Attraction of female fungus gnats,Lycoriella ingenua,to mushroom‐growing substrates and the green mold Trichoderma aggressivum

To evaluate the attractiveness of several mushroom‐growing substrates to the female mushroom fly Lycoriella ingenua (Dufour) (Diptera: Sciaridae), a pest of the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (JE Lange) Emil J Imbach (Agaricales), we developed a two‐choice, static‐flow olfactometer. Behavioral assays using this olfactometer indicated that mushroom compost with A. bisporus mycelia growing in it was not more attractive than compost lacking growing mycelia. We also found that female flies were more attracted to compost lacking A. bisporus mycelia than to the actual commodity, the white button mushroom fruiting bodies. Flies were not, however, attracted to sterilized compost, suggesting the attraction is due to volatiles produced by microbial metabolism in the compost. We also found that female L. ingenua flies were attracted to the mycoparasitic green mold Trichoderma aggressivum Samuels & W Gams (Hypocreales). Flies preferred mushroom compost that had T. aggressivum growing in it over compost lacking T. aggressivum, providing an experimental outcome consistent with the anecdotal belief that L. ingenua flies are vectors of T. aggressivum spores that can infest mushroom‐growing houses.     

Effects of spawn,supplement and phase II compost additions and time of re-casing second break compost on mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) yield and biological efficiency

Three cropping experiments (0710, 0803 and 0805) were conducted to determine the effect of adding spawn, various levels of delayed release nutrient, and phase II compost to 2nd break mushroom compost (2BkC) on mushroom yield and biological efficiency (BE). We also investigated the effect of delaying time of re-casing non-supplemented and supplemented 2BkC on mushroom yields and BEs. The addition of 14.6% spawn to nutrient-supplemented 2BkC (w.w./d.w) increased yield by 11.1% over the control (no spawn) but did not affect BE. The addition of delayed release supplements to 2BkC increased maximum yields by 29–54%, depending on the treatment. Substitution of 15% phase II compost in 2BkC (15/85) did not significantly affect mushroom yields. However, use of 15% phase II compost in 2BkC increased the response of the mixture to delayed release supplement. Yield response to increasing levels of supplement was greater in the 15/85 mixture compared to 100% 2BkC. Yields also increased as time of re-casing was delayed up to 10 days. Mushroom yields increased approximately 2.1% for each day re-casing was delayed. Overall yields were generally higher from commercial 2BkC compared to 2BkC originating from the Penn State Mushroom Research Center (MRC) probably due to nitrogen (N) content of the 2BkC. Nitrogen content in commercial 2BkC (Crop 0805) was 3% while N content in 2BkC from Crops 0710 and 0803 was 2.2% and 2.1%, respectively. By optimizing supplement levels and adding 15% phase II compost to commercial 2BkC, or by delaying casing by 5–10 days, it was possible to obtain BEs that were equivalent to supplemented phase II compost.     

菇床废料对设施栽培土壤盐害下小白菜生长的影响

通过盆栽试验,研究了菇床废料对缓解设施栽培土壤次生盐渍化及小白菜盐胁迫的影响.结果表明:盐渍化土壤添加菇床废料(0～30 g·kg-1)栽培60 d后,土壤pH趋于中性,有机质和有效磷含量显著提高,水溶性盐总量的增加幅度小于不加菇床废料的对照土壤;当菇床废料添加量为10 g·kg-1时,土壤盐分增加幅度最小,说明适量添加菇床废料可以减少设施栽培土壤的盐分积累.加入菇床废料后,小白菜的种子发芽率、株高、鲜质量、叶绿素SPAD值和维生素C含量均有所提高,脯氨酸含量显著下降,说明菇床废料能改善小白菜生长环境,有效缓解盐胁迫对小白菜的危害.     

Inactivation of Salmonella Senftenberg strain W 775 during composting of biowastes and garden wastes

AIMS: Determination of the minimum requirements (time-temperature relationship and moisture content) that are needed for a sufficient eradication of an indicator organism. METHODS AND RESULTS: To determine the hygienic safety of composting processes, the indicator organism Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica serotype Senftenberg strain W 775 (further abbreviated as W 775) was artificially inoculated on a meat carrier and monitored subsequently. Different types of composting processes, e.g. composting in enclosed facilities, in open-air and in-vessel composting, were investigated. The waste feedstocks used in this work were either biowastes (i.e. vegetable, fruit and garden wastes; also called source-separated household wastes) or pure garden wastes. Beside these large-scale trials, we also conducted some lab experiments in order to determine the impact of temperature, moisture content and the presence of an indigenous microflora on the eradication of W 775. We found the temperature to be the most important parameter to eradicate W 775 from compost. When the temperature of the compost heap is 60 degrees C and the moisture content varies between 60-65%, W 775 (10(8) CFU g(-1)) will be inactivated within 10 h of composting. The moisture content is, beside temperature, a second parameter that influences the survival of W 775. When the water content of the composting materials or meat carriers is reduced, a higher survival rate of W 775 was observed (survival rate increases 0.5 log(10) unit when there is a reduction of 5% in moisture content). In addition, other parameters (such as microbial antagonism, toxic compounds, etc.) have an influence on the survival of W 775 as well. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that all types of composting processes tested in this work were sufficient to eradicate W 775 providing that they are well managed in terms of temperature and moisture content. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To give a better view on the parameters of importance for the eradication of W 775 during composting.     

Enumeration, isolation and identification of diazotrophs from Korean wetland rice varieties grown with long-term application of N and compost and their short-term inoculation effect on rice plants

AIM: This study has been aimed (i) to isolate and identify diazotrophs from Korean rice varieties; (ii) to examine the long-term effect of N and compost on the population dynamics of diazotrophs and (iii) to realize the shot-term inoculation effect of these diazotrophs on rice seedlings. METHODS AND RESULTS: Diazotrophic and heterotrophic bacterial numbers were enumerated by most probable number method and the isolates were identified based on morphological, physiological, biochemical and 16s rDNA sequence analysis. Long-term application of fertilizer N with compost enhanced both these numbers in rice plants and its environment. Bacteria were high in numbers when malate and azelaic acids were used as carbon source, but less when sucrose was used as a carbon substrate. The combined application promoted the association of diazotrophic bacteria like Azospirillum spp., Herbaspirillum spp., Burkholderia spp., Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and Pseudomonas spp. in wetland rice plants. Detection of nifD genes from different diazotrophic isolates indicated their nitrogen fixing ability. Inoculation of a representative isolate from each group onto rice seedlings of the variety IR 36 grown in test tubes indicated the positive effect of these diazotrophs on the growth of rice seedlings though the percentage of N present in the plants did not differ much. CONCLUSIONS: Application of compost with fertilizer N promoted the diazotrophic and heterotrophic bacterial numbers and their association with wetland rice and its environment. Compost application in high N fertilized fields would avert the reduction of N(2)-fixing bacterial numbers and their association was beneficial to the growth of rice plants. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The inhibitory effect of high N fertilization on diazotrophic bacterial numbers could be reduced by the application of compost and this observation would encourage more usage of organic manure. This study has also thrown light on the wider geographic distribution of G. diazotrophicus with wetland rice in temperate region where sugarcane (from which this bacterium was first reported to be associating and thereon from other plant species) is not cultivated.     

Evaluation of PCR primers for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of fungal communities in compost

AIMS: Three previously published fungal specific PCR primer sets, referred to as the NS, EF and NL primer sets, were evaluated for use in compost microbial community analysis by PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). METHODS AND RESULTS: Primers were first evaluated based on their tolerance to PCR inhibitors. Due to its sensitivity to inhibitors, the NS primer set was determined to require a 10-fold smaller volume addition of compost DNA to PCR than the EF and NL primer sets, based on a logistic regression model for a 75% PCR success rate. Further evaluation of the EF and NL primer sets involved testing the resolution of PCR products from pure fungal cultures on DGGE. The NL primer set, which targets the more variable 28S rDNA, resulted in multiple bands for each pure culture. Thus, the EF primer set was used to monitor the microbial community during compost colonization studies, where three fungi were inoculated onto autoclaved grape pomace and rice straw compost. CONCLUSIONS: Of the three primer sets evaluated, the EF primer set was determined to be the best for PCR-DGGE of compost fungal populations; however, concerns with the EF primer set included the lack of sequence divergence in the targeted region of 18S rDNA and PCR artifacts which interfered with detection of inoculated fungi in the colonization studies. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: There are many factors related to PCR primers that need to be assessed prior to applying PCR-DGGE to fungal communities in complex environments such as compost.     

有机物料发酵流体和堆肥对苹果连作土壤环境及平邑甜茶幼苗生物量的影响

为探讨不同有机物料的发酵流体(厌氧发酵产物)和堆肥(有氧发酵产物)对苹果连作土壤环境的影响,以盆栽平邑甜茶幼苗为试验材料,分别设置猪粪+秸秆、鸡粪+秸秆、羊粪+秸秆、猪粪+鸡粪+羊粪+秸秆4个不同有机物料组合并进行厌氧发酵和有氧发酵,并将发酵产物分别施入连作土中,研究其对平邑甜茶幼苗生物量、连作土壤中微生物、土壤酶活性、土壤酚酸等的影响。结果表明:与有机物料堆肥相比,各有机物料发酵流体处理的平邑甜茶幼苗干重、鲜重较高,其中猪粪发酵流体处理显著提高了幼苗干、鲜重,7月份为对照的1.57、1.26倍,9月份为CK的1.55、1.86倍;两类发酵产物均增加了土壤微生物的数量,且发酵流体处理显著增加了土壤中细菌和放线菌的数量,其中羊粪发酵流体效果最明显,分别为CK的2.95倍和2.37倍,在堆肥处理中,真菌数量显著增高;两类发酵产物也影响了土壤中酚酸总量,表现为猪粪、鸡粪发酵流体和猪粪堆肥处理含量下降,至9月份分别下降到CK的0.45、0.39倍和0.36倍。     

物料预处理对堆肥减量化、腐殖化和稳定化的影响及其微生物机制

堆肥是有机固体废弃物处理与资源化的主要途径之一,包括矿化和腐殖化两个过程,且都和微生物活动有关。矿化过程会产生二氧化碳(CO2)等温室气体,是一个典型的温室气体释放过程。腐殖化过程则会产生稳定的腐殖质,则是优良的土壤改良剂。在堆肥稳定化的前提下,如何有效减少堆肥过程中的CO2释放,强化堆肥的腐殖化过程,增加作为优良土壤改良剂的腐殖质产量,对于发展低碳化堆肥技术,实现堆肥的资源化利用具有重要意义。本文选取水稻秸秆和餐厨垃圾作为堆肥原料,研究不同预处理对堆肥过程中矿化和腐殖化过程的影响,并探讨了不同预处理影响矿化和腐殖化过程的微生物机理。结果表明堆料加热预处理后,堆肥的矿化作用被明显削弱,总碳(TC)减量率仅为23.4%,并且最后形成了可观产量的稳定腐殖质(每kg堆料70 d后腐殖质含量为22.09 g±0.35 g,腐殖化系数达2.0),因此加热预处理后的堆肥过程在保证稳定腐殖质的产量前提下更低碳化。预处理通过影响堆料的性质和初始状态下堆料中微生物的种类和数量从而影响堆肥的矿化和腐殖化过程。活性微生物量与脱氢酶活性是矿化过程的主要决定因素,而多酚氧化酶活性主要影响堆肥的稳定腐殖化过程。     

Molecular Detection and Pathogenicity Assay of Plasmodiophora brassicae in Chicken Manure

To determine the relationship between animal excreta and the occurrence of clubroot disease of cruciferous crops caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, chickens were fed with resting spores of the pathogen. Their faeces were collected and used to inoculate crucifers. This study proved that both fresh and composted manures could induce clubroot and the presence of the pathogen in the manure was confirmed by PCR amplification. However, composting had detrimental effects on the virulence of the resting spores in the manure. When the temperature was over 32°C, the incidence and severity of clubroot declined with the increase in the exposure time of resting spores to high temperature and the pathogenicity was completely lost when the spores were kept at 48°C for 6 h. The control measures for the clubroot disease were discussed.     

Mobility and Translocation of Heavy Metals from Mine Tailings in Three Plant Species after Amendment with Compost and Biosurfactant

An experiment was performed to determine the effects of mine tailings alone mixed with compost or with compost plus crude biosurfactant on the accumulation of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Ni) in Acacia retinodes, Nicotiana glauca, and Echinochloa polystachya. The plants were grown in soil, mine tailings, and mine tailings containing compost over a period of seven and five months for shrubs or grass, respectively. The plants Acacia retinodes and Nicotiana glauca grown in mine tailings containing compost showed increases in dry biomass (from 62 to 79%) compared with plants in only tailings. Heavy metals accumulated in the roots and leaves showed high translocation rates of Cr in N. glauca, Cd in A. retinodes, and Ni in E. polystachya. Concentrations of heavy metals in the three plants irrigated with crude biosurfactant were not significantly different from those irrigated with water. Zn and Cd fractions within mine tailings containing compost were bound to carbonate, Pb was bound to residues, and Cu was bound to Fe-oxides. Cd had the highest mobility factor followed in order by Zn, Pb, and Cu. The elevated concentrations of Pb in roots and the low translocation rate for N. glauca and A. retinodes indicate that they are suitable for phytostabilizing Pb and Zn.