface wall pile on p-y curves has not been emphasized sufficiently. The presented study was performed to develop a series of p-y curves for single piles through comprehensive experimental investigations. Modification factors were studied, namely, the effects of relative density and roughness of the wall surface of pile. The model tests were subjected to lateral load in Johor Bahru sand. The new p-y curves were evaluated based on the experimental data and were compared to the existing p-y curves. The soil-pile reaction for various relative density (from 30% to 75%) was increased in the range of 40-95% for a smooth pile at a small displacement and 90% at a large displacement. For rough pile, the ratio of dense to loose relative density soil-pile reaction was from 2.0 to 3.0 at a small to large displacement. Direct comparison of the developed p-y curve shows significant differences in the magnitude and shapes with the existing load-transfer curves. Good comparison with the experimental and design studies demonstrates the multidisciplinary applications of the present method.

Development of p-y Curves of Laterally Loaded Piles in Cohesionless Soil

Science.gov (United States)

Khari, Mahdy; Kassim, Khairul Anuar; Adnan, Azlan

2014-01-01

The research on damages of structures that are supported by deep foundations has been quite intensive in the past decade. Kinematic interaction in soil-pile interaction is evaluated based on the p-y curve approach. Existing p-y curves have considered the effects of relative density on soil-pile interaction in sandy soil. The roughness influence of the surface wall pile on p-y curves has not been emphasized sufficiently. The presented study was performed to develop a series of p-y curves for single piles through comprehensive experimental investigations. Modification factors were studied, namely, the effects of relative density and roughness of the wall surface of pile. The model tests were subjected to lateral load in Johor Bahru sand. The new p-y curves were evaluated based on the experimental data and were compared to the existing p-y curves. The soil-pile reaction for various relative density (from 30% to 75%) was increased in the range of 40–95% for a smooth pile at a small displacement and 90% at a large displacement. For rough pile, the ratio of dense to loose relative density soil-pile reaction was from 2.0 to 3.0 at a small to large displacement. Direct comparison of the developed p-y curve shows significant differences in the magnitude and shapes with the existing load-transfer curves. Good comparison with the experimental and design studies demonstrates the multidisciplinary applications of the present method. PMID:24574932

Development of p-y Curves of Laterally Loaded Piles in Cohesionless Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdy Khari

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The research on damages of structures that are supported by deep foundations has been quite intensive in the past decade. Kinematic interaction in soil-pile interaction is evaluated based on the p-y curve approach. Existing p-y curves have considered the effects of relative density on soil-pile interaction in sandy soil. The roughness influence of the surface wall pile on p-y curves has not been emphasized sufficiently. The presented study was performed to develop a series of p-y curves for single piles through comprehensive experimental investigations. Modification factors were studied, namely, the effects of relative density and roughness of the wall surface of pile. The model tests were subjected to lateral load in Johor Bahru sand. The new p-y curves were evaluated based on the experimental data and were compared to the existing p-y curves. The soil-pile reaction for various relative density (from 30% to 75% was increased in the range of 40–95% for a smooth pile at a small displacement and 90% at a large displacement. For rough pile, the ratio of dense to loose relative density soil-pile reaction was from 2.0 to 3.0 at a small to large displacement. Direct comparison of the developed p-y curve shows significant differences in the magnitude and shapes with the existing load-transfer curves. Good comparison with the experimental and design studies demonstrates the multidisciplinary applications of the present method.

Decomposition of benzidine, α-naphthylamine, and p-toluidine in soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graveel, J.G.; Sommers, L.E.; Nelson, D.W.

1986-01-01

Decomposition of 14 C-labeled benzidine, α-naphthylamine, and p-toluidine in soil was studied in laboratory experiments by monitoring CO 2 production during a 308- to 365-d incubation period. The importance of microbial activity in decomposition of all three aromatic amines was shown by decreased 14 CO 2 evolution in 60 Co treated soils. After 365 d of incubation, 8.4 to 12% of added benzidine (54.3 μmol kg -1 ) was evolved as CO 2 while 17 to 31% of added α-naphthylamine (69.8 μmol kg -1 ) and 19 to 35% of added p-toluidine (93.3 μmol kg -1 ) were evolved as CO 2 in 308 d. Decomposition was enhanced by increasing the temperature from 12 to 30 0 C. For benzidine, both the amount and proportion decomposed increased with an increase in application rate. Decomposition of aromatic amines was not enhanced by the addition of decomposable substrates. Differences in decomposition of aromatic amines occurred among soils, but consistent relationships between decomposition of amines and soil properties were not observed. In batch equilibration studies, the Freundlich equation described aromatic amine sorption. Isotherms were nonlinear for benzidine and 1 -naphthylamine and linear for p-toluidine. Desorption of sorbed amines followed the order: benzidine < p-toluidine < α-naphthylamine and was inversely related to the extent of decomposition

Rhizospheric fungi and their link with the nitrogen-fixing Frankia harbored in host plant Hippophae rhamnoides L.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xue; Tian, Lei; Zhang, Jianfeng; Ma, Lina; Li, Xiujun; Tian, Chunjie

2017-12-01

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a pioneer plant used for land reclamation and an appropriate material for studying the interactions of symbiotic microorganisms because of its nitrogen-fixing root nodules and mycorrhiza. We used high-throughput sequencing to reveal the diversities and community structures of rhizospheric fungi and their link with nitrogen-fixing Frankia harbored in sea buckthorn collected along an altitude gradient from the Qinghai Tibet Plateau to interior areas. We found that the fungal diversities and compositions varied between different sites. Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota were the dominant phyla. The distribution of sea buckthorn rhizospheric fungi was driven by both environmental factors and the geographic distance. Among all examined soil characteristics, altitude, AP, and pH were found to have significant (p < 0.05) effect on the rhizospheric fungal community. The rhizospheric fungal communities became more distinct as the distance increased. Moreover, co-inertia analysis identified significant co-structures between Frankia and AMF communities in the rhizosphere of sea buckthorn. We conclude that at the large scale, there are certain linkages between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and the AMF expressed in the distributional pattern. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Experimental determinations of soil copper toxicity to lettuce (Lactuca sativa) growth in highly different copper spiked and aged soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Christiansen, Karen S; Borggaard, Ole K; Holm, Peter E; Vijver, Martina G; Hauschild, Michael Z; Peijnenburg, Willie J G M

2015-04-01

Accurate knowledge about factors and conditions determining copper (Cu) toxicity in soil is needed for predicting plant growth in various Cu-contaminated soils. Therefore, effects of Cu on growth (biomass production) of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) were tested on seven selected, very different soils spiked with Cu and aged for 2 months at 35 °C. Cu toxicity was expressed as pEC50(Cu(2+)), i.e., the negative logarithm of the EC50(Cu(2+)) activity to plant growth. The determined pEC50(Cu(2+)) was significantly and positively correlated with both the analytically readily available soil pH and concentration of dissolved organic carbon [DOC] which together could explain 87% of the pEC50(Cu(2+)) variation according to the simple equation: pEC50(Cu(2+)) = 0.98 × pH + 345 × [DOC] - 0.27. Other soil characteristics, including the base cation concentrations (Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+)), the cation exchange capacity at soil pH (ECEC), and at pH 7 (CEC7), soil organic carbon, clay content, and electric conductivity as well as the distribution coefficient (Kd) calculated as the ratio between total soil Cu and water-extractable Cu did not correlate significantly with pEC50(Cu(2+)). Consequently, Cu toxicity, expressed as the negative log of the Cu(2+) activity, to plant growth increases at increasing pH and DOC, which needs to be considered in future management of plant growth on Cu-contaminated soils. The developed regression equation allows identification of soil types in which the phytotoxicity potential of Cu is highest.

N2-fixing tropical legume evolution: a contributor to enhanced weathering through the Cenozoic?

Science.gov (United States)

Epihov, Dimitar Z; Batterman, Sarah A; Hedin, Lars O; Leake, Jonathan R; Smith, Lisa M; Beerling, David J

2017-08-16

Fossil and phylogenetic evidence indicates legume-rich modern tropical forests replaced Late Cretaceous palm-dominated tropical forests across four continents during the early Cenozoic (58-42 Ma). Tropical legume trees can transform ecosystems via their ability to fix dinitrogen (N 2 ) and higher leaf N compared with non-legumes (35-65%), but it is unclear how their evolutionary rise contributed to silicate weathering, the long-term sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Here we hypothesize that the increasing abundance of N 2 -fixing legumes in tropical forests amplified silicate weathering rates by increased input of fixed nitrogen (N) to terrestrial ecosystems via interrelated mechanisms including increasing microbial respiration and soil acidification, and stimulating forest net primary productivity. We suggest the high CO 2 early Cenozoic atmosphere further amplified legume weathering. Evolution of legumes with high weathering rates was probably driven by their high demand for phosphorus and micronutrients required for N 2 -fixation and nodule formation. © 2017 The Author(s).

Improving soil fertility through Azolla application in low land rice: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Purushottam Subedi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The continuous usages of chemical fertilizers have harmful effects on soil organic matter reserves, soil health and environmental safety. The use of Bio-fertilizers like Azolla not only increases the rice productivity but also improves the long term soil fertility. Azolla is a fast growing aquatic pteridophyte which fixes atmospheric Nitrogen by forming a symbiotic association with the Blue-Green Algae, Anabaena azollae. Azolla is an efficient Nitrogen fixer. It is grown in lowland rice fields because flooded habitat is suitable for it. Under favorable field condition, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen at a rate exceeding that of the Legume-Rhizobium symbiotic relationship. It increases the rice yield equivalent to that produced by 30-60 kg N/ha. As green manure in water logged soil, it enhances the rapid mineralization of nitrogen. It reduces the NH3 volatilization losses through its influence on floodwater pH that leads to the conservation of urea-N in the system to improve the efficiency of N fertilizers. It significantly improves the physical and chemical properties of the soil including improvement in soil microbial activities. It helps in addition of Organic Matter and release of cations such as Magnesium, Calcium and Sodium. The total N, available P and exchangeable K in the soil and N-uptake by rice can be improved. Therefore, Azolla application is considered as a good practice for sustaining soil fertility and crop productivity irrespective of some limitations.

Solidago canadensis invasion affects soil N-fixing bacterial communities in heterogeneous landscapes in urban ecosystems in East China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Congyan; Jiang, Kun; Zhou, Jiawei; Wu, Bingde

2018-03-12

Soil nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities (SNB) can increase the level of available soil N via biological N-fixation to facilitate successful invasion of several invasive plant species (IPS). Meanwhile, landscape heterogeneity can greatly enhance regional invasibility and increase the chances of successful invasion of IPS. Thus, it is important to understand the soil micro-ecological mechanisms driving the successful invasion of IPS in heterogeneous landscapes. This study performed cross-site comparisons, via metagenomics, to comprehensively analyze the effects of Solidago canadensis invasion on SNB in heterogeneous landscapes in urban ecosystems. Rhizospheric soil samples of S. canadensis were obtained from nine urban ecosystems [Three replicate quadrats (including uninvaded sites and invaded sites) for each type of urban ecosystem]. S. canadensis invasion did not significantly affect soil physicochemical properties, the taxonomic diversity of plant communities, or the diversity and richness of SNB. However, some SNB taxa (i.e., f_Micromonosporaceae, f_Oscillatoriaceae, and f_Bacillaceae) changed significantly with S. canadensis invasion. Thus, S. canadensis invasion may alter the community structure, rather than the diversity and richness of SNB, to facilitate its invasion process. Of the nine urban ecosystems, the diversity and richness of SNB was highest in farmland wasteland. Accordingly, the community invasibility of farmland wasteland may be higher than that of the other types of urban ecosystem. In brief, landscape heterogeneity, rather than S. canadensis invasion, was the strongest controlling factor for the diversity and richness of SNB. One possible reason may be the differences in soil electrical conductivity and the taxonomic diversity of plant communities in the nine urban ecosystems, which can cause notable shifts in the diversity and richness of SNB. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of soil pH on the sorption of ionizable chemicals: modeling advances.

Science.gov (United States)

Franco, Antonio; Fu, Wenjing; Trapp, Stefan

2009-03-01

The soil-water distribution coefficient of ionizable chemicals (K(d)) depends on the soil acidity, mainly because the pH governs speciation. Using pH-specific K(d) values normalized to organic carbon (K(OC)) from the literature, a method was developed to estimate the K(OC) of monovalent organic acids and bases. The regression considers pH-dependent speciation and species-specific partition coefficients, calculated from the dissociation constant (pK(a)) and the octanol-water partition coefficient of the neutral molecule (log P(n)). Probably because of the lower pH near the organic colloid-water interface, the optimal pH to model dissociation was lower than the bulk soil pH. The knowledge of the soil pH allows calculation of the fractions of neutral and ionic molecules in the system, thus improving the existing regression for acids. The same approach was not successful with bases, for which the impact of pH on the total sorption is contrasting. In fact, the shortcomings of the model assumptions affect the predictive power for acids and for bases differently. We evaluated accuracy and limitations of the regressions for their use in the environmental fate assessment of ionizable chemicals.

The potential of beech seedlings to adapt to low P availability in soil - plant versus microbial effects on P mobilising potential in the rhizosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Meller, Sonia; Frey, Beat; Frossard, Emmanuel; Spohn, Marie; Schack-Kirchner, Helmer; Luster, Jörg

2016-04-01

The objective of our work was to investigate to what extent tree seedlings (Fagus sylvatica) are able to adapt the process of P mobilisation in the rhizosphere according to P speciation in the soil. Such mobilisation activity can include root exudation of P mobilising compounds or stimulation of specific P mobilising soil microbes. We hypothesized that Fagus sylvatica seedlings can adapt their own activity based on their P nutritional status and genetic memory of how to react under a given nutritional situation. To test the hypothesis, we set up a cross-growth experiment with beech of different provenances growing in soil from their own provenance site and in soil differing in P availability. Experiments were performed as a greenhouse experiment, with temperature control and natural light, during one vegetation period in rhizoboxes . We used two acidic forest soils, contrasting in P availability, collected at field sites of the German research priority program "Ecosystem Nutrition". Juvenile trees were collected along with the soils at the sites and planted respectively. The occurrence of P mobilising compounds and available P in the rhizosphere and in bulk soil were measured during the active growth season of the plants. In particular, we assessed phosphatase activity, (measured with zymography and plate enzymatic assay at pH 4,6.5, and 11) carboxylates and phosphate (measured by application of ion exchange membranes to specific soil micro zones, and by microdialysis), and pH (mapping with optodes). Plant P nutrition status was assessed by total P, N/P, phosphatase activity, and metabolic (TCA extractable) P in the leaves. The P-nutritional status of the beech provenances differed markedly independent from the P status of the soil where they were actually grown during experiment. In particular, the juvenile trees from the site rich in mineral P were sufficient in P, while those from the P-poor site with mostly organic P, were deficient. Enzymatic activity at the

pH is the primary determinant of the bacterial community structure in agricultural soils impacted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yucheng; Zeng, Jun; Zhu, Qinghe; Zhang, Zhenfa; Lin, Xiangui

2017-01-01

Acidification and pollution are two major threats to agricultural ecosystems; however, microbial community responses to co-existed soil acidification and pollution remain less explored. In this study, arable soils of broad pH (4.26–8.43) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) gradients (0.18–20.68 mg kg−1) were collected from vegetable farmlands. Bacterial community characteristics including abundance, diversity and composition were revealed by quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies significantly correlated with soil carbon and nitrogen contents, suggesting the control of nutrients accessibility on bacterial abundance. The bacterial diversity was strongly related to soil pH, with higher diversity in neutral samples and lower in acidic samples. Soil pH was also identified by an ordination analysis as important factor shaping bacterial community composition. The relative abundances of some dominant phyla varied along the pH gradient, and the enrichment of a few phylotypes suggested their adaptation to low pH condition. In contrast, at the current pollution level, PAH showed marginal effects on soil bacterial community. Overall, these findings suggest pH was the primary determinant of bacterial community in these arable soils, indicative of a more substantial influence of acidification than PAH pollution on bacteria driven ecological processes. PMID:28051171

Effect of pH on boron adsorption in some soils of Paraná, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio Steiner

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Temporary B deficiency can be triggered by liming of acid soils because of increased B adsorption at higher soil pH. Plants respond directly to the activity of B in soil solution and only indirectly to B adsorbed on soil constituents. Because the range between deficient and toxic B concentration is relatively narrow, this poses difficulty in maintaining appropriate B levels in soil solution. Thus, knowledge of the chemical behavior of B in the soil is particularly important. The present study investigated the effect of soil pH on B adsorption in four soils of Paraná State, and to correlate these values with the physical and chemical properties of the soils. Surface samples were taken from a Rhodic Hapludox, Arenic Hapludalf, Arenic Hapludult, and one Typic Usthorthent. To evaluate the effect of pH on B adsorption, subsamples soil received the application of increasing rates of calcium carbonate. Boron adsorption was accomplished by shaking 2.0 g soil, for 24 h, with 20 mL of 0.01 mol L¹ NaCl solution containing different concentrations (0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, 2.0, and 4.0 mg B L-1. Sorption was fitted to non-linear form of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Boron adsorption increased as concentration increased. Boron adsorption was dependent on soil pH, increasing as a function of pH in the range between 4.6 and 7.4, although the bonding energy has decreased. Maximum adsorption capacity (MAC of B was observed in the Arenic Hapludalf (49.8 mg B kg-1 soil followed by Arenic Hapludult (22.5 mg kg-1, Rhodic Hapludox (17.4 mg kg-1, and Typic Usthorthent (7.0 mg kg-1. The organic matter content, clay content, and aluminum oxide content (Al2O3 were the soils properties that affecting the B adsorption on Paraná soils.

GlobalSoilMap France: High-resolution spatial modelling the soils of France up to two meter depth.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulder, V L; Lacoste, M; Richer-de-Forges, A C; Arrouays, D

2016-12-15

This work presents the first GlobalSoilMap (GSM) products for France. We developed an automatic procedure for mapping the primary soil properties (clay, silt, sand, coarse elements, pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil depth). The procedure employed a data-mining technique and a straightforward method for estimating the 90% confidence intervals (CIs). The most accurate models were obtained for pH, sand and silt. Next, CEC, clay and SOC were found reasonably accurate predicted. Coarse elements and soil depth were the least accurate of all models. Overall, all models were considered robust; important indicators for this were 1) the small difference in model diagnostics between the calibration and cross-validation set, 2) the unbiased mean predictions, 3) the smaller spatial structure of the prediction residuals in comparison to the observations and 4) the similar performance compared to other developed GlobalSoilMap products. Nevertheless, the confidence intervals (CIs) were rather wide for all soil properties. The median predictions became less reliable with increasing depth, as indicated by the increase of CIs with depth. In addition, model accuracy and the corresponding CIs varied depending on the soil variable of interest, soil depth and geographic location. These findings indicated that the CIs are as informative as the model diagnostics. In conclusion, the presented method resulted in reasonably accurate predictions for the majority of the soil properties. End users can employ the products for different purposes, as was demonstrated with some practical examples. The mapping routine is flexible for cloud-computing and provides ample opportunity to be further developed when desired by its users. This allows regional and international GSM partners with fewer resources to develop their own products or, otherwise, to improve the current routine and work together towards a robust high-resolution digital soil map of the world

Changes in soil solution Zn and pH and uptake of Zn by arbuscular mycorrhizal red clover in Zn-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X; Christie, P

2001-01-01

Red clover plants inoculated with Glomus mosseae were grown in a sterile pasture soil containing 50 mg Zn kg(-1) in 'Plexiglas' (acrylic) containers with nylon net partitions (30 microm mesh) designed to separate the soil into a central root zone and two outer zones for hyphal growth with no root penetration. Two porous plastic soil moisture samplers were installed in each pot, one in the root compartment and the other in one of the hyphal compartments. The soil in the outer compartments was amended with one of the four application rates of Zn (as ZnSO4) ranging from 0 to 1000 mg kg(-1). Non-mycorrhizal controls were included, and there were five replicates of each treatment in a randomised block in a glasshouse. Uninoculated plants received supplementary P to avoid yield limitation due to low soil P status. Plants grew in the central compartment for nine weeks. Soil moisture samples were collected 4, 24 and 62 days after sowing to monitor changes in the Zn concentration and pH of the soil solution. At harvest, the mean mycorrhizal infection rate of inoculated plants ranged from 29% to 34% of total root length and was little affected by Zn application. Root and shoot yields were not affected by mycorrhizal infection. Plant Zn concentration and uptake were lower in mycorrhizal plants than non-mycorrhizal controls, and this effect was more pronounced with increasing Zn application rate to the soil. Soil solution Zn concentrations were lower and pH values were higher in mycorrhizal treatments than non-mycorrhizal controls and the mycorrhiza effect was more pronounced at higher Zn application rates. The protective effect of mycorrhiza against plant Zn uptake may have been associated with changes in Zn solubility mediated by changes in the soil solution pH, or by immobilisation of Zn in the extraradical mycelium.

Long-term skeletal effects of high-pull headgear followed by fixed appliances for the treatment of Class II malocclusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilbo, E Erin; Marshall, Steven D; Southard, Karin A; Allareddy, Verrasathpurush; Holton, Nathan; Thames, Allyn M; Otsby, Marlene S; Southard, Thomas E

2018-04-18

The long-term skeletal effects of Class II treatment in growing individuals using high-pull facebow headgear and fixed edgewise appliances have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term skeletal effects of treatment using high-pull headgear followed by fixed orthodontic appliances compared to an untreated control group. Changes in anteroposterior and vertical cephalometric measurements of 42 Class II subjects (n = 21, mean age = 10.7 years) before treatment, after headgear correction to Class I molar relationship, after treatment with fixed appliances, and after long-term retention (mean 4.1 years), were compared to similar changes in a matched control group (n = 21, mean age = 10.9 years) by multivariable linear regression models. Compared to control, the study group displayed significant long-term horizontal restriction of A-point (SNA = -1.925°, P appliances resulted in correction to Class I molar through restriction of horizontal maxillary growth with continued horizontal mandibular growth and vertical skeletal changes unaffected. The anteroposterior molar correction and skeletal effects of this treatment were stable long term.

Metagenomic analysis revealed highly diverse microbial arsenic metabolism genes in paddy soils with low-arsenic contents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Ke-Qing; Li, Li-Guan; Ma, Li-Ping; Zhang, Si-Yu; Bao, Peng; Zhang, Tong; Zhu, Yong-Guan

2016-01-01

Microbe-mediated arsenic (As) metabolism plays a critical role in global As cycle, and As metabolism involves different types of genes encoding proteins facilitating its biotransformation and transportation processes. Here, we used metagenomic analysis based on high-throughput sequencing and constructed As metabolism protein databases to analyze As metabolism genes in five paddy soils with low-As contents. The results showed that highly diverse As metabolism genes were present in these paddy soils, with varied abundances and distribution for different types and subtypes of these genes. Arsenate reduction genes (ars) dominated in all soil samples, and significant correlation existed between the abundance of arr (arsenate respiration), aio (arsenite oxidation), and arsM (arsenite methylation) genes, indicating the co-existence and close-relation of different As resistance systems of microbes in wetland environments similar to these paddy soils after long-term evolution. Among all soil parameters, pH was an important factor controlling the distribution of As metabolism gene in five paddy soils (p = 0.018). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using high-throughput sequencing and metagenomics approach in characterizing As metabolism genes in the five paddy soil, showing their great potential in As biotransformation, and therefore in mitigating arsenic risk to humans. - Highlights: • Use metagenomics to analyze As metabolism genes in paddy soils with low-As content. • These genes were ubiquitous, abundant, and associated with diverse microbes. • pH as an important factor controlling their distribution in paddy soil. • Imply combinational effect of evolution and selection on As metabolism genes. - Metagenomics was used to analyze As metabolism genes in paddy soils with low-As contents. These genes were ubiquitous, abundant, and associated with diverse microbes.

Effect of Mobile Phone Usage on Nickel Ions Release and pH of Saliva in Patients Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanjannawar, Lalita Girish; Girme, Tejashree Suresh; Agrawal, Jiwanasha Manish; Agrawal, Manish Suresh; Fulari, Sangamesh Gurunath; Shetti, Shraddha Subhash; Kagi, Vishwal Ajith

2017-09-01

Hand held mobile phones are presently the most popular means of communication worldwide and have transformed our lives in many aspects. The widespread use of such devices have resulted in growing concerns regarding harmful effects of radiations emitted by them. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of mobile phone usage on nickel ion release as well as pH of saliva in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. To assess the level of nickel ions in saliva and pH of saliva in mobile phone users undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. A total of 42 healthy patients with fixed orthodontic appliance in mouth for a duration of six to nine months were selected for the study. They were divided into experimental group (n=21) consisting of mobile phone users and control group (n=21) of non mobile phone users. Saliva samples were collected from both the groups and nickel ion levels were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy. The pH values were also assessed for both groups using pH meter. Unpaired t-test was used for the data analysis. Statistical analysis revealed that though the pH levels were reduced and the nickel ion levels were higher in the experimental group compared to the control group, the results were non significant. Mobile phone usage may affect the pH of saliva and result in increased release of nickel ions in saliva of patients with fixed orthodontic appliances in the oral cavity.

Biochar alters microbial community and carbon sequestration potential across different soil pH.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Yaqi; Zhu, Lizhong

2018-05-01

Biochar application to soil has been proposed for soil carbon sequestration and global warming mitigation. While recent studies have demonstrated that soil pH was a main factor affecting soil microbial community and stability of biochar, little information is available for the microbiome across different soil pH and the subsequently CO 2 emission. To investigate soil microbial response and CO 2 emission of biochar across different pH levels, comparative incubation studies on CO 2 emission, degradation of biochar, and microbial communities in a ferralsol (pH5.19) and a phaeozems (pH7.81) with 4 biochar addition rates (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 5.0%) were conducted. Biochar induced higher CO 2 emission in acidic ferralsol, largely due to the higher biochar degradation, while the more drastic negative priming effect (PE) of SOC resulted in decreased total CO 2 emission in alkaline phaeozems. The higher bacteria diversity, especially the enrichment of copiotrophic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and decrease of oligotrophic bacteria such as Acidobacteria, were responsible for the increased CO 2 emission and initial positive PE of SOC in ferralsol, whereas biochar did not change the relative abundances of most bacteria at phylum level in phaeozems. The relative abundances of other bacterial taxa (i.e. Actinobacteria, Anaerolineae) known to degrade aromatic compounds were also elevated in both soils. Soil pH was considered to be the dominant factor to affect CO 2 emission by increasing the bioavailability of organic carbon and abundance of copiotrophic bacteria after biochar addition in ferralsol. However, the decreased bioavailability of SOC via adsorption of biochar resulted in higher abundance of oligotrophic bacteria in phaeozems, leading to the decrease in CO 2 emission. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Identification of soil P fractions that are associated with P loss from surface runoff under various cropping systems and fertilizer rates on sloped farmland.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xinghua; Wang, Baona; Yang, Tewu; Zhu, Duanwei; Nie, Zhongnan; Xu, Junchi

2017-01-01

Soil phosphorus (P) fractions and runoff P concentration were measured to understand the fate of soil P entering surface runoff water during summer cropping season of different double cropping systems under two fertilizer regimes. The dominant form of runoff P was particulate P (PP). Runoff total P (TP) was higher at the vegetative growth stage and lower at the crop reproductive stage. TP and PP were derived mainly from soil Olsen-P, Al-P and Fe-P and amounts increased with sediment content in runoff water. Runoff P discharge was closely related to the changes in soil P forms. Soil Olsen-P, mainly consisting of some Ca2-P and Al-P, was increased by elevating fertilizer rate. Along with crop growth, there were active interconversions among Olsen-P, Org-P, Fe-P and O-Al-P in the soil, and some available P converted into Ca10-P, with O-Fe-P possibly being a transitional form for this conversion. The oilseed rape/corn system had less runoff TP at the early stage, and wheat/sweet potato system had a lower runoff P at the late stage. Intercropping corn with sweet potato in the field with oilseed rape as a previous crop may be helpful for alleviating runoff P load during the summer in this region.

Identification of soil P fractions that are associated with P loss from surface runoff under various cropping systems and fertilizer rates on sloped farmland.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinghua Li

Full Text Available Soil phosphorus (P fractions and runoff P concentration were measured to understand the fate of soil P entering surface runoff water during summer cropping season of different double cropping systems under two fertilizer regimes. The dominant form of runoff P was particulate P (PP. Runoff total P (TP was higher at the vegetative growth stage and lower at the crop reproductive stage. TP and PP were derived mainly from soil Olsen-P, Al-P and Fe-P and amounts increased with sediment content in runoff water. Runoff P discharge was closely related to the changes in soil P forms. Soil Olsen-P, mainly consisting of some Ca2-P and Al-P, was increased by elevating fertilizer rate. Along with crop growth, there were active interconversions among Olsen-P, Org-P, Fe-P and O-Al-P in the soil, and some available P converted into Ca10-P, with O-Fe-P possibly being a transitional form for this conversion. The oilseed rape/corn system had less runoff TP at the early stage, and wheat/sweet potato system had a lower runoff P at the late stage. Intercropping corn with sweet potato in the field with oilseed rape as a previous crop may be helpful for alleviating runoff P load during the summer in this region.

Enzyme Sorption onto Soil and Biocarbon Amendments Alters Catalytic Capacity and Depends on the Specific Protein and pH

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, E.; Fogle, E. J.; Cotrufo, M. F.

2017-12-01

Enzymes catalyze biogeochemical reactions in soils and play a key role in nutrient cycling in agricultural systems. Often, to increase soil nutrients, agricultural managers add organic amendments and have recently experimented with charcoal-like biocarbon products. These amendments can enhance soil water and nutrient holding capacity through increasing porosity. However, the large surface area of the biocarbon has the potential to sorb nutrients and other organic molecules. Does the biocarbon decrease nutrient cycling through sorption of enzymes? In a laboratory setting, we compared the interaction of two purified enzymes β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase with a sandy clay loam and two biocarbons. We quantified the sorbed enzymes at three different pHs using a Bradford protein assay and then measured the activity of the sorbed enzyme via high-throughput fluorometric analysis. Both sorption and activity depended upon the solid phase, pH, and specific enzyme. Overall the high surface area biocarbon impacted the catalytic capacity of the enzymes more than the loam soil, which may have implications for soil nutrient management with these organic amendments.

Degradation studies of quizalofop-p and related compounds in soils using liquid chromatography coupled to low and high resolution mass analyzers.

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López-Ruiz, Rosalía; Romero-González, Roberto; Martínez Vidal, José Luis; Fernández-Pérez, Manuel; Garrido Frenich, Antonia

2017-12-31

A comprehensive degradation study of quizalofop-p, quizalofop-p-ethyl, quizalofop-p-tefuryl and propaquizafop in soil samples have been firstly performed using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS). Thus, metabolites or degradation products, such as CHHQ (dihydroxychloroquinoxalin), CHQ (6-chloroquinoxalin-2-ol), PPA ((R)-2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic acid) and 2,3-dihydroxyquinoxaline were also monitored. An extraction procedure based on QuEChERS procedure was used. Acidified water (0.1M hydrochloric acid) and acidified acetonitrile (1% acetic acid, (v/v)) were used as extraction solvents, and magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride were used as salts. Dispersive solid phase extraction with C 18 as sorbent, was needed as a clean-up step. Several commercial products (Panarex®, Master-D® and Dixon®) were used to evaluate the degradation of the target compounds into their metabolites. The concentration of the main active substances (quizalofop-p-tefuryl, quizalofop-p-ethyl and propaquizafop) decreased during the degradation studies, whereas the concentration of quizalofop-p increased. Dissipation rates of half-live of quizalofop-p were also evaluated, and it was observed that this compound is easily degraded, obtaining values lower than 1day. Taking into account that quizalofop-p is the R enantiomer of quizalofop, a chiral separation was performed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, concluding that in samples containing quizalofop-p-tefuryl, there was a 15% contribution from the S enantiomer and a 85% contribution from the R enantiomer. Metabolites such as PPA, CHHQ and CHQ were detected in soil samples after 15days of application commercial product at concentrations between the limits of detection (LOD) and the limits of quantification (LOQ). CHQ and CHHQ were detected at concentrations higher than the LOQ in samples after 50 and 80days of application, with their

Soil microbial community structure and diversity are largely influenced by soil pH and nutrient quality in 78-year-old tree plantations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoqi; Guo, Zhiying; Chen, Chengrong; Jia, Zhongjun

2017-04-01

Forest plantations have been recognised as a key strategy management tool for stocking carbon (C) in soils, thereby contributing to climate warming mitigation. However, long-term ecological consequences of anthropogenic forest plantations on the community structure and diversity of soil microorganisms and the underlying mechanisms in determining these patterns are poorly understood. In this study, we selected 78-year-old tree plantations that included three coniferous tree species (i.e. slash pine, hoop pine and kauri pine) and a eucalypt species in subtropical Australia. We investigated the patterns of community structure, and the diversity of soil bacteria and eukaryotes by using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. We also measured the potential methane oxidation capacity under different tree species. The results showed that slash pine and Eucalyptus significantly increased the dominant taxa of bacterial Acidobacteria and the dominant taxa of eukaryotic Ascomycota, and formed clusters of soil bacterial and eukaryotic communities, which were clearly different from the clusters under hoop pine and kauri pine. Soil pH and nutrient quality indicators such as C : nitrogen (N) and extractable organic C : extractable organic N were key factors in determining the patterns of soil bacterial and eukaryotic communities between the different tree species treatments. Slash pine and Eucalyptus had significantly lower soil bacterial and eukaryotic operational taxonomical unit numbers and lower diversity indices than kauri pine and hoop pine. A key factor limitation hypothesis was introduced, which gives a reasonable explanation for lower diversity indices under slash pine and Eucalyptus. In addition, slash pine and Eucalyptus had a higher soil methane oxidation capacity than the other tree species. These results suggest that significant changes in soil microbial communities may occur in response to chronic disturbance by tree plantations, and highlight

Sampling for Soil Carbon Stock Assessment in Rocky Agricultural Soils

Science.gov (United States)

Beem-Miller, Jeffrey P.; Kong, Angela Y. Y.; Ogle, Stephen; Wolfe, David

2016-01-01

Coring methods commonly employed in soil organic C (SOC) stock assessment may not accurately capture soil rock fragment (RF) content or soil bulk density (rho (sub b)) in rocky agricultural soils, potentially biasing SOC stock estimates. Quantitative pits are considered less biased than coring methods but are invasive and often cost-prohibitive. We compared fixed-depth and mass-based estimates of SOC stocks (0.3-meters depth) for hammer, hydraulic push, and rotary coring methods relative to quantitative pits at four agricultural sites ranging in RF content from less than 0.01 to 0.24 cubic meters per cubic meter. Sampling costs were also compared. Coring methods significantly underestimated RF content at all rocky sites, but significant differences (p is less than 0.05) in SOC stocks between pits and corers were only found with the hammer method using the fixed-depth approach at the less than 0.01 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site (pit, 5.80 kilograms C per square meter; hammer, 4.74 kilograms C per square meter) and at the 0.14 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site (pit, 8.81 kilograms C per square meter; hammer, 6.71 kilograms C per square meter). The hammer corer also underestimated rho (sub b) at all sites as did the hydraulic push corer at the 0.21 cubic meters per cubic meter RF site. No significant differences in mass-based SOC stock estimates were observed between pits and corers. Our results indicate that (i) calculating SOC stocks on a mass basis can overcome biases in RF and rho (sub b) estimates introduced by sampling equipment and (ii) a quantitative pit is the optimal sampling method for establishing reference soil masses, followed by rotary and then hydraulic push corers.

Applications of isotope techniques for the assessment of soil phosphorus status and evaluation of rock phosphates as phosphorus sources for plants in subtropical China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong, L.M.; Zhou, Z.G.; Feng, G.L.; Lu, R.K.; Fardeau, J.C.

2002-01-01

In an attempt to assess current soil phosphorus status and evaluate the effectiveness of local rock phosphates in subtropical China, nearly 40 representative soil samples from this region were collected and characterized by using 32 P isotope and chemical extraction techniques. Pot experiments, incubation studies and field trials were conducted to investigate the interaction of rock phosphates and water-soluble phosphates as well as the effects of rock phosphate on soil chemical properties in selected soils. Results indicated that these soils were generally low in available phosphorus and high in P-fixing capacity. The soil characteristics dictated that the employed isotope kinetic model was less successful in predicting plant P uptake than the chemical procedures tested. A new chemical extraction method consisting of sodium bicarbonate and ammonium fluoride was proposed to evaluate available P in these Solis. Data on available P generated with the proposed method gave the best prediction of plant uptake amongst all methods compared. In a pot experiment, the combined application of soluble P fertilizer with local rock phosphate significantly enhanced plant growth and increased P uptake. This positive interaction was attributed to the improved soil chemical properties due to the application of low-grade rock phosphates, as demonstrated in incubation studies. These results suggest that rock phosphate-based fertilizers should be good alternative fertilizers for plants in similar acidic soils in southern China. (author)

Removal of Radium-226 from Radium-Contaminated Soil using Distilled Water and Humic Acid: Effect of pH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, E.; Muhammad Samudi Yasir; Muhamat Omar

2011-01-01

Effect of washing solutions' pH removal of radium-226 from radium-contaminated soil using distilled water and humic acid extracted from Malaysian peat soil was studied by batch washing method. The study encompassed the extraction of humic acid and the washing of radium-contaminated soil using distilled water and humic acid solutions of 100 ppm, both with varying pHs in the range of 3 to 11. The radioactivity concentration of radium-226 was determined by gamma spectrometer.The removal of radium-226 was greater when humic acid solutions were used compared to distilled water at the pH range studied and both washing solutions showed greater removal of radium-226 when basic solutions were used. Nevertheless, comparable removal efficiencies were observed when neutral and highly basic humic acid solutions were used. (author)

Changes in Soil Chemical Properties and Lettuce Yield Response Following Incorporation of Biochar and Cow Dung to Highly Weathered Acidic Soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agyei Frimpong, Kwame; Amoakwah, Emmanuel; Osei, Benjamin A

2016-01-01

imposed on two highly weathered, acidic soils from the coastal savanna and tropical rainforest agroecological zones of Ghana, respectively, to elucidate their effect on yield of lettuce. The study showed that application of biochar solely or in combination with cow dung increased soil pH, total organic...... carbon, and cation exchange capacity, and temporarily increased soil respiration and microbial biomass carbon. Further, incorporation of combined application of cow dung and biochar increased lettuce yield more than sole incorporation of either amendment. The study demonstrated that corn cob biochar can...... improve soil chemical properties and lettuce yield if applied solely or in combination with cow dung....

Contribution by two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to P uptake by cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) from ³²P-labelled organic matter during mineralization in soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Joner, E.J.; Jakobsen, I.

1994-01-01

compartment by either 37 mu m or 700 mu m nylon mesh giving only hyphae or both roots and hyphae, respectively, access to the labelled soil. The recovery of P-32 from the hyphal compartment was 5.5 and 8.6 % for plants colonized with Glomus sp. and G. caledonium, respectively, but only 0.6 % for the non...... of mycorrhizas, probably due to high root densities in the labelled soil. The experiment confirms that AM fungi differ in P uptake characteristics, and that mycorrhizal hyphae can intercept some P immobilization by other microorganisms and P-sorbing clay minerals....

Pollution of soil and groundwater from infiltration of highly contaminated stormwater - a case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, P.S.; Häfliger, M.; Ochs, M.

1997-01-01

and subsurface sediments and some even exceeded guidelines fixed to preserve the fertility of soil. However, the contamination decreased rapidly with depth. None of the measured metal concentrations in simulated soil solutions exceeded defined drinking water quality standards. Surprisingly, the surface......A surface and a sub-surface infiltration system that received runoff water from trafficked roads for several decades was dug up and the contamination with heavy metals, PAH and AOX was investigated. Most measured solid phase concentrations exceeded background concentrations in nearby surface soils...... contamination due to stormwater infiltration, but highlights that well absorbable contaminants readily available in urban stormwater runoff eventually build up in surface soils and sub-surface sediments to environmentally critical concentration levels. Thus, on the one hand stormwater infiltration systems may...

Validation of predicted exponential concentration profiles of chemicals in soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollander, Anne; Baijens, Iris; Ragas, Ad; Huijbregts, Mark; Meent, Dik van de

2007-01-01

Multimedia mass balance models assume well-mixed homogeneous compartments. Particularly for soils, this does not correspond to reality, which results in potentially large uncertainties in estimates of transport fluxes from soils. A theoretically expected exponential decrease model of chemical concentrations with depth has been proposed, but hardly tested against empirical data. In this paper, we explored the correspondence between theoretically predicted soil concentration profiles and 84 field measured profiles. In most cases, chemical concentrations in soils appear to decline exponentially with depth, and values for the chemical specific soil penetration depth (d p ) are predicted within one order of magnitude. Over all, the reliability of multimedia models will improve when they account for depth-dependent soil concentrations, so we recommend to take into account the described theoretical exponential decrease model of chemical concentrations with depth in chemical fate studies. In this model the d p -values should estimated be either based on local conditions or on a fixed d p -value, which we recommend to be 10 cm for chemicals with a log K ow > 3. - Multimedia mass model predictions will improve when taking into account depth dependent soil concentrations

Standard characterization of soils employed in the FAO/IAEA phosphate project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montange, D.; Zapata, F.

2002-01-01

affecting PR dissolution and their agronomic potential in tropical acid soils; and ii) suitability of methods for routine testing of available P in these soils. The study demonstrates that pH and soil P status parameters, in particular P fixation capacity index and P concentration in aqueous extract are the main soil properties affecting PR dissolution in these tropical acid soils. Additional related characteristics are clay content, organic matter content, and % Ca saturation. In the case of high P fixing soils, it would be also useful to have information on total and extractable Fe and Al. The methods of determination of available P were only relatively compared. In order to compare the P measured by these methods (extracting solutions or isotopic method) and the P actually available to the crop, yield data of field experiments are needed, as well as the response of the crops to the P fertilization. Further studies are needed with PR application to tropical acid soils to: a) establish relationships between crop yields and soil P supply in field experiments, and ii) group soils P supply into categories based on the probability of crop response to P fertilization. (author)

Verification of High Resolution Soil Moisture and Latent Heat in Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Samaniego, L. E.; Warrach-Sagi, K.; Zink, M.; Wulfmeyer, V.

2012-12-01

Improving our understanding of soil-land-surface-atmosphere feedbacks is fundamental to make reliable predictions of water and energy fluxes on land systems influenced by anthropogenic activities. Estimating, for instance, which would be the likely consequences of changing climatic regimes on water availability and crop yield, requires of high resolution soil moisture. Modeling it at large-scales, however, is difficult and uncertain because of the interplay between state variables and fluxes and the significant parameter uncertainty of the predicting models. At larger scales, the sub-grid variability of the variables involved and the nonlinearity of the processes complicate the modeling exercise even further because parametrization schemes might be scale dependent. Two contrasting modeling paradigms (WRF/Noah-MP and mHM) were employed to quantify the effects of model and data complexity on soil moisture and latent heat over Germany. WRF/Noah-MP was forced ERA-interim on the boundaries of the rotated CORDEX-Grid (www.meteo.unican.es/wiki/cordexwrf) with a spatial resolution of 0.11o covering Europe during the period from 1989 to 2009. Land cover and soil texture were represented in WRF/Noah-MP with 1×1~km MODIS images and a single horizon, coarse resolution European-wide soil map with 16 soil texture classes, respectively. To ease comparison, the process-based hydrological model mHM was forced with daily precipitation and temperature fields generated by WRF during the same period. The spatial resolution of mHM was fixed at 4×4~km. The multiscale parameter regionalization technique (MPR, Samaniego et al. 2010) was embedded in mHM to be able to estimate effective model parameters using hyper-resolution input data (100×100~km) obtained from Corine land cover and detailed soil texture fields for various horizons comprising 72 soil texture classes for Germany, among other physiographical variables. mHM global parameters, in contrast with those of Noah-MP, were

Biological and Physicochemical Parameters Related to the Nitrogen Cycle in the Rhizospheric Soil of Native Potato (Solanum phureja) Crops of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapata, N.F; Velez, D.U

2011-01-01

Nitrogen (N) plays an important role in agricultural production. This study was designed to evaluate the presence of cultivable N cycle-associated microorganisms (nitrogen-fixing bacteria NFB, proteolytic bacteria PR, ammonifiers AMO, ammonium-oxidizing bacteria AOB, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria NOB, and denitrifiers DEN), and their relationship with physical-chemical and agronomic soil descriptors, in Solanum phureja rhizospheric soil samples, from traditional and organic crop management farms. A cluster analysis with the physical and chemical properties of soil, allowed to identify the organic matter content as an important factor that determines the outcome of that grouping. Significant differences (P<0.05) between farms were found in the abundance of this groups, but correlation analysis showed that proteolytic and nitrogen fixing bacteria were the main nitrogen associated functional groups affected by soils' physical-chemical characteristics. The amount of ammonia available is affected by the agricultural management strategy, which consequently affects the NFB abundance. Finally the results showed that PR, protease activity and soil properties related with organic matter transformation has a positive relationship with productivity, which given the high organic matter content of the Andean soils being studied, we conclude that nitrogen mineralization process has an important role in the nitrogen cycle and its bioavailability in this ecosystem.

Effects of plastic mulches and high tunnel raspberry production systems on soil physicochemical quality indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Domagała-Świątkiewicz, Iwona; Siwek, Piotr

2018-01-01

In horticulture, degradable materials are desirable alternatives to plastic films. Our aim was to study the impact of soil plastic mulching on the soil properties in the high tunnel and open field production systems of raspberry. The raised beds were mulched with a polypropylene non-woven and two degradable mulches: polypropylene with a photodegradant and non-woven polylactide. The results indicated that the system of raspberry production, as well as the type of mulching had significant impact on soil organic carbon stock, moisture content and water stable aggregate amount. Soils taken from the open field system had a lower bulk density and water stability aggregation index, but higher organic carbon and capillary water content as compared to soils collected from high tunnel conditions. In comparison with the open field system, soil salinity was also found to be higher in high tunnel, as well as with higher P, Mg, Ca, S, Na and B content. Furthermore, mulch covered soils had more organic carbon amount than the bare soils. Soil mulching also enhanced the water capacity expressed as a volume of capillary water content. In addition, mulching improved the soil structure in relation to the bare soil, in particular, in open field conditions. The impact of the compared mulches on soil quality indicators was similar.

Soil Fertility and Electrical Conductivity Affected by Organic Waste Rates and Nutrient Inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davi Lopes do Carmo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The composition of organic waste (OW and its effect on soil processes may change soil fertility and electrical conductivity (EC. The side effects of waste use in crop fertilization are poorly understood for Brazilian soils. This study examined the effect of the addition of 15 different organic wastes to Oxisols and a Neosol on pH, base saturation, EC, cation exchange capacity (CEC at pH 7, and the availability of Al, macro (P, K, Ca2+, Mg2+ and S and micronutrients (B, Fe2+, Mn2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+. Soil samples (150 g were treated with chicken, pig, horse, cattle, and quail manures, sewage sludge 1 and 2, eucalyptus sawdust, plant substrate, coconut fiber, pine bark, coffee husk, peat, limed compost, and biochar. Wastes were added considering a fixed amount of C (2 g kg-1, which resulted in waste rates ranging from 2.5 to 25.6 Mg ha-1. The soil-waste mixtures were incubated for 330 days in laboratory conditions. The waste liming or acidification values were soil-dependent. The use of some manures and compost increased the pH to levels above of those considered adequate for plant growth. The soil EC was slightly increased in the Neosol and in the medium textured Oxisol, but it was sharply changed (from 195 to 394 µS cm-1 by the addition of organic wastes in the clayey Oxisol, although the EC values were below the range considered safe for plant growth. Changes in the soil availability of P, K+, Ca2+ and Zn2+ were highly related to the inputs of these nutrients by the wastes, and other factors in soil changed due to waste use. Organic waste use simultaneously affects different soil fertility attributes; thus, in addition to the target nutrient added to the soil, the soil acidity buffering capacity and the waste liming and agronomic value must be taken into account in the waste rate definition.