A study of Chytridiales from Victorian and other Australian soils

Summary In a study of Australian soil Chytridiales, with particular emphasis on Victorian forms, there were further indications of a definite distribution pattern of these aquatic fungi related to soil conditions. A fairly prolific (in terms of number of species present) low pH micro-flora was obtained from krasnozem, podzol and rainforest soils, in contrast to a rather meagre high pH micro-flora obtained from black earth, mallee and red-brown earth soils. The ecology of the species Rhizophylyctis rosea was studied intensively using a crudely quantitative method which involved the addition of liquid nutrient amendments to the collected soil samples. The results indicated that R. rosea was very widespread but not ubiquitous in the natural soils investigated and that it was selectively favoured in soils which had received fertilizer (e.g. superphosphate) treatment.     

Carbon accumulation in soils of forest and bog ecosystems of southern Valdai in the Holocene

Carbon stocks and accumulation rates in humus and peat horizons of the contiguous soil series of forest and bog ecosystems have been studied in the Central Forest State Biosphere Reserve, Tver Region. Upland soil types (soddy podzolic, brown, and white podzolic) have been compared to paludified (peat-enriched gley podzolic and peaty gley) and bog soils differing in trophic status, including those of upland, transitional, and lowland bogs. The results show that carbon stocks in mineral soils are many times smaller than in waterlogged soils and an order of magnitude smaller than in bog soils. Mineral and bog soils are characterized by similar rates of carbon accumulation averaged over the entire period of their existence. The highest rate of carbon accumulation has been noted for the soils of waterlogged habitats, although this process may be periodically disturbed by fires and other stress influences.     

New species of yeast from soil--Candida podzolica sp. n]

A new species of Candida podzolica is described. This species is widely distributed in podzolic and soddy-podzolic soils of the forest zone and in krasnozem. The yeast belongs to the nitrate-negative species of the genus Candida Berkhout, which do not ferment sugars, and is similar to the species C. humicola and C. curvata inhabiting soil. C. podzolica has a peculiar shape of the cells and does not produce films in liquid media. Extracellular polysaccharides contain glucose, mannose, galactose, and xylose; G+C in DNA is 62 mole percent.     

Genetic diversity and biological control activity of novel species of closely related pseudomonads isolated from wheat field soils in South Australia

Rhizobacteria closely related to two recently described species of pseudomonads, Pseudomonas brassicacearum and Pseudomonas thivervalensis, were isolated from two geographically distinct wheat field soils in South Australia. Isolation was undertaken by either selective plating or immunotrapping utilizing a polyclonal antibody raised against P. brassicacearum. A subset of 42 isolates were characterized by amplified 16S ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), BIOLOG analysis, and gas chromatography-fatty acid methyl ester (GC-FAME) analysis and separated into closely related phenetic groups. More than 75% of isolates tested by ARDRA were found to have >95% similarity to either Pseudomonas corrugata or P. brassicacearum-P. thivervalensis type strains, and all isolates had >90% similarity to either type strain. BIOLOG and GC-FAME clustering showed a >70% match to ARDRA profiles. Strains representing different ARDRA groups were tested in two soil types for biological control activity against the soilborne plant pathogen Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, the causative agent of take-all of wheat and barley. Three isolates out of 11 significantly reduced take-all-induced root lesions on wheat plants grown in a red-brown earth soil. Only one strain, K208, was consistent in reducing disease symptoms in both the acidic red-brown earth and a calcareous sandy loam. Results from this study indicate that P. brassicacearum and P. thivervalensis are present in Australian soils and that a level of genetic diversity exists within these two novel species but that this diversity does not appear to be related to geographic distribution. The result of the glasshouse pot trial suggests that some isolates of these species may have potential as biological control agents for plant disease.     

Inhibition of soil urease activity by amido derivatives of phosphoric and thiophosphoric acids

Summary A laboratory experiment was conducted to study inhibition of soil urease activity by amido derivatives of phosphoric and thiophosphoric acids. Results showed that derivatives with higher amido substitutions have greater inhibitory effect on urea hydrolysis in the soils used in our study. Triamides of phosphoric and thiophosphoric acids were found to be very effective inhibitors of soil urease. These compounds seem to have potential as fertilizer amendments for inhibiting soil urease activity and for improving the efficiency of nitrogen use from urea.     

Response of soil microflora to moorland reclamation for improved agriculture

Summary Major changes in the microbial populations, estimated by the dilution plate technique, of stagnohumic gley and thin pan stagnopodzol profiles occur as a result of moorland reclamation. There is an immediate surge in bacteria as numbers increase by two orders of magnitude compared with unreclaimed soils. Bacteria dominated recently reclaimed soils and make up 97–99% of total counts more than one year after initial ploughing. Actinomycetes assume much increased importance in profiles reclaimed nearly 130 years and it is thought they adjust much more slowly to a new soil environment which leads to development of a brown earth topsoil. Evidence is presented which underlines the value of numerical estimates of microorganisms as indicators of soil ecological conditions and pathways of soil development.     

Soil biological activity and their seasonal variations in response to long-term application of organic and inorganic fertilizers

The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of long-term and continued application of fertilizers and manures on microbial biomass, soil biological activity and their seasonal variations in surface and subsurface soils in relation to soil fertility. For this, soils were sampled in spring, summer and autumn from Shenyang Long-term Experimental Station, northeastern China. The results showed that soil total nitrogen (N), organic carbon (C), basal respiration, microbial biomass and enzymatic activity increased in manure-amended surface soils, but decreased with soil depth. Long-term application of inorganic fertilizers significantly decreased soil pH value, sucrase activity and microbial biomass C, but increased soil metabolic quotient (qCO₂). However, no significant effect of inorganic fertilizers on soil total N, urease activity and microbial biomass N was observed in comparison with CK0 (neither tillage nor fertilization) and CK (no fertilizers). There was no significant difference between CK0 and CK in soil total N, organic C and microbial activity in surface soil layer (0–20 cm), but these parameters in subsurface soil layer (20–40 cm) were higher in CK than in CK0. Moreover, seasonal changes were observed in terms of soil nutrient contents, enzymatic activity, microbial biomass and soil respiration. There were significant correlations between soil microbial biomass C and N, between organic C and sucrase activity and between total N and urease activity, respectively. It is recommended that combined use of organic manure with inorganic fertilizers should be considered to maintain higher microbial biomass, soil biological activity and soil fertility. Considering considerably high nutrients reserve and microbial activity in subsurface layers of soil and wind-erosion-caused nutrient loss in spring in north China, we also propose that low tillage should be considered to make use of nutrients in soils.     

The Mechanisms and Time Factor of the Enzyme Structure of a Paleosoil

The data on the enzyme activity of paleosoils of archaeological sites are given. It is shown that the activity of phosphatases and urease in soils of ancient settlements is significantly higher than in modern soils: 1.5–2.0 times for urease and 7–15 times for phosphatase in some cultural layers of the Bronze Age. This is related to a large amount of organic material (garbage, rubbish, excrement, and urea), which entered the soil in ancient times and stimulated soil microorganisms to produce a greater amount of enzymes, whose high activity has been preserved for 4000 years. The location of the enzymes was determined by soil fumigation using chloroform and activation of extracellular enzymes by glycine. The release of intracellular enzymes as a result of fumigation caused a significant increase in phosphatase activity in modern soils and soils of ancient settlements in contrast to the virgin paleosoil of the Bronze Age. The treatment by glycine exerted a smaller effect on the activity of phosphatases, but caused a significant increase in urease activity. This may indicate the predominating extracellular localization of urease in paleosoils of ancient settlements, while phosphatase is characterized by both extra- and intracellular localization.

     

Formation of aggregates by plant roots in homogenised soils

The influence of root growth and water regime on the formation of aggregates was studied in modified minirhizotrons under controlled conditions. Two soils, a black earth (67% clay) and a red-brown earth (19% clay) were ground and forced through a 0.5 mm sieve. Ryegrass, pea and wheat were grown for fifteen wetting and drying (wd) cycles for 5 months. Another set of minirhizotrons was not planted and served as a control. Measurements of aggregate size distribution (ASD), aggregate tensile strength (ATS), aggregate stability (AS), aggregate bulk density (ABD) and organic carbon (OC) were made on single aggregates of the 2–4 mm fraction. The results showed that aggregates of the black earth which has a high clay content and shrink/swell properties had more smaller aggregates with higher ATS, AS and ABD than those from the red-brown earth. It was also found that for both soils: (1) w/d cycles and higher root length density (RLD) increased the proportions of smaller aggregates and aggregate strength; (2) differences in the ability of the plant species to influence aggregation was evident and seemed to be related to the RLD. The RLD was in the order ryegrass > wheat > pea. Mechanisms likely to be involved in processes of aggregate formation and stabilization are discussed. They include cracking of soil due to tensile stresses generated during drying of a shrinking soil; changes in pore water pressure within the soil mass caused by water uptake by plant roots generating effective stresses; and biological processes associated with plant roots and root exudates.     

模拟氮沉降增加条件下土壤团聚体对酶活性的影响

氮沉降增加改变了森林土壤生态系统物质输入,影响土壤生物及酶活性,而土壤团聚体内相对稳定的微域生境可能减弱或延缓土壤生物和酶对氮沉降增加的响应强度。以广东省东莞大岭山森林公园荷木人工林为研究对象,用模拟N沉降方法,分析了2011年12月到2012年11月一年内氮沉降增加条件下表层混合土壤和土壤团聚体内脲酶、蔗糖酶和酸性磷酸酶活性的变化及影响因素,旨在理解氮沉降增加条件下土壤团聚体对酶活性的影响。结果表明:氮沉降增加对表层混合土壤中脲酶和蔗糖酶的抑制作用不显著,而酸性磷酸酶受氮沉降显著影响,表现为低氮(50 kg N hm-2a-1)促进,高氮(300 kg N hm-2a-1)抑制的规律。表层土壤团聚体内脲酶活性随氮沉降增加而降低,N300处理显著低于对照;蔗糖酶和酸性磷酸酶活性随氮沉降增加先降低后增加,N100处理最低,分别比其他处理降低了6.46%—25.53%和42.33%—68.25%。试验区内各粒径土壤团聚体内酶活性高于混合土壤,且随团聚体粒径增加酶活性均为先增加后降低。不同粒径土壤团聚体的3种酶活性均以2—5 mm最高,但脲酶、酸性磷酸酶在各团聚体粒径间差异不显著,蔗糖酶活性2—5 mm显著高于5—8 mm。土壤酶相对活性指数和相对活性综合指数结果显示,超过85%的团聚体粒径内的相对酶活性指数大于1,而土壤酶相对活性综合指数均大于1。以上结果表明,氮沉降增加条件下土壤团聚体对其团聚体内的土壤酶活性有隔离保护作用,但其隔离保护效果与酶的种类和土壤团聚体粒径有关。     

高寒草甸土壤脲酶活性的研究

高寒草甸是青藏高原分布广、面积大的主要草场类型。我们于1984年6—10月在海北高寒草甸生态系统定位站,对四种植被类型土壤的脲酶活性进行了测定,数据列于表1。试验结果表明:(1)脲酶活性有明显的季节性动态,脲酶活性出现的高峰期均在7月和8月份,9月以后随温度的下降而逐渐降低;(2)脲酶活性也有明显的层次性差异,0—10厘米深土壤脲酶活性最高,并随土壤深度的加深而递减;(3)脲酶活性与某些氮素代谢微生物的数量有不同程度的相关性;(4)脲酶活性与某些氮素代谢微生物的生化活性也有一定的相关性;(5)脲酶活性与土壤温度具有一定的相关性;(6)脲酶活性与月降水量也相关,高寒草甸的不同植被类型土壤脲酶活性的季节性变化有所不同,并且与氮素代谢微生物的数量及活性的相关性也有差异,与土壤温度和降水量的相关程度也不一样。 关于土壤脲酶活性的研究,国外已有不少报道。在国内也有一些学者对土壤脲酶活性进行过研究。但对青藏高原高寒草甸土壤的脲酶活性的研究,目前尚未见报道,因为脲酶是氮循环的一种关键酶,与土壤肥力有关。本文对高寒草甸四种植被类型土壤的脲酶活性进行了初步的研究。     

顺德生态乐园之土壤及其合理利用建议

广东省顺德生态乐园内的土壤形成发育受气候、生物、地形地貌、母质母岩和人为干扰等５大因素的影响,其中人为活动是导致土层结构破坏和水土流失的主要原因。酸度高、肥力低、土质较好是园内土壤的一个共同特征。在各类土壤中,坡地赤红壤的面积最大,超过７０％,但坡项土层瘠薄。水稻土有较长耕作历史,并已形成了潜育层和潴育层,但土壤肥力并不高。泥炭土有较高的有机质含量,但土壤过酸,速效养分含量过低,难以直接利用。因此     

Enzymatic activity of a soil profile in the Sudan Gezira

Summary In preliminary work in the enzymatic activity of a semi-arid Gezira soil microbes were counted and urease, dehydrogenase, and Catelase activities were measured in five soil horizons from 0 to 72 inches depth. Urease and dehydrogenase activities of unamended soil from all horizons appeared to be better indicators of biological status than catalase activity. Biological activity was marked in the top soil (0–2 inches) — the zone of grass root activity — but decreased gradually to reach a low level in deeper horizons.     

藏北高寒草地土壤有机质化学组成对土壤蛋白酶和脲酶活性的影响

土壤酶作为生态系统的生物催化剂, 是土壤有机体的代谢驱动力, 在土壤物质循环和能量转化过程中起着重要作用。该研究以藏北5种不同类型高寒草地(高寒草甸、高寒草原、高寒草甸草原、高寒荒漠草原和高寒荒漠)为研究对象, 利用热裂解气质联用技术(Py-GC/MS)分析不同类型草地土壤有机质化学组成, 并建立其与土壤蛋白酶和脲酶活性之间的相互关系。结果表明, 5种高寒草地土壤(0-15 cm)的酶活性表现出一定差异性, 高寒荒漠草原土壤的脲酶活性显著高于蛋白酶活性, 而其余类型高寒草地的脲酶和蛋白酶活性之间的差异未达到显著水平; 蛋白酶活性在5种高寒草地土壤之间的差异显著, 而脲酶活性在5种草地土壤之间的差异未达到显著水平。相关分析发现, 土壤蛋白酶活性与土壤有机质烷烃、烯烃和芳香烃的相对丰度和糠醛:吡咯的值密切相关, 土壤脲酶活性与土壤有机质化学组成之间相关性未达到显著水平。综上所述, 高寒草地类型和土壤有机质化学组成是影响高寒草地土壤蛋白酶活性的重要因素, 而对土壤脲酶活性的影响均未达到显著水平, 其影响因素有待进一步深入的研究。     

长期培肥黑土脲酶活性动态变化及其影响因素

以东北典型黑土区长期(自1980年)不同培肥试验地土壤为研究对象,采用两种不同量有机肥、化肥和不施肥4个处理,对土壤脲酶在作物生长季的动态变化进行研究。结果表明,施用有机肥,生长季黑土脲酶活性明显高于施用化肥和不施肥,其生长季脲酶保护容量在160mg·kg^-1·h^-1以上,季节性变化平稳。保持土壤脲酶免遭变性、免遭分解作用显著．脲酶活性的动态变化与绝大多数土壤生物、理化特性指标的动态变化没有明显的相关性;与土壤生物、理化特性,植物N、P、K有极显著的正相关关系;与土壤含水量、籽粒粗蛋白含量呈显著正相关关系。     

Genetic Diversity and Biological Control Activity of Novel Species of Closely Related Pseudomonads Isolated from Wheat Field Soils in South Australia

Rhizobacteria closely related to two recently described species of pseudomonads, Pseudomonas brassicacearum and Pseudomonas thivervalensis, were isolated from two geographically distinct wheat field soils in South Australia. Isolation was undertaken by either selective plating or immunotrapping utilizing a polyclonal antibody raised against P. brassicacearum. A subset of 42 isolates were characterized by amplified 16S ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), BIOLOG analysis, and gas chromatography-fatty acid methyl ester (GC-FAME) analysis and separated into closely related phenetic groups. More than 75% of isolates tested by ARDRA were found to have >95% similarity to either Pseudomonas corrugata or P. brassicacearum-P. thivervalensis type strains, and all isolates had >90% similarity to either type strain. BIOLOG and GC-FAME clustering showed a >70% match to ARDRA profiles. Strains representing different ARDRA groups were tested in two soil types for biological control activity against the soilborne plant pathogen Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, the causative agent of take-all of wheat and barley. Three isolates out of 11 significantly reduced take-all-induced root lesions on wheat plants grown in a red-brown earth soil. Only one strain, K208, was consistent in reducing disease symptoms in both the acidic red-brown earth and a calcareous sandy loam. Results from this study indicate that P. brassicacearum and P. thivervalensis are present in Australian soils and that a level of genetic diversity exists within these two novel species but that this diversity does not appear to be related to geographic distribution. The result of the glasshouse pot trial suggests that some isolates of these species may have potential as biological control agents for plant disease.     

Fungi of a forest soil nitrifying at low pH values

Abstract No autotrophic nitrifying organisms were found in a podzolic brown earth forming nitrate. 350 fungi and aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from this soil and examined for their nitrifying abilities. About one quarter of the isolates produced 0.05–0.90 mg N·1⁻¹ nitrite or nitrate in peptone solution, soil extract mixture or sterilised soil. The nitrification rate of the most active fungus, Verticillium lecanii , was highest at pH 3.5 in defined media. The results support the significance of heterotrophic nitrification in acid soils.     

Phospholipid fatty acid composition of microorganisms in pine forest soils of Central Siberia

The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition of microorganisms in podzolic soils of pine forests was studied in Central Siberia. The live microbial biomass in the 1-m mineral soil layer was found to gradually decrease with depth. Although the biomass decreased by half in the lower horizons, its content remained sufficiently high (12–14 nmol FAs/g soil). The coefficient of similarity in the fatty acid composition between the soils of forest and open (unforested) sites was 0.85. The coefficient of fatty acid richness in the mineral soil layer decreased with depth, while differences in fatty acid profiles increased.     

西宁南山4种灌木根际和非根际土壤微生物、酶活性和养分特征

西宁南山区植被退化情况严重,人工造林植被恢复被看作是最有效的恢复手段,其中选择合适造林树种尤为关键。选择人工种植的唐古特白刺Nitraria tangutorum、柠条Caragana korshinskii、西北小蘗Berberis vernae和短叶锦鸡儿Caragana brevifolia共4种灌木树种造林试验区为研究对象,通过测定根际和非根际土壤微生物数量、酶活性及养分含量,综合比较种植4种灌木树种根际和非根际土壤肥力差异,科学评价其对土壤的改善效果。研究表明:(1)土壤微生物数量和酶活性总体呈现出根际高于非根际的规律,仅放线菌数量和脲酶活性出现了根际低于非根际现象。(2)土壤养分方面,4种灌木根际土壤和非根际土壤p H值、全N、全P、全K含量差异不显著,有机质、有效P、速效K含量均呈现出根际非根际,而碱解N则是根际非根际。(3)土壤酶活性与土壤微生物数量相关性不显著,土壤有机质含量与土壤细菌、真菌数量呈极显著正相关,有效P含量与土壤细菌、真菌和放线菌数量呈极显著正相关,速效K含量与过氧化氢酶、酸性磷酸酶活性呈显著正相关,全N、碱解N含量均与脲酶活性呈显著正相关。(4)从土壤肥力综合水平来看,根际非根际,其中根际土壤中西北小蘗柠条短叶锦鸡儿唐古特白刺,研究结果表明西北小蘗和柠条能大幅提高土壤肥力,改良土壤效果较好。     

Bacterial diversity in microcosms of soils with various humidity]

The succession analysis of bacterial diversity in the A horizons (rich in organic matter) of three contrasting types of soil--burozem, soddy gley soil, and chernozem--showed that the bacterial diversity of soil microcosms in humid regions can be adequately evaluated only if soil samples are incubated at different soil moisture contents. A complete account of actinobacteria and proteobacteria requires the levels of soil moisture corresponding to the maximum capillary-sorption moisture and capillary moisture, respectively. The bacterial diversity, whose value was maximum on the 40th day of succession, was higher in soddy gley soil than in burozem. The taxonomic structures of the bacterial communities of these two types of soil were different. After wetting chernozem samples from arid regions, the soil bacterial community changed insignificantly with time and drastically differed from that of soils from humid regions. The difference in the bacterial diversity of soils was the most distinct when it was evaluated by measuring the proportion between proteobacteria and actino-bacteria.