The influence of mineral fertilizer combined with a nitrification inhibitor on microbial populations and activities in calcareous Uzbekistanian soil under cotton cultivation

Application of fertilizers combined with nitrification inhibitors affects soil microbial biomass and activity. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of fertilizer application combined with the nitrification inhibitor potassium oxalate (PO) on soil microbial population and activities in nitrogen-poor soil under cotton cultivation in Uzbekistan. Fertilizer treatments were N as urea, P as ammophos, and K as potassium chloride. The nitrification inhibitor PO was added to urea and ammophos at the rate of 2%. Three treatments--N200 P140 K60 (T1), N200 PO P140 K60 (T2), and N200 P140 PO K60 (T3) mg kg(-1) soil--were applied for this study. The control (C) was without fertilizer and PO. The populations of oligotrophic bacteria, ammonifying bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, mineral assimilating bacteria, oligonitrophilic bacteria, and bacteria group Azotobacter were determined by the most probable number method. The treatments T2 and T3 increased the number of oligonitrophilic bacteria and utilization mineral forms of nitrogen on the background of reducing number of ammonifying bacteria. T2 and T3 also decreased the number of nitrifying bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, and net nitrification. In conclusion, our experiments showed that PO combined with mineral fertilizer is one of the most promising compounds for inhibiting nitrification rate, which was reflected in the increased availability and efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen to the cotton plants. PO combined with mineral fertilizer has no negative effects on nitrogen-fixing bacteria Azotobacter and oligo-nitrophilic bacteria.     

Simulation and experimental analysis of the influence of herbicides on soil nitrification

The effect of 35 herbicides on the nitrification process was tested both by experiment, and by simulation of possible mechanisms of inhibition in a mathematical model. The model consists of nine equations with six coordinated constant and seven measurable parameters (or initial values), depending on the specific soil. The only free parameters are the initial values of the oxidative enzyme systems, and the parameters which determine the course of possible inhibition effects. For the majority of the herbicides, the inhibitory effects on the NH₄ ⁺ or NO₂ ^- oxidation were found negligible in the range of practical application. Hypotheses of a completely reversible or partially reversible inhibition of the oxidase systems gave the best correspondence between the model and reality, while an alteration of the growth parameters of the nitrifying populations in the model (death rate, proliferation rate, initial kill) due to the application of herbicides led to strong contrasts between simulated and experimental curves. Significant inhibitory effects became evident only when the hydrogen ion concentration in the soil fell below pH 7. Results with several herbicides indicated that the process of NO₂ ^- oxidation was more sensitive than that of NH₄ ⁺ oxidation. With a number of herbicides, an accumulation of NO₂ ^- ions was noticed during the course of soil percolation. In consideration of the buffering capacity, the model is applicable to other soils.     

Plant influence on nitrification

Modern agriculture has promoted the development of high-nitrification systems that are susceptible to major losses of nitrogen through leaching of nitrate and gaseous emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO and N2O), contributing to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer. Leakage of nitrogen from agricultural systems forces increased use of nitrogen fertilizers and causes water pollution and elevated costs of food production. Possible strategies for prevention of these processes involve various agricultural management approaches and use of synthetic inhibitors. Growing plants capable of producing nitrification suppressors could become a potentially superior method of controlling nitrification in the soil. There is a need to investigate the phenomenon of biological nitrification inhibition in arable crop species.     

Effects of organic matter on sulphur oxidation in soil and influence of sulphur oxidation on soil nitrification

Summary The effects of wheat straw and pressed sugar beet pulp on sulphur oxidation were determined in a loam soil amended with 1% (w/w) elemental sulphur. Wheat straw stimulated the oxidation of elemental sulphur over the first 2 to 3 weeks of the incubation period, resulting in an increase in LiCl-extractable sulphate. After 4 to 7 weeks incubation however, the only significant increase in soil sulphate followed the 1% straw addition, while at week 7 sulphate concentrations in the 0.25% and 5.0% straw amended soils were lower than the control. Pressed sugar beet pulp (1% w/w) initially stimulated the oxidation of elemental sulphur in the soil, but by weeks 3 to 7 of the incubation period rates of oxidation in pulp-amended soils were lower than the control. Towards the end of the incubation period however, sulphate concentrations in the amended soils exceeded the control values, significantly so by week 11. The concentration of thiosulphate and tetrathionate also increased in soils receiving sugar beet pulp. Nitrification was inhibited in soils in which sulphur oxidation was actively occurring. Although possible alternatives are mentioned, such inhibition appears to result from a decrease in soil pH brought about by the oxidation of elemental sulphur to sulphuric acid.     

The impact of crop plant cultivation and peat amendment on soil microbial activity and structure

A rapid means for restoring soil fertility could be addition of peat to the plough layer. The impact of cultivation of eight different crops (the joint impact of plant and the management tailored for each plant), with and without soil amendment by peat treatment on soil microbiological, physical and chemical properties was assessed for two consecutive growing seasons. As a measure of the functional diversity of soil microbial community we estimated the activity of several different extracellular soil enzymes using the ZymProfiler® test kit. ATP content was measured to yield information on the amount of the active microbial biomass, and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles were analysed to reveal the microbial community structure. The enzyme activity patterns of the soil samples indicated several differences due to the different crops and years but ATP content and PLFA profiles were rather stable. However, microbial biomass as total amount of PLFAs depended on the plant and peat treatment and ATP content varied between the years. The effects of the peat treatments were less clearly indicated by the biological parameters one or two years after the amendment, as only arylsulphatase and β-xylosidase activities were affected in both the years. Soil moisture, affecting enzyme activities, depended on the year and crop plant and peat addition increased it. Abbreviations: AMC – 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin; AP – aminopeptidase; ATP – adenosine triphosphate; C_mic– microbial biomass carbon; DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid; EC – electrical conductivity; FAME – fatty acid methyl ester; fw – fresh weight; MUF – 4-methylumbelliferyl; na – not added; N_mic– microbial biomass nitrogen; PDE – phosphodiesterase; PLFA – phospholipid fatty acid; PME – phosphomonoesterase; SOM – soil organic matter     

The influence of the soil structure and moisture content on the number of bacteria and the degree of nitrification

ИзгчалоAЬ одноврeмeнноe дeйствиe сBрCкСC@ы поGвKi и Aодeрeа влаBи на количe бактeрий и интeнсивноAтЬ нитрифика. ции в гумуA-карбонаBной почвe. Путeм просeиваниHя образцоCпочвы чeрeз сиBа были в044B;цeлeны слeдующиe фракции: I — агрeгaаты мeнЬшe 1 мм; II — агрeгаты размe@ами в 1—2; мм; III — аг@eгаты размeрами в 2—3 мм; IV — агтeгаBы размeрами в 3—4 мм; V — агрeгаBы размeрами в 4—5 мм. Образцы брали три @аза а год. Для опрeДeлeния количeства бактeрий полЬзовалисЬ прямым мeтодeм флуорeсцeнтной м0438;H043A;H0440;H043E;скопии по Strugger в модификации по Seifert. Пeрeд опрeдeлeниeм биогeнности образцы насыщли влагой до заранee установлeнного уровня и инкCбировали 48 час. при тeмпeратгрe 20° С Нитрификацию опрeдeлOли послe 14-днeвной ?нкгбации образFов, насKщeнных влвгой до опрeдeлeнного уровня и хранившихся в тeрмостатe пр? 20° А. Бы;ло установлeно, что количeство бактeрий зависит от содeржания влаги и 043F;очти нe зависит оB размeров агрeгатов (рис. 1). ИнтeнсивностЬ нитрификации зависит как от содeржаниO влаги, так ? оB размeров агр;eгатов. НаиболЬHая интeнсивностЬ наблюдаласЬ в слу чаe агрeгатов пe@вой фракции, т. e. при диамeтрах мeнЬHe 1 мм. С гвeличeниeм диамeтров агрeгатов интeнсивностЬ нитрификации постeпeнно поннжаласЬ (@ис. 2). Понижeниe интeнсивности нитрификации отличалосЬ опрeдeлCнной правилЬностЬю, инаосновании ee анализа мы пришли к выводу, что инBeнсивностЬ нитрификаFии прямо пропорFионадЬна вeдиGинe спeцифичeAкой повeрхносBи агрeгатов. ДоказатdдЬство зтого привeдeно на рис. З. Для протeрки того, как на интeнсивносBЬ нитрификации дeйствуeт радмeлЬчeниe агрeгатов, мы поставнди опыт, при котором апрeгаBы V фракции были размeлЬчeны до размeров I фракции. Послe измeлЬчeниO интeнсивностЬ ниBририкаFии знаGиBeлЬно повысиласЬ (рис. 4).     

The influence of range‐wide plant genetic variation on soil invertebrate communities

Plant genetic variation can have far‐reaching effects on associated communities and ecosystems. Heritable variation in ecologically relevant plant traits is often non‐randomly distributed across a species’ range and can exhibit geographic clines. In the event of range expansions and migration, previously unfamiliar genotypes may have large impacts on resident communities and ecosystems due to the introduction of novel and heritable phenotypic variation. Here we test the hypothesis that geographic origin of a focal plant genotype has effects on belowground invertebrate communities using a common garden field experiment. We sampled soil invertebrates from 103 Oenothera biennis genotypes, which were collected from across the species’ range and planted into a common garden field experiment at the northern range limit. We enumerated 24 000 individuals from 190 morphospecies and found that the diversity, abundance, and composition of soil invertebrate communities varied greatly among plant genotypes. Despite strong effects of plant genotype, we found few genetic correlations between plant traits and soil invertebrate community variables. However, herbivore damage was strongly related to variation in the soil invertebrate community. Geographic origin of plant genotypes had at most a weak effect on belowground communities. We speculate that predicting the extended effects of population movement on associated communities will require detailed knowledge of the trait variation occurring within focal species across particular environmental gradients.     

Influence of vegetable tannins on nitrification in soil

Summary A laboratory study was performed on the effects of pure preparations of vegetable tannins on the nitrification of ammonium sulphate in soil. Purified preparations of wattle and of chestnut-oak tannins used at concentrations of 0.50, 1.00, and 2.00% (w/w) showed a fairly strong inhibition on the formation of nitrate only during the first two weeks' incubation. Similar tannin preparations used at 0.125% (w/w) concentration had practically no influence on nitrification. Generally, the wattle tannin had a slightly stronger inhibitory effect than the chestnut-oak mixture.     

Effect of temperature on nitrification intensity in soil

The temperature dependence of nitrification can be expressed by the Arrhenius equation while the time course of nitrate production can be expressed by the Gomperz function. These two findings served as a basis for a mathematical model which makes it possible to calculate nitrate production in the soil even when the temperature changes once or more times during the incubation.     

The influence of soil depth on plant species response to grazing within a semi-arid savanna

Grassland patches within a semi-arid savanna were evaluated over 45-years for (1) local temporal dynamics of basal area for five dominant grass species within long-term heavily grazed and ungrazed treatments, (2) the influence of soil depth (resource availability) on vegetation dynamics, and (3) the applicability of community-level grazing response groups over fine-scale patterns of soil heterogeneity. Temporal patterns in species composition and basal area were dependent upon soil depth. In the heavy grazed treatment, Hilaria belangeri dominated deep soils while Erioneuron pilosum and Bouteloua trifida were restricted to shallow soils. In the ungrazed treatment, removal of grazing resulted in successional changes that were significantly different across soil depths. After 45 years without grazing, Eriochloa sericea was most abundant on deep soils while Bouteloua curtipendula was more abundant on intermediate and shallow soils. Community-level functional groups that are based on grazing were not appropriate when multiple pattern-driving variables were considered across multiple scales indicating that functional groups should only be applied to certain processes at specific scales. Within the ungrazed treatments, variable soil depths have resulted in a shifting mosaic in time and space where early- and late-successional species co-exist continuously but spatially separated within the community. In the heavily grazed treatment, species are somewhat spatially arranged by soil depths, but much of the inherent heterogeneity is eliminated and species composition is dominated by the three grazing-resistant short-grasses. Broad scale successional changes may appear linear and predictable while at finer scales, the same changes may be described as non-linear and dependent upon soil depth resulting in thresholds that are partially explained by weather patterns, seed bank limitations and competitive inhibitions.