The evaluation of plant-available sulphur in soils

Summary Examination of a range of naturally occurring calcium carbonates and calcareous soils has shown that insoluble sulphate associated with calcium carbonate may comprise an important fraction of soil sulphur. One soil contained as much as 93 per cent of its sulphur in this form. It seems likely that this sulphate occurs as a co-precipitated or co-crystallized impurity in the calcium carbonate.Most surface soils had only low capacity to adsorb sulphate and contained only small amounts of sulphur in this form. Two acid surface soils and many acid subsoils, however, adsorbed sulphate quite strongly and in some acid subsoil clays adsorbed sulphate made up an important fractions of the total sulphur.Sulphate adsorption was found to be negligible above pH 6.5 and adsorbed sulphate may be determined by aqueous extraction after increasing the pH above this value by addition of solid calcium carbonate. Adsorption of sulphate during acid extraction of soils can lead to low values in the determination of acid-soluble sulphates. Sulphate so adsorbed can be determined by a second extraction with water after the addition of solid calcium carbonate to increase the pH to a value greater than 6.5.     

Soil applications of sulfureous compounds to control tipburn of head lettuce in the field

Summary Different levels of sulfureous compounds were applied to the soil before sowing or four to six weeks after sowing seeds of head lettuce (Lactuca sativa var.capitata L.) in five field plots throughout Arizona during 1979 and 1983. Plants were rated for tipburn incidence at harvest. Tipburn severity values were consistently lower in cultivars, Calmar, Vanguard and Empire and higher in cultivar Green bud in treated plots compared to non-treated plots. However, disease severity ratings in treated and non-treated plots were not significantly different at the 5% level. Attempts to control lettuce tipburn by foliar and soil application of calcium salts have been successful in the greenhouse and in the laboratory^{3, 6, 7}, but not in the field^{1, 2, 4}. Therefore, we undertook the present study to determine if the disease can be managed by soil application of sulfureous compounds. Our rational for using sulfureous compounds was based on the assumption that these compounds may convert a portion of the relatively water insoluble calcium carbonate (present in large quantities in the calcereous soils of Arizona and California) into more water soluble calcium sulfate by causing a slight drop in soil pH. Moreover, different formulations of sulfureous compounds, including those used in this study, are being used by some lettuce growers as soil conditioners and fertilizers. Journal Series Paper of the Arizona Agricultural Experimental Station, Tucson, AZ, USA     

Uptake of radioactive calcium by groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and efficiency of utilisation of applied calcium

Summary A pot experiment was conducted with groundnut applying labelled calcium as its sulphate and carbonate at two levels namely 75 and 150 kg Ca per ha with varying levels of P, K and Mg. Plant samples were taken at different stages of crop growth and analysed for the content of radioactive calcium. Calcium sulphate treatment has resulted in larger uptake of calcium compared to calcium carbonate. An application of 150 kg Ca per ha has caused significantly higher uptake by groundnut plant than 75 kg Ca per ha. The percentage of utilisation of added calcium ranged from 2.2 to 5.4. Recovery of calcium by plants was more in calcium sulphate treatment rather than in calcium carbonate. The plants showed preference to absorb applied calcium rather than native calcium.Forms a part of the Ph.D. thesis of the first author approved by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.     

Regeneration patterns of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polylepis subtusalbida</Emphasis> growing with the exotic trees <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus radiata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> at Parque Nacional Tunari,Bolivia

Dry semideciduous and deciduous forests occur only on calcium-rich soils and occupy almost 20% of the 200 million ha of the cerrado region of central Brazil. Other savanna physiognomies of woodlands and grasslands, and gallery forests generally occur on acid soils with low calcium levels. The literature on phytosociological aspects of such cerrado physiognomies is quite abundant whereas there is very little information on deciduous forests. Also lacking is information on soil fertility and its influence on species distribution. The objective of the present study was to study the distribution of native species within a dry deciduous forest in the Araguari river valley, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais as related to soil properties. A 1-ha sampling area, with no apparent difference in physiognomy, was divided into fifty 10 m × 20 m plots arrayed in 10 × 5 grid and all trees with a minimum circumference of 15 cm at 1.30 m height were surveyed. A composite soil sample was collected from 0 to 10 cm depth in each plot and soil pH, organic C and nutrient availability were determined. Cluster analysis based on soil chemical properties showed the existence of two distinct groups of plots. Further field examinations revealed that the forest was situated in an area of transition between mica schist and basalt parent materials, without any apparent difference in the forest physiognomy. The basalt-derived soil in 23 plots had significantly higher availability of Ca (47.0 cmol(+) kg^?1 soil), Mg (2.59), and K (0.96) than the mica schist derived soil (Ca—18.4, Mg—1.29, and K—0.66) in the remaining 27 plots, though both soils would be classified as eutrophic. A total of 59 species belonging to 27 families were encountered in the area as a whole, of which 36 were common to both soils. In total, 16 species occurred exclusively on the mica schist soil and 7 on the basaltic soil. Myracrodruon urundeuva Allem. (Anacardiaceae) and Tabebuia roseo-alba (Ridl.) Sandwith (Bignoniaceae) were species with high importance values in the forest as a whole. Though there was no significant difference in the diversity index between the two soils, the importance values of these species was larger in the basalt-derived soil with higher nutrient availability.     

Effects of ammonium-N on development and infectivity of the take-all fungus

Effects of applications of a mixture of ammonium sulphate and mono-ammonium phosphate and of ammonium nitrate on the incidence of take-all disease of wheat (caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici) and on subsequent inoculum levels were studied in field and glasshouse experiments. In a field experiment in Western Australia, on a sandy soil at pH 5·4, nitrogen applications had no detectable effect on disease severity at anthesis, but ammonium sulphate treatment increased the number of propagules of the pathogen in the soil. In a pot experiment, in which seed was sown in the field experiment soils, disease was greater in soil from plots treated with ammonium sulphate and least in soil from the nil-nitrogen plots, reflecting the respective inoculum levels in the field plot. However, treatment of the soils of lower inoculum with ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate during this pot experiment decreased disease. A second pot experiment confirmed the effectiveness of ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate in reducing take-all at lower inoculum levels, and their ineffectiveness at higher inoculum levels.     

Control of clubroot by soil partial sterilization with particular reference to the treatment of small natural foci of infection

Experiments were made on field plots with four soil partial sterilants applied at different dose rates or as combination treatments. The effects of treatments on clubroot were assessed by growing cabbages on the field plots or in a glasshouse in soil removed from the plots. In two experiments, no plants grown on plots or seedlings grown in soil samples from plots treated with Dowfume M.C.2 or Telone were infected with clubroot, whilst only one infected seedling was found in soil samples from those plots treated with chloropicrin. Although relatively few infected plants were recovered from Basamid treated plots, many infected seedlings were found in soil samples from those plots. The effectiveness of these treatments as indicated by seedling survival was Dowfume M.C.2 < chloropicrin < Telone < Basamid. At five sites a combination of Dowfume M.C.2 at 98 g/m² with 40 g/m² Basamid resulted in all cabbage seedlings grown in soil samples being disease free.     

The evaluation of plant-available sulphur in soils. II

Summary The availability to oats of adsorbed sulphate in soils and of sulphate impurity in calcium carbonate was studied in pot-culture experiments.When calcium carbonate was added to soils with pH values ranging from 5.7 to 7.4 the uptake of sulphur by oats was increased, due probably to enhanced mineralization of soil organic sulphur. When the calcium carbonate contained sulphate impurity the uptake of sulphur was further increased by an amount comparable with the release of sulphate which could be expected from a reaction of the calcium carbonate with the exchangeable hydrogen of the soil. Sulphate in excess of this amount appeared to be largely unavailable. Uptake of sulphur by oats from calcareous sands containing large amounts of insoluble sulphate associated with calcium carbonate also suggested that soil sulphur in this form had very low availability to plants.Substantial increases in the amounts of sulphur extracted by reagents commonly used for the determination of adsorbed sulphate in soils occurred when soils were airdried at about 20°C. Decreases in adsorbed sulphate in soils following the growth of oats in pot culture confirmed that adsorbed sulphate is readily available to plants.     

Availability of iron,manganese, zinc and phosphorus in submerged sodic soil as affected by amendments during the growth period of rice crop

Summary Effect of amendments, gypsum (12.5 tonnes/ha), farmyard manure (30 tonnes/ha), rice husk (30 tonnes/ha) and also no amendment (control) on the availability of native Fe, Mn and P and applied Zn in a highly sodic soil during the growth period of rice crop under submerged conditions was studied in a field experiment. Soil samples were collected at 0, 30, 60 and 90 days of crop growth. Results showed that extractable Fe (1N NH₄OAC pH 3) and Mn (1N NH₄OAC pH 7) increased with submergence upto 60 days of crop growth but thereafter remained either constant or declined slightly. Application of farmyard manure and rice husk resulted in marked improvement of these elements over gypsum and control. Increases in extractable Mn (water soluble plus exchangeable) as a result of submergence and crop growth under different amendments were accompanied by corresponding decreases in easily reducible Mn content of the soil. Application of 40 kg zinc sulphate per hectare to rice crop could substantially raise the available Zn status (DTPA extractable) of the soil in gypsum and farmyard manure treated plots while the increase was only marginal in rice husk and control plots indicating greater fixation of applied Zn. Available P (0.5M NaHCO₃ pH 8.5) behaved quite differently and decreased in the following order with crop growth: gypsum>rice husk>farmyard manure>control.     

Preliminary glasshouse and field tests of soil partial sterilants for clubroot control

Experiments were made on field plots and in individually dosed pots to investigate the effects of ten soil partial sterilants on percentage infection of cabbage with clubroot. Additionally, cores of naturally-infested soil or samples of artificially infested and buried soil removed from some treated plots were also sown with cabbage in a glasshouse and the seedlings then assayed for the presence of clubroot. There was evidence that the partial sterilants were optimally effective at different depths. Dowfume M.C.2 and Basamid having the unique properties of effectiveness at deep and shallow horizons of the soil respectively. Chloropicrin at 60 ml/m² and Dowfume M.C.2 at 98 g/m² were the most effective partial sterilants in controlling clubroot while Basamid and Telone were also considered to merit further testing. All other partial sterilants reduced percentage infection in pot experiments and field crops to varying extents although formaldehyde was least effective.     

Effects of chondroitin sulphates on mineralization in vitro

1. Soluble sodium chondroitin sulphate, from bovine ribs or puppy epiphyseal plate, at a concentration 80mm in terms of glucuronate, decreased the amounts of calcium and phosphate precipitated from a solution 6.9mm in phosphate and 6.9 or 13.8mm in calcium, buffered in the pH range 6.6-8.2 with 20-25mm-collidine and 5-20mn-hydrochloric acid when incubated for 2hr. at 30 degrees , and for 0.25-24hr. when buffered at pH7.0. 2. An insoluble fraction of puppy epiphyseal plate, containing chondroitin sulphate and collagen, was found to have the same effect at lower concentrations of chondroitin sulphate and a higher calcium/chondroitin sulphate glucuronate ratio, but the formation of calcium phosphate from calcium bound to this material appeared to proceed more rapidly than from calcium in solution, when both were present in the same system. 3. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the calcium/chondroitin sulphate glucuronate ratios found in different parts of non-calcifying and calcifying cartilage in vivo and to the calcium and phosphate gradients between blood and calcified tissue.     

Phytomass structure of natural plant communities on spodosols in southern Venezuela: The tall Amazon Caatinga forest

The phytomass structure of the evergreen lowland forest vegetation (Tall Amazon Caatinga) supported by tropaquods near San Carlos de Rio Negro, Federal Amazon Territory of Venezuela was studied in 13 10 m× 10 m plots. The plots were laid out subjectively to cover a low topographical gradient along which the forest on tropaquod is grading into a low woodland (Bana, or Low Amazon Caatinga). The phytomass was estimated by destructive sampling. The total living phytomass (dry matter) varies between 199 t/ha in one plot including a natural gap, to 822 t/ha in a plot located near a blackwater creek draining the 10 ha study site in which the vegetation was surveyed. Dead aboveground phytomass (dry matter) varies between 2 and 37 t/ha. The average leaf area index is 5.1. Leaves are sclerophyllous. The mesophyll leaf size class is dominant. Compared with other Amazonian rainforests the Tall Amazon Caatinga is lower in aboveground phytomass and wood volume, respectively, but its root average proportion is 2.4 times greater. One hundred and thirty species (dbh≥1 cm) were recorded in all plots. 14–45 species per plot composed the aboveground phytomass. 20 species each had a relative frequency of 50 or more percent. 7 of these species plus 10 less frequent ones each represented 10 or more percent of the basal area in at least 1 plot. Sixteen species each contributed 10 or more percent to the aboveground phytomass, in at least 1 plot. There is only 1 species (Micranda sprucei, Euphorbiaceae) which was observed in all plots. Its contribution to basal area and aboveground phytomass is considerable. M. sprucei is also the dominant species of the top canopy layer. Eperua leucantha, Caesalpiniaceae, is subdominant.     

Sambhar Salt Lake

The saline and alkaline brines from the Sambhar Salt Lake (SSL), both from the main lake and from the solar evaporation pans at Sambhar Salt Limited, Sambhar, Rajasthan, India, were studied with respect to their chemical composition and presence of red, extremely haloalkaliphilic archaebacteria. The brines had pH values of 9.5±0.2 and a total salt content ranging from 7% (w/v) to more than 30% (w/v). Sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulphate were the principal salts present in these brines which lacked divalent cations (calcium and magnesium). Six strains of red, extremely haloalkaliphilic bacteria, designated SSL 1 to SSL 6, were isolated. All the isolates showed obligate requirements for sodium chloride (>15%, w/v) and high pH (>9.0). Magnesium ions were required in traces for maintaining morphological structure and pigmentation. All these strains possessed the diether core lipids, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylglycerophosphate (PGP), and bacterioruberins characteristic of halophilic archaebacteria. The strains were assigned to the newly proposed genus Natronobacterium.Part of the paper was presented by the authors at XIV International Congress of Microbiology 7–13 September 1986, Manchester, UK     

Effects of wood ash and nitrogen fertilization on fine root biomass and soil and foliage nutrients in a Norway spruce stand in Finland

We determined the effects of wood ash fertilization, given together with nitrogen (WAN), and nitrogen given together with P, B and Cu (SSF), on soil and foliage nutrients and fine root biomass in a 45-year-old Norway spruce stand in southern Finland. Fine roots were sampled 9 years, and the soil 10 years after ash (3 t/ha) and nitrogen (150 kg/ha) application. Fine root biomass tended to be lower, the necromass higher, and the fine root distribution relatively deeper on the WAN than on the control and SSF plots. The response of fine root biomass to WAN was probably related to changes in soil acidity. pH, base saturation, total and extractable concentrations of Ca, K, Mg and P, and total B, Cd, Mn, Ni and Zn concentrations in the organic layer were significantly higher on the WAN plots than on the SSF and the control plots with no ash and nutrient addition. On the WAN plots, the pH was 1.2 pH-units higher, the exchangeable Ca concentrations fourfold and those of Mg over twofold compared to the control plots. WAN increased the concentrations of K but decreased those of Mn and Ni in the needles compared to the control and SSF treatment. Even though ash and nitrogen fertilisation tended to decrease the fine root biomass, this decrease was not likely to affect tree growth during a 10-year period.     

Plant community establishment in a restored wetland: Effects of soil removal

Question: This study investigated the establishment of wetland plant assemblages following soil removal and restored hydrology in a former agricultural field. The following questions were posed. Does plant community composition differ as a result of soil removal? Does soil removal reduce the frequency of non-wetland plants? Does soil removal reduce the frequency of non-native invasive plants? Location: The Panzner Wetland Wildlife Reserve (PWWR) in Summit County, northeastern Ohio, USA. Methods: During 2000–2001, restoration was conducted on two adjoining fields (3.9 ha total) by excavating the upper 40–50 cm of soil layer and establishing 12 10 m × 10 m undisturbed control plots. Preliminary data included seed bank composition and soil organic matter, estimated from three different soil depths on the control plots. In spring 2004, a 10 m × 10 m soil-removed plot was established adjacent to each control plot. Plant percent cover of all species was estimated within the center 5 m × 5 m of every plot. Above-ground biomass of all species from three 0.25-m² quadrats was collected. Environmental water measurements included water depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and conductivity. Results: The top 10 cm of soil contained the most seeds, the highest species diversity, the greatest proportion of annual to perennial plants, and the lowest organic content. Obligate and facultative wetland plants were found in soil-removed plots while facultative upland and upland plants were found in control plots. The only plots with arable weeds were the control plots. However, plant communities on soil-removed plots in the North field, which had a higher elevation (ca. 15–20 cm), had a different species composition than soil-removed plots in the South field. Conclusions: The results of a controlled, replicated large-scale study on the effects of soil removal showed that soil removal altered both the biotic and abiotic environment, but that the proximity to the water table was the primary controlling factor in the assembly of plant communities.     

Growth, mineral uptake and skeletal calcium deposition in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., yolk-sac fry exposed to aluminium and manganese in soft acid water

In 30-day exposures in artificial soft water medium, survival of brown trout alevins was not affected by low pH (4.5,4.8, 5.4), by low calcium concentration (10.25 μmol l⁻¹) or by manganese (≤20 μmol l⁻¹), but was impaired by aluminium (6–8 μmol l⁻¹) at low calcium concentration (10 μmol l⁻¹) irrespective of pH (4.5 or 5.4). Manganese (6.6, 20 μmol l⁻¹) impaired net calcium uptake and calcium deposition in the skeleton at low calcium concentration (25 μmol l⁻¹) irrespective of pH. Aluminium (2–8 μmol l⁻¹) impaired gross development, net uptake of calcium, potassium and sodium, and calcium deposition in the skeleton, and slightly increased the net loss of magnesium, some of these effects being more severe at calcium concentration 10 μmol l⁻¹ than 50 μmol l⁻¹, and some more severe at pH 5.4 than pH 4.5. Net uptake of calcium and sodium were impaired at low pH (4.5, 4.8), and skeletal calcium deposition was impaired at low calcium concentration (10 μmol l⁻¹), but these effects of low pH and low calcium concentration were slight compared with those of the trace metals. The possible role of trace metals in reports of the deleterious effects on fish of low pH levels is discussed.     

Phytoremediation potentials of cowpea (Vigina unguiculata) and maize (Zea mays) for hydrocarbon degradation in organic and inorganic manure-amended tropical typic paleustults

A field study on phytoremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil was designed to assess the effects of organic manures (poultry droppings and cassava peels) and NPK fertilization on the potentials of cowpea (Vigina unguiculata) and maize (Zea mays) to stimulate hydrocarbon degradation in soil. Cowpea and maize crops were established on the hydrocarbon contaminated soil amended with three rates (0, 4, and 8 ton/ha) of the soil amendments, and arranged in 3 x 3 x 3 factorial in Randomized Complete Block Design. Hydrocarbon was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in plots treated with the combined forms of the soil amendments. While the treatment combinations of 8 t/ha Poultry Droppings (PD) + 8 t/ha Cassava Peels (CP) + 4 t/ha NPK fertilizer was optimal for hydrocarbon degradation in the cowpea plots, 4 t/ha PD + 8 t/ha CP + 8 t/ha NPK fertilizer was the most preferred in the maize plot. Cowpea showed greater potential for hydrocarbon degradation at the first year. The mean values of hydrocarbon concentrations at the cowpea and maize plots indicated no significant difference at the second year. Grain yield of cowpea increased by 87% at the second year, while maize was unable to grow to maturity in the first year.     

Agronomic Performance of Partly Clubroot-resistant Spring Oilseed Turnip Rape Lines

In field experiment studies that tested the effects of three partly resistant cultivars of spring oilseed turnip rape ( Brassica campestris ), multiplication of clubroot was moderate. When initial soil inoculum levels were 47–72% of infected test plants in the bioassay, only 2.1–10% of the plants were infected after harvest. The yield of partly resistant lines was 5–10% higher compared with that of the susceptible cultivar SW Kulta, which on average yielded 1.73 t/ha. The average disease severity index (DSI) after harvest in these trials was 12.7 for the nonresistant cultivar SW Kulta and ranged between 2.2 and 6.2 for the partly resistant lines. The study demonstrated that in fields where the soil infestation level gives a DSI of less than 10, or when less than 20% of the bait plants are infected in the bioassay, it is possible to avoid the risk of severe yield losses from clubroot infections by integrating a partly resistant cultivar into the crop rotation.     

Some effects of low pH and calcium on the growth and tissue mineral content of yearling brown trout, Salmo trutta

Yearling brown trout, Salmo trutta , were exposed to low mineral content water (nominal concentrations of 20μmol 1⁻¹ magnesium, 7.7 μmol 1⁻¹ potassium, 44 μmol 1⁻¹ sodium) over a pH range of 4.0–5.2 with ambient calcium concentrations of 2.5–60 μmol 1⁻¹. All fish died at pH 4.0 and 4.2 irrespective of ambient calcium concentration and also at pH 4.4 with only 2–3 μmol 1 ⁻¹ calcium (that is calcium-free water except for that leached from the diet or excreted by the fish). Good growth rates were obtained over the remaining treatments which extended down to pH 4.4 with as little as 7 μmol 1⁻¹ calcium. When starved, weight loss was inversely correlated with pH. Effects on plasma chloride, percentage dry weight and calcium, potassium sodium, and phosphorus contents of skin, muscle and bone tissue were also investigated. These demonstrated pH effects on mineral metabolism in starved fish, but no effects were detected in fed fish.     

Studies of the cereal cyst-nematode, Heterodera avenae under continuous cereals, 1974–1978. I. Plant growth and nematode multiplication

Population changes of Heterodera avenae and crop growth in a sandy loam soil were studied from 1974 until 1978; the nematode decreased plant growth but failed in two of the years to multiply on susceptible hosts. Spring oats were the most heavily invaded cereal and produced the smallest shoots. Second-stage juveniles invaded cereal roots in decreasing numbers: spring oats > autumn oats > spring barley > spring wheat > autumn barley > autumn wheat. Numbers of females developing on the different cultivars were in a similar order. Most females developed on roots in 1976 despite poor crop growth in the severe drought. Numbers of H. avenae in soil treated with oxamyl (Vydate) at 8.8 kg/ha a. i. were less in all years except 1975. In the dry winter and spring of 1975/76 nematode multiplication was prevented in soil treated with oxamyl before drilling in the autumn. In all years large numbers of females were produced on the roots of all cultivars but in 1975 and 1978 nematode populations declined because few females survived to form cysts containing eggs and their fecundity was reduced. Numbers of cysts after harvest were not affected by formalin (38% formaldehyde) applied as a drench at 3000 litres/ha in 1977 but fecundity doubled in treated soil, and nematode multiplication increased from 3.8 × in untreated plots to 18.6 ×. When the plots were irrigated in 1978 numbers of cysts and fecundity increased in formalin treated soil resulting in an increase in multiplication from 0.3 × to 14.6 ×. Fungal parasites attacking H. avenae females and eggs are considered responsible for the poor multiplication of the nematode.     

The effects of trifluralin and related dinitroaniline herbicides on clubroot of Brassicae

In glasshouse tests, trifluralin, when mixed with the soil before sowing, lowered the incidence of clubroot on cabbages. An emulsifiable concentrate was more effective than a wettable powder and control was better in soil alone than in a soil/peat mixture. Four other dinitroaniline herbicides were tested; benfluralin and isopropalin lowered clubroot incidence at non-phytotoxic rates whereas nitralin and dinitramine did not.