Root Respiration,Photosynthesis and Grain Yield of Two Spring Wheat in Response to Soil Drying

The effects of soil water regime and wheat cultivar, differing in drought tolerance with respect to root respiration and grain yield, were investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Two spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars, a drought sensitive (Longchun 8139-2) and drought tolerant (Dingxi 24) were grown in PVC tubes (120 cm in length and 10 cm in diameter) under an automatic rain-shelter. Plants were subjected to three soil moisture regimes: (1) well-watered control (85% field water capacity, FWC); (2) moderate drought stress (50% FWC) and (3) severe drought stress (30% FWC). The aim was to study the influence of root respiration on grain yield under soil drying conditions. In the experiment, severe drought stress significantly (p < 0.05) reduced shoot and root biomass, photosynthesis and root respiration rate for both cultivars, but the extent of the decreases was greater for Dingxi 24 compared to that for Longchun 8139-2. Compared with Dingxi 24, 0.04 and 0.07 mg glucose m⁻² s⁻¹ of additional energy, equivalent to 0.78 and 1.43 J m⁻² s⁻¹, was used for water absorption by Longchun 8139-2 under moderate and severe drought stress, respectively. Although the grain yield of both cultivars decreased with declining soil moisture, loss was greater in Longchun 8139-2 than in Dingxi 24, especially under severe drought stress. The drought tolerance cultivar (Dingxi 24), had a higher biomass and metabolic activity under severe drought stress compared to the sensitive cultivar (Longchun 8139-2), which resulted in further limitation of grain yield. Results show that root respiration, carbohydrates allocation (root:shoot ratio) and grain yield were closely related to soil water status and wheat cultivar. Reductions in root respiration and root biomass under severe soil drying can improve drought tolerant wheat growth and physiological activity during soil drying and improve grain yield, and hence should be advantageous over a drought sensitive cultivar in arid regions.     

Lipid Composition and Protein Dynamics in Thylakoids of Two Wheat Cultivars Differently Sensitive to Drought

Two wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivars with different sensitivities to drought were either grown under regular irrigation or subjected to water deficit by withholding water for 14 d. Water-stressed plants of both cultivars underwent similar decreases in leaf water potential, but the drought-tolerant cultivar showed higher relative water content and turgor. Neither osmotic nor elastic adjustment mechanisms appeared to be active under the conditions described here. Thylakoids isolated from the stressed, drought-tolerant wheat showed an increase in lipid-to-protein ratio, in comparison with the control, whereas this ratio remained unchanged in the sensitive wheat. In both cultivars, water deficit determined different rearrangements in the composition of the thylakoid individual polar lipids, but their unsaturation level remained unaffected with the exception of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol. In the drought-sensitive cultivar, an accumulation of free fatty acids together with a reduction in polar lipid amount was observed. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of spin-labeled proteins of stressed plants from the sensitive cv Adamello showed a higher spin label rotational correlation time together with lower sulphydryl group and mobile proteic portion levels, in comparison with the control. In the tolerant cv Ofanto, the first two parameters changed to a lesser extent following water depletion, and the mobile proteic portion was not altered.     

土壤干旱条件下木质部汁液成分变化及其在根冠信号传递中的作用

介绍了植物木质部汁液收集方法和干旱条件下 ,蒸腾流中碳水化合物、蛋白质、pH等的变化 ,并对这些成分变化在根冠信号传递中的可能作用进行了讨论     

冬小麦幼苗根系适应土壤干旱的生理学变化

采用盆栽试验对冬小麦幼苗根系适应土壤干旱的生理学变化进行了初步研究。结果表明，随干旱胁迫的加剧，洛麦9133和济麦21幼苗根水势、根相对含水率和根系活力均降低，饱和亏、可溶性糖含量、脯氨酸含量、质膜透性以及SOD、POD活性均呈增加趋势。这说明，在干旱胁迫下，冬小麦幼苗根系通过降低水势、相对含水率和根系活力，增加渗透调节物质可溶性糖、脯氨酸含量和增强SOD、POD活性等生理上的变化以提高抗旱性，从而使冬小麦幼苗适应干旱逆境。     

Activity and Composition of the Denitrifying Bacterial Community Respond Differently to Long-Term Fertilization

The objective of this study was to explore the long-term effects of different organic and inorganic fertilizers on activity and composition of the denitrifying and total bacterial communities in arable soil. Soil from the following six treatments was analyzed in an experimental field site established in 1956: cattle manure, sewage sludge, Ca(NO₃)₂, (NH₄)₂SO₄, and unfertilized and unfertilized bare fallow. All plots but the fallow were planted with corn. The activity was measured in terms of potential denitrification rate and basal soil respiration. The nosZ and narG genes were used as functional markers of the denitrifying community, and the composition was analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of nosZ and restriction fragment length polymorphism of narG, together with cloning and sequencing. A fingerprint of the total bacterial community was assessed by ribosomal intergenic spacer region analysis (RISA). The potential denitrification rates were higher in plots treated with organic fertilizer than in those with only mineral fertilizer. The basal soil respiration rates were positively correlated to soil carbon content, and the highest rates were found in the plots with the addition of sewage sludge. Fingerprints of the nosZ and narG genes, as well as the RISA, showed significant differences in the corresponding communities in the plots treated with (NH₄)₂SO₄ and sewage sludge, which exhibited the lowest pH. In contrast, similar patterns were observed among the other four treatments, unfertilized plots with and without crops and the plots treated with Ca(NO₃)₂ or with manure. This study shows that the addition of different fertilizers affects both the activity and the composition of the denitrifying communities in arable soil on a long-term basis. However, the treatments in which the denitrifying and bacterial community composition differed the most did not correspond to treatments with the most different activities, showing that potential activity was uncoupled to community composition.     

Does Soil Strength Play a Role in Wheat Yield Losses Caused by Soil Drying?

Shoot growth in wheat is sensitive to high soil strength, but as high strength and drying tend to occur together it has proved difficult to separate the effects of water stress and mechanical impedance. The results of two field experiments in 2003 and 2004, where soil strength was manipulated by compaction and irrigation, demonstrated that the yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was sensitive to physical stress in the root zone. We obtained linear relationships between yield and soil strength and between yield and accumulated soil moisture data (accumulation analogous to thermal time), with similar slopes for both seasons. We were unable to detect root-sourced signals of xylem-sap ABA concentration, despite changes in stomatal conductance. When mechanical impedance and matric potential were varied independently in controlled environments, the growth of wheat was sensitive to mechanical impedance, but not to small changes in matric potential. While the response of stomatal conductance to soil drying in the field could be interpreted as evidence of hydraulic signalling, we suggest that the role of high soil strength, in limiting growth rates on moderately dry soil, requires further research.     

Root to Shoot Communication in Maize Plants of the Effects of Soil Drying

Seedlings of Zea mays L. (John Innes hybrid) were grown withroots divided between two containers such that part of the rootsystem could reduce the water potential of the soil in its immediatevicinity while the rest of the root system was well suppliedwith water. When compared to plants rooted in two pots of moistsoil, drying of part of the root system resulted in partialclosure of stomata, even though leaf water potential, turgorand abscisic acid (ABA) content remained unaffected. When leafpieces were removed from the two groups of plants and incubatedunder conditions favourable for stomatal opening, stomata ofthe ‘half-watered’ plants still showed restrictedapertures. Incubation in kinetin (10 mmol m^–3) or zeatin(100 mmol m^–3) reversed the closure of stomata stimulatedby soil drying. These results suggest that a continuous supplyof cytokinin from roots may be necessary to sustain maximalstomatal opening and an interruption of this supply due to soildrying may act as an indicator of inhibited root activity, resultingin restricted stomatal opening and thereby restricted wateruse. Key words: Zea mays L., Soil drying, Stomata, Roots     

Interplay between Wheat Cultivars,Biocontrol Pseudomonads,and Soil

There is a significant potential to improve the plant-beneficial effects of root-colonizing pseudomonads by breeding wheat genotypes with a greater capacity to sustain interactions with these bacteria. However, the interaction between pseudomonads and crop plants at the cultivar level, as well as the conditions which favor the accumulation of beneficial microorganisms in the wheat rhizosphere, is largely unknown. Therefore, we characterized the three Swiss winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars Arina, Zinal, and Cimetta for their ability to accumulate naturally occurring plant-beneficial pseudomonads in the rhizosphere. Cultivar performance was measured also by the ability to select for specific genotypes of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) producers in two different soils. Cultivar-specific differences were found; however, these were strongly influenced by the soil type. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of fragments of the DAPG biosynthetic gene phlD amplified from natural Pseudomonas rhizosphere populations revealed that phlD diversity substantially varied between the two soils and that there was a cultivar-specific accumulation of certain phlD genotypes in one soil but not in the other. Furthermore, the three cultivars were tested for their ability to benefit from Pseudomonas inoculants. Interestingly, Arina, which was best protected against Pythium ultimum infection by inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens biocontrol strain CHA0, was the cultivar which profited the least from the bacterial inoculant in terms of plant growth promotion in the absence of the pathogen. Knowledge gained of the interactions between wheat cultivars, beneficial pseudomonads, and soil types allows us to optimize cultivar-soil combinations for the promotion of growth through beneficial pseudomonads. Additionally, this information can be implemented by breeders into a new and unique breeding strategy for low-input and organic conditions.Improvement of plant fitness and yield by root-colonizing microorganisms is of special value in low-input or organic wheat production. Beneficial soil bacteria, such as certain Pseudomonas strains, are known to promote plant growth, which might help to circumvent potential negative consequences of low-input cropping systems, such as the limited supply of nutrients and higher disease pressure. A wide range of traits in Pseudomonas spp. are responsible for plant-beneficial effects. Many pseudomonads are capable of solubilizing poorly soluble or insoluble mineral phosphates, thereby rendering this element available for the plant and promoting plant growth (25, 43). Root-colonizing pseudomonads are also able to indirectly promote plant growth by providing protection against plant diseases. The most important mechanisms for plant protection against attacking pathogens are the induction of systemic resistance in plants (3) and the direct suppression of soilborne pathogens through the production of antimicrobial metabolites (16). The protection of wheat plants against Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici by naturally occurring pseudomonads in take-all decline soils is a well-described phenomenon and highlights the importance of these bacteria in a successful and environmentally friendly wheat production (53). Interestingly, in many naturally disease-suppressive soils a specific group of fluorescent pseudomonads is enriched, which is able to produce the antimicrobial compound 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) (6, 38, 53). The production of the polyketide DAPG, which has broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, plants, fungi, and nematodes (8, 9, 21, 28, 33, 45), has been shown to be a key factor in the suppression of soilborne plant diseases by various Pseudomonas biocontrol strains (16).The degree of plant protection and plant growth promotion provided by root-colonizing pseudomonads is highly dependent on different environmental factors. For example, the expression of important biocontrol genes such as DAPG or HCN biosynthetic genes in the rhizosphere is modulated by biotic factors such as fungi and other bacteria present in the rhizosphere and the secondary metabolites they release (7, 19, 27, 29, 32). Moreover, it has been observed that the plant species and cultivar as well as the physiological stage of the plant can influence the expression of biocontrol genes and the production of antimicrobial metabolites (4, 7, 19, 32, 35). In addition to the production of DAPG and other antimicrobial metabolites, efficient colonization of roots is a prerequisite for beneficial plant-Pseudomonas interactions. Root colonization is dependent not only upon specific characteristics of the bacterium itself but also on root morphology and root exudates that vary between host plant species and even between cultivars of the same species (5, 34). The host species/cultivar also influences the abundance and diversity of naturally occurring pseudomonads (13). This has been shown in particular for DAPG-producing populations (4, 5, 26, 30, 36).Wheat is a crop known to benefit strongly from naturally occurring DAPG-producing pseudomonad populations (52). It has been shown that the size and composition of DAPG-producing populations in the wheat rhizosphere and also the amount of DAPG produced by these populations may vary substantially between different cultivars (4, 35). However, holistic studies which evaluate specific wheat cultivars for both their ability to benefit from plant growth-promoting pseudomonads and their influence on bacterial populations and production of biocontrol compounds are missing. A comprehensive characterization of different cultivars is needed in order to better understand which cultivars promote beneficial interactions with the pseudomonads. This knowledge has potential in future breeding strategies to be used for selection of new cultivars that optimally attract and respond to these bacteria.In order to address this gap in knowledge, this study evaluated three Swiss winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars for several characteristics considered important in a successful wheat-pseudomonas interplay: (i) the ability to accumulate pseudomonads and phlD⁺ pseudomonads in two different Swiss soils, (ii) the ability to select for individual phlD⁺ genotypes in two different soils, (iii) the ability to benefit from the two model biocontrol strains, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CHA0 (a DAPG producer) and P. putida KD (a DAPG nonproducer), in terms of direct plant growth promotion and disease suppression, and finally (iv) the level of biocontrol gene expression (DAPG-biosynthetic gene phlA) in the rhizosphere.     

Root Growth and Water Uptake by Maize Plants in Drying Soil

Sharp, R. E and Da vies, W. J. 1985. Root growth and water uptakeby maize plants in drying soil.— J. exp. Bot. 36: 1441–1456. The influence of soil drying on maize (Zea mays L.) root distributionand use of soil water was examined using plants growing in thegreenhouse in soil columns. The roots of plants which were wateredwell throughout the 18 d experimental period penetrated thesoil profile to a depth of 60 cm while the greatest percentageof total root length was between 20–40 cm. High soil waterdepletion rates corresponded with these high root densities.Withholding water greatly restricted root proliferation in theupper part of the profile, but resulted in deeper penetrationand higher soil water depletion rates at depth, compared withthe well watered columns. The deep roots of the unwatered plantsexhibited very high soil water depletion rates per unit rootlength. Key words: Maize, roots, water deficit, soil water depletion     

Goat Uterine DBA+ Leukocytes Differentiation and Cytokines Expression Respond Differently to Cloned versus Fertilized Embryos

High rate of fetal mortality in ruminant somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) pregnancies is due, at least in part, to immune-mediated abortion of fetuses. In the present study, goat uterine leukocytes were isolated by Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) coated magnetic beads, and with majority being were CD56⁺CD16^- in phenotype with low levels of perforin and Granzyme B expression. The responses of the isolated cells to SCNT and in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos conditioned mediums containing hormone steroids were compared by measuring their phenotype and cytokines expression. The results showed there was a 2-fold increase in the numbers of isolated uterine leukocytes after incubation with different conditioned mediums for 120 h. However, significantly lower percentage and absolute numbers of uterine CD56⁺CD16^- leukocytes incubated with SCNT conditioned mediums were detected as compared with those incubated with IVF conditioned mediums (P < 0.05). The group treated with progesterone (P₄) or the combination of P₄ and 17β-estradiol (E₂) were associated with significantly higher percentage and absolute numbers of CD56⁺CD16^- cells as compared with those treated with E₂ alone (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in the presence of steroids, the isolated leukocytes incubated with SCNT conditioned mediums associated with greater levels of IFN-γ secretion and expression, as well as lesser levels of VEGF, as compared with those treated with IVF conditioned mediums (P < 0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that SCNT embryos have a profound effect on the phenotype expression of goat uterine DBA⁺ leukocytes, as well as the secretion and expression of IFN-γ and VEGF by these cells in vitro.     

Soil Bacterial Communities Respond to Climate Changes in a Temperate Steppe

Climate warming and shifting precipitation regimes are affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Most studies have focused on the influence of warming and altered precipitation on macro-organisms, whereas the responses of soil microbial communities have been neglected. We studied the changes in the abundance, richness, and composition of the entire bacterial kingdom and 16 dominant bacterial phyla/classes in response to increased precipitation, warming, and their combination, by conducting a 5-year experiment in a steppe ecosystem in Inner Mongolia, China. Watering had a greater effect than warming on almost all the bacterial groups as indicated by changes in all the three attributes (abundance, richness, and composition). The 16 phyla/classes responded differentially to the experimental treatments, with Acidobacteria and Gamma-proteobacteria being the most sensitive. Stepwise regression analyses further revealed that climate changes altered the abundance and richness of bacterial groups primarily through direct routes (e.g., increasing soil water content), and changed the community composition through both direct and indirect routes (e.g., reducing soil total nitrogen content and increasing soil pH). The diverse responses of various bacterial groups could imply some potential shift in their ecosystem functions under climate changes; meanwhile, the indirect routes that are important in altering bacterial composition suggest that specific strategies (e.g., adding NH₄NO₃ to maintain soil nitrogen content and pH) could be adopted to maintain soil microbial composition under climate changes.     

Soil Bacterial Communities Respond to Mowing and Nutrient Addition in a Steppe Ecosystem

In many grassland ecosystems, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are added to improve plant productivity, and the aboveground plant biomass is mowed and stored as hay for the bullamacow. Nutrient addition and mowing affect the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and most of the previous studies have primarily focused on their effects on macro-organisms, neglecting the responses of soil microbial communities. In this study, we examined the changes in three community attributes (abundance, richness, and composition) of the entire bacterial kingdom and 16 dominant bacterial phyla/classes in response to mowing, N addition, P addition, and their combinations, by conducting a 5-year experiment in a steppe ecosystem in Inner Mongolia, China. Overall, N addition had a greater effect than mowing and P addition on most of these bacterial groups, as indicated by changes in the abundance, richness and composition in response to these treatments. N addition affected these soil bacterial groups primarily through reducing soil pH and increasing available N content. Meanwhile, the 16 bacterial phyla/classes responded differentially to these experimental treatments, with Acidobacteria, Acidimicrobidae, Deltaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria being the most sensitive. The changes in the abundance, richness, and composition of various bacterial groups could imply some potential shift in their ecosystem functions. Furthermore, the important role of decreased soil pH caused by N addition in affecting soil bacterial communities suggests the importance of restoring acidified soil to maintain soil bacterial diversity.     

Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Respond Differently to Environmental Gradients in Anoxic Sediments of a California Hypersaline Lake,the Salton Sea

Sulfidic, anoxic sediments of the moderately hypersaline Salton Sea contain gradients in salinity and carbon that potentially structure the sedimentary microbial community. We investigated the abundance, community structure, and diversity of Bacteria and Archaea along these gradients to further distinguish the ecologies of these domains outside their established physiological range. Quantitative PCR was used to enumerate 16S rRNA gene abundances of Bacteria, Archaea, and Crenarchaeota. Community structure and diversity were evaluated by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), quantitative analysis of gene (16S rRNA) frequencies of dominant microorganisms, and cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA. Archaea were numerically dominant at all depths and exhibited a lesser response to environmental gradients than that of Bacteria. The relative abundance of Crenarchaeota was low (0.4 to 22%) at all depths but increased with decreased carbon content and increased salinity. Salinity structured the bacterial community but exerted no significant control on archaeal community structure, which was weakly correlated with total carbon. Partial sequencing of archaeal 16S rRNA genes retrieved from three sediment depths revealed diverse communities of Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota, many of which were affiliated with groups previously described from marine sediments. The abundance of these groups across all depths suggests that many putative marine archaeal groups can tolerate elevated salinity (5.0 to 11.8% [wt/vol]) and persist under the anaerobic conditions present in Salton Sea sediments. The differential response of archaeal and bacterial communities to salinity and carbon patterns is consistent with the hypothesis that adaptations to energy stress and availability distinguish the ecologies of these domains.The vast majority of cultured Archaea isolates are characterized as extremophiles, which thrive under environmental extremes of temperature, pH, salinity, and oxygen availability. Unlike Bacteria, these organisms are well defined by select physiologies or catabolic activities. Cultivated halophilic archaea are obligate aerobes, and with a few exceptions (58), most 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated with this physiological group have been recovered primarily from environments with oxygen present. Thermophilic archaea, many of which utilize hydrogen-based metabolisms, have temperature requirements that preclude their survival and growth in more moderate environments. Other archaeal physiological groups include acidophiles, which thrive in acidic and mostly high-temperature environments, the obligate anaerobic methanogens, which are capable of competing with Bacteria when more energetically favorable electron acceptors are not available (i.e., sulfate), and methane-oxidizing archaea, which require methane for energy production. Recent work on several Crenarchaeota isolates points to nitrification as their primary energy metabolism, but these organisms have been detected in cold, predominantly aerobic environments, such as open ocean waters and soil (47), and in hyperthermophilic environments (24).Several archaeal groups identified using only 16S rRNA genes, for which no current isolates exist, have been detected in anaerobic sediments of the marine subsurface (6), estuaries (42), freshwater (46), and salt lakes (29). While their physiology and catabolism remain a source of speculation, the environmental distribution patterns of these mesophilic, presumably anaerobic, groups seemingly exclude the physiological and catabolic types outlined above. That is, the persistence of diverse archaeal populations in anoxic sediments at moderate temperature and salinity and at circumneutral pH with only trace levels of methane strongly suggests that alternative metabolic or physiological activities must characterize these populations.Saline lakes are ubiquitous and can be found on all continents. Although many saline lakes are labeled “extreme” environments, microbial diversity within their sediments is often equivalent to that reported for studies of freshwater and marine systems (28). Most studies of the microbial ecology within saline lakes have focused on gradients within the water column, with very few studies on patterns within the sediments. Specifically, these studies have examined how changes in water column salinity lead to shifts in microbial productivity and diversity (8). However, particle-associated microbial communities are known to differ fundamentally from water column or free-living populations (1, 18). These observed differences could be explained by the type and strength of environmental gradients that microbial communities in sediments experience, as opposed to those encountered by pelagic communities.Sediments contain strong environmental gradients, such as time (e.g., sediment age at depth), nutrient and carbon availability, and the dominant terminal electron-accepting process (TEAP) resulting from the sequential use of available oxidants by the microbial community (41). These gradients can lead to changes in the dominant microbial groups (i.e., a shift from sulfate reducers to methanogens with depth and age). Many saline lakes are highly productive and shallow and experience large fluctuations in water level due to climatic changes or to changes in inflows due to urban and agricultural activities. Changes in lake level can lead to dramatic shifts in mixing regimens, nutrient cycling, and water chemistry. Historic fluctuations in water column salinity are often recorded within the sediments in the form of evaporite deposits, which may act as additional sources of ionic loading of the water column (62). These sedimentary salinity gradients may modulate the metabolic activity of some microbial groups. For example, Oren (44) proposed bioenergetic constraints as a possible explanation for the reduced activity or absence of some microbial groups within high-salinity environments. Thus, saline lake sediments are excellent natural laboratories in which to study changes and adaptations of microbial communities due to large-scale changes in environmental gradients.The Salton Sea is a large (980 km²), eutrophic, moderately hypersaline (48 to 50 g liter⁻¹), terminal lake located 69 m below sea level in the Salton Basin, CA. Several large lakes have formed in the Salton Basin over geologic history, the most recent of which was Lake Cahuilla ca. 300 years ago (7). The current lake was unintentionally created in 1905-1907, when the Colorado River flooded the Salton Basin for a period of 16 months. Profundal sediments are highly sulfidic, and sulfate reduction is suspected to be the dominant TEAP within these sediments (54). Based on elemental analysis (51) and ¹³⁷Cs activity (37) of sediment layers, a depth of ∼22 cm marks the point when flooding of the Salton Basin occurred. Sediment above this depth represents the ca. 102 years of historical change within the Salton Sea, including a shift from a water column salinity of 35 g liter⁻¹ to the hypersaline conditions that currently exist. Sediments below this depth consist of low-carbon, gypsum-rich evaporite deposits that were present on the older dry lake bed prior to the formation of the current lake. A previous study reported several strong geochemical gradients within pore water across this relatively small depth range (62).In this work, a suite of cultivation-independent techniques and geochemical analyses was utilized to correlate shifts in abundance, community structure, and diversity of Archaea and Bacteria in Salton Sea sediments with changes in environmental gradients. Large differences in abundance and community structure patterns of Archaea and Bacteria were found along the gradients. In addition, the majority of archaeal sequences retrieved were affiliated with previously described but as yet uncultivated groups identified from various marine sedimentary environments. This indicates that these groups are able to tolerate the higher salinity and anaerobic conditions characteristic of Salton Sea sediments. Fundamental differences between the metabolic capacities and ecologies of Archaea and Bacteria are discussed to explain these patterns.     

Relative Tolerance of Selected Soybean Cultivars to Hoplolaimus columbus and Possible Effects of Soil Temperature

Eleven soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars resistant to one or more plant-parasitic nematodes, and one resistant to the Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis Muls.), were tested for susceptibility to Hoplolaimus columbus. All cultivars were parasitized, but nematode reproduction varied. ''Pickett-71'' was the most susceptible host among the cultivars tested. ''Dyer'' and three ''P.I. cultivars'' were most tolerant when yield /plant and total yield were compared for fumigated and unfumigated plots, even though their yield potential was low. ''Hardee,'' ''Coker 4504,'' ''W-4,'' ''D71-9257,'' and ''ED-371'' appeared tolerant throughout the growing season and yielded well in unfumigated soil. Infection and reproduction of H. columbus in ''Forrest'' soybean roots were greater at 30 ± 1 C than at 20 or 25 ± 1 C. Plant height and root weight varied with the soil treatments.     

根部喷施FeSO_4对春小麦籽粒组分和面粉品质的影响

以4个春小麦品种为材料,在温室条件下研究了根部喷施不同量FeSO4对小麦籽粒硫含量、铁含量、蛋白质含量、淀粉组成、SDS沉淀值、面筋品质和面团流变学特性的影响.结果表明:喷施FeSO4后4个品种的硫含量、铁含量、蛋白含量、SDS沉淀值、湿面筋含量和面筋指数均显著高于对照,但各处理间干面筋含量无显著变化,且不同品种、不同品质参数达到最高值的FeSO4喷施量并不一致;2个品种的直链淀粉含量、直支比和总淀粉含量比对照显著降低,另2个品种直链淀粉含量和直支比却无显著变化;各品种的面团形成时间、稳定时间和断裂时间随着FeSO4喷施量的增加呈现出先升高后降低的趋势,并均在15 g/m2或22.5 g/m2 FeSO4喷施量水平达到最佳,但均与FeSO4喷施量无显著相关性.研究发现,根部喷施适宜浓度的FeSO4可在一定程度上改善春小麦籽粒组分和面粉品质,但改善的效果因品种和品质参数而异.     

Bacterial Chitinolytic Communities Respond to Chitin and pH Alteration in Soil

Chitin amendment is a promising soil management strategy that may enhance the suppressiveness of soil toward plant pathogens. However, we understand very little of the effects of added chitin, including the putative successions that take place in the degradative process. We performed an experiment in moderately acid soil in which the level of chitin, next to the pH, was altered. Examination of chitinase activities revealed fast responses to the added crude chitin, with peaks of enzymatic activity occurring on day 7. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based analyses of 16S rRNA and chiA genes showed structural changes of the phylogenetically and functionally based bacterial communities following chitin addition and pH alteration. Pyrosequencing analysis indicated (i) that the diversity of chiA gene types in soil is enormous and (i) that different chiA gene types are selected by the addition of chitin at different prevailing soil pH values. Interestingly, a major role of Gram-negative bacteria versus a minor one of Actinobacteria in the immediate response to the added chitin (based on 16S rRNA gene abundance and chiA gene types) was indicated. The results of this study enhance our understanding of the response of the soil bacterial communities to chitin and are of use for both the understanding of soil suppressiveness and the possible mining of soil for novel enzymes.     

Plants and Soil Microbes Respond to Recent Warming on the Antarctic Peninsula

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Bacteria and Fungi Respond Differently to Multifactorial Climate Change in a Temperate Heathland,Traced with 13C-Glycine and FACE CO2

It is vital to understand responses of soil microorganisms to predicted climate changes, as these directly control soil carbon (C) dynamics. The rate of turnover of soil organic carbon is mediated by soil microorganisms whose activity may be affected by climate change. After one year of multifactorial climate change treatments, at an undisturbed temperate heathland, soil microbial community dynamics were investigated by injection of a very small concentration (5.12 µg C g⁻¹ soil) of ¹³C-labeled glycine (¹³C₂, 99 atom %) to soils in situ. Plots were treated with elevated temperature (+1°C, T), summer drought (D) and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (510 ppm [CO2]), as well as combined treatments (TD, TCO2, DCO2 and TDCO2). The ¹³C enrichment of respired CO₂ and of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) was determined after 24 h. ¹³C-glycine incorporation into the biomarker PLFAs for specific microbial groups (Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria, actinobacteria and fungi) was quantified using gas chromatography-combustion-stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS).Gram positive bacteria opportunistically utilized the freshly added glycine substrate, i.e. incorporated ¹³C in all treatments, whereas fungi had minor or no glycine derived ¹³C-enrichment, hence slowly reacting to a new substrate. The effects of elevated CO₂ did suggest increased direct incorporation of glycine in microbial biomass, in particular in G⁺ bacteria, in an ecosystem subjected to elevated CO₂. Warming decreased the concentration of PLFAs in general. The FACE CO₂ was ¹³C-depleted (δ¹³C = 12.2‰) compared to ambient (δ¹³C = ∼−8‰), and this enabled observation of the integrated longer term responses of soil microorganisms to the FACE over one year. All together, the bacterial (and not fungal) utilization of glycine indicates substrate preference and resource partitioning in the microbial community, and therefore suggests a diversified response pattern to future changes in substrate availability and climatic factors.