Soil moisture influence on micronutrient cation availability under aerobic conditions

Summary The three major soil series comprising the Gezira scheme (Sudan) are Hosh, Suleimi, and Laota. Surface soil samples from each soil series were employed to study the effect of soil moisture on the DTPA-extractable micronutrient cation under aerobic conditions. The study continued for 8 weeks using an incubation technique at two levels of soil moisture (continuously moist and moist/dry cycles). The DTPA-extractable Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn from air-dry soil samples were much higher compared to values from their incubated counterparts. For the three soils the CO₂ production (microbial activity) reached the maximum in 5 weeks and then levelled off while the lowest values of micronutrient cation from the incubated soils were obtained between 2 to 8 weeks.Generally, the study suggests that the hot dry months preceding crop growth should increase clay surface acidity and hence availability of mironutrient cations.Contribution from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, College Station. TX 77843, U.S.A.     

Pore-scale investigation on the response of heterotrophic respiration to moisture conditions in heterogeneous soils

The relationship between microbial respiration rate and soil moisture content is an important property for understanding and predicting soil organic carbon degradation, CO₂ production and emission, and their subsequent effects on climate change. This paper reports a pore-scale modeling study to investigate the response of heterotrophic respiration to moisture conditions in soils and to evaluate various factors that affect this response. X-ray computed tomography was used to derive soil pore structures, which were then used for pore-scale model investigation. The pore-scale results were then averaged to calculate the effective respiration rates as a function of water content in soils. The calculated effective respiration rate first increases and then decreases with increasing soil water content, showing a maximum respiration rate at water saturation degree of 0.75, which is consistent with field and laboratory observations. The relationship between the respiration rate and moisture content is affected by various factors, including pore-scale organic carbon bioavailability, the rate of oxygen delivery, soil pore structure and physical heterogeneity, soil clay content, and microbial drought resistivity. Overall, this study provides mechanistic insights into the soil respiration response to the change in moisture conditions, and reveals a complex relationship between heterotrophic microbial respiration rate and moisture content in soils that is affected by various hydrological, geophysical, and biochemical factors.     

Effect of simulated forest fire on the availability of N and P in mediterranean soils

The effect of soil burning on N and P availability and on mineralization and nitrification rates of N in the burned mineral soil was studied by combustion of soils in the laboratory. At a fire temperature of 600°C, there was a complete volatilization of NH₄ and a significant increase of pH, from 7.6 in the unburned soil to 11.7 in the burned soil. Under such conditions ammonification and nitrification reactions were inhibited. Less available P was produced immediately after the fire at 600°C, as compared to P amount produced at 250°C. Burning the soils with plants caused a decrease in NH₄-N and (NO₂+NO₃)-N concentrations in the soil as well as a reduction in ammonification and nitrification rates. Combustion of soil with plants contributed additional available P to the burned soil. The existence of a non-burned soil under the burned one played an important role in triggering ammonification and nitrification reactions.     

Increased P diffusion as an explanation of increased p availability in flooded rice soils

Summary Phosphorus supply factors (capacity, kinetic, intensity, and diffusivity) and plant growth were the approaches used to assess P supply of flooded rice soils. Increases in the capacity, intensity, and kinetic factors, as measured by E-value, solution P concentration, and soil P release rate to a distilled water sink respectively, were unpronouced and infrequent upon water-saturation of ten soils. However, increases in the diffusitivity factor, as measured by ³²P diffusion coefficients, were at least ten-fold as soil moisture increased. The greatest increases in P diffusion occurred as soil moisture increased beyond one-third bar.Using a P fertilized soil or P treated powdered cellulose as the P source and a minus P nutrient solution to nourish a split root system with water and nutrients, data were obtained which suggested that P uptake and rice-shoot growth (indicators of P availability) increased with increasing moisture level. Phosphorus uptake and rice-shoot growth were greatst when the soil or P treated cellulose were water-saturated. These data indicate that increased soil P availability upon flooding can be attributed to an increase in the diffusivity factor.Paper Number 4532 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.Paper Number 4532 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Microbiome predators in changing soils

Microbiome predators shape the soil microbiome and thereby soil functions. However, this knowledge has been obtained from small-scale observations in fundamental rather than applied settings and has focused on a few species under ambient conditions. Therefore, there are several unaddressed questions on soil microbiome predators: (1) What is the role of microbiome predators in soil functioning? (2) How does global change affect microbiome predators and their functions? (3) How can microbiome predators be applied in agriculture? We show that there is sufficient evidence for the vital role of microbiome predators in soils and stress that global changes impact their functions, something that urgently needs to be addressed to better understand soil functioning as a whole. We are convinced that there is a potential for the application of microbiome predators in agricultural settings, as they may help to sustainably increase plant growth. Therefore, we plea for more applied research on microbiome predators.     

Response of different decomposer communities to the manipulation of moisture availability: potential effects of changing precipitation patterns

The potential impacts of changes in precipitation patterns associated with global climate change on the relationship between soil community diversity and litter decomposition were investigated. For a period of ca. 5 months, two decomposer communities in litterbags (1000 and 45 μm mesh size) containing spruce litter were subjected to two irrigation treatments: constant and fluctuating (drying/rewetting) moisture conditions. The latter were expected to induce moisture stress on the decomposer communities. The two mesh sizes were used to exclude different faunal components from the decomposer communities. The 1000 μm mesh excluded only the macrofauna, whereas the 45 μm mesh excluded both the macro- and mesofauna. In the short-term perspective of the present study, mesofauna abundance showed no response to imposed fluctuating moisture conditions. Irrespective of the presence of mesofauna, mass loss, microbial biomass and the control mechanisms, regulating carbon mineralization appeared unaffected by fluctuating moisture conditions. The reduction in the functional/structural diversity of the decomposer communities in the 45 μm litterbags resulted in strongly increased Nematoda abundance but it did not alter the response of Nematoda to fluctuating moisture conditions. Processes in the nitrogen (N)-cycle and mass loss were sensitive indicators of changes in the structural and functional complexity of decomposer communities. However, a negative effect of fluctuating moisture conditions on extractable N was coupled to the presence of mesofauna. Extremes in rainfall patterns, generated by climate change, may have a negative impact on the availability of nutrients, particularly N, for plants. This effect could be amplified by an additional impoverishment in the structural and functional complexity of the respective decomposer communities.     

Assessment of hydrocarbon biodegradability in clayed and weathered polluted soils

Hydrocarbon biodegradation in clayed and weathered polluted soils is a challenge; thus the aim of the present study was to determine the best experimental conditions that improve the hydrocarbon biodegradability in clayed and weathered polluted soils, modifying the nitrogen and phosphorous content considering the C:N:P ratio and the water content as a percentage of the water-holding capacity of the soil. Biodegradation tests were performed in microcosms containing 20 g of dry soil at 30 °C. A uniform-precision central composite design of second order with three levels was used to assess the effect of nutrient and water content adjustment on the hydrocarbon degradation rate, total carbon consumption, and microbial activity. The results showed that the water-holding capacity corresponding to 350% and a C:N:P ratio of 100:7.5:0.66 were the best experimental conditions for obtaining the highest hydrocarbon degradation rate (1145 mg TPH kg^?1 dry soil day^?1), whereas the hydrocarbon degradation rate in a non-stimulated control was only 129 mg TPH kg^?1 dry soil day^?1. Water content was the factor that showed the highest significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) on the hydrocarbon degradation rate. The results of the present study allowed the achievement of the best experimental conditions that enhance hydrocarbon biodegradability in clayed and weathered polluted soils. Also, these conditions are proposed for use as a biodegradability assay.     

Effects of liming on phosphate availability in acid soils

Summary The critical factors involved in the plant-soil-phosphorus-lime interaction are outlined and discussed. Conflicting reports suggest that the prior liming of highly weathered acid soils can result in an increase, a decrease, or no change in the availability of applied phosphate. Adsorption of phosphate by amphoteric soil surfaces generally decreases slowly as the pH is raised from 4.0 to 7.0. However, in soils initially high in exchangeable Al³⁺, liming results in the formation of new, highly active, phosphate adsorbing surfaces as the Al³⁺ ions precipitate as insoluble polymeric hydroxy-Al cation species. Thus, if an acid soil is reacted with lime and then phosphate, without intervening air drying, liming can increase phosphate adsorption. If the same limed soil is air dried before reaction with phosphate (e.g. adsorption isotherm studies), liming decreases phosphate adsorption. Apparently, air drying alters the surface characteristics of recently limed soils, probably by promoting the crystallization of the hydroxy-Al cation polymers as gibbsite.An important phenomenon, which is often overlooked, is that liming can increase phosphate availability by stimulating mineralization of soil organic phosphorus. However, at high soil pH values, the precipitation of insoluble calcium phosphates can decrease phosphate availability. Since Al toxicity is characterised by the inhibition of the uptake, translocation and utilization of phosphate by plants, liming often increases the utilization of soil phosphate by plants through amelioration of Al toxicity.When making lime recommendations or interpreting the data collected from lime-phosphate experiments, it is important to consider all the complex interacting soil and plant factors involved.     

淹水条件下控释氮肥对污染红壤中重金属有效性的影响

采用淹水培养方法研究了不同氮水平(100、200和400 mg/kg,分别记为1、2、3)下普通尿素(PU)、硫包膜尿素(SCU)、树脂包膜尿素(PCU)和硫加树脂双层包膜尿素(SPCU)对污染红壤中Cd、Pb、Cu、Zn有效性的影响.结果表明,不同包膜尿素对土壤pH值和水溶性SO42-含量有较大影响.各施氮处理红壤pH值随着施氮量的增加(除5d时PU和60 d时SCU)而增加,不同包膜尿素对土壤中水溶性SO42-含量有较大影响,在同一施氮水平下不同包膜尿素处理间土壤pH值和土壤中水溶性SO42-含量差异较大.60 d培养期间PU、SCU、PCU和SPCU处理pH值比对照分别升高0.17-0.38、0.08-0.27、0.07-0.36和0.10-0.21;水溶性SO42-含量PU、SCU和PCU处理比对照分别升高39.5％-157.3％、40.9％-94.5％和7.55％-55.8％,而SPCU处理降低5.67％-90.7％.不同尿素类型和氮肥的施用量对红壤Cd、Pb、Cu和Zn有效性的影响均存在显著差异.60 d培养期间红壤有效态Cd含量以树脂包膜尿素100 mg N/kg下最低,其有效态Cd含量比对照显著降低20.7％-69.8％;有效态Pb、Cu和Zn含量以普通尿素400 mg N/kg下最低,其有效态Pb、Cu和Zn含量比对照分别显著降低17.0％-54.2％、18.5％-34.6％和15.6％-59.5％.随施氮量提高,PU处理有效态Cd含量先升高后降低,有效态Pb、Cu和Zn含量逐渐降低;SCU处理有效态Pb含量逐渐降低,有效态Cd、Cu和Zn含量变化规律不一致;PCU处理有效态Cd含量逐渐升高,有效态Pb、Cu和Zn含量变化规律不一致;SPCU处理有效态Cd、Pb、Cu和Zn含量逐渐降低.有效态Pb和Zn含量与pH值和水溶性SO42-含量呈显著负相关,有效态Cd与水溶性SO42-含量呈显著正相关.在多重金属污染红壤中,可考虑不同控释氮肥的配合使用,降低土壤中重金属的有效性.     

Effects of moisture availability on clonal growth in bamboo Pleioblastus maculata

The effects of moisture availability on clonal growth and biomass investment in the bamboo Pleioblastus maculata were investigated over a four-year period by transplanting Pleioblastus maculata clones into soils with different levels of moisture availability in the field. The results showed that: (1) The higher the moisture availability, the greater the total biomass of P. maculata clones. Although fewer culms are produced at the higher moisture levels, mean tiller biomass is greater. (2) Under different levels of moisture availability, obvious differences in the total rhizome length (p < 0.01), spacer length (p < 0.05) and the sizes of bamboo culms (height, p < 0.01; diameter, p < 0.01) were observed. Thus, the higher the moisture availability, the shorter the rhizomes and the larger ramets. (3) In microhabitats with low moisture availability, bamboo allocated more biomass to underground organs, which promotes elongation of rhizomes and increases root production, thereby helping to capture underground resources essential to growth. In microhabitats of high moisture availability, the biomass is primarily allocated to the aboveground growth of ramets. (4) We suggest that soil moisture availability effects the foraging strategies of bamboo, that bamboo plants growing with low moisture availability produce longer rhizomes (that is, more, although shorter, spacers) with more biomass allocation than plants in high moisture and have a better ability to forage to increase the probability of locating adequate moisture patches. Also, longer length distance between shoots (that is, longer spacers) in high soil moisture than in low is adapted to avoid intense competition from faster growing aboveground growth in high moisture patches.     

Iron availability in plant tissues-iron chlorosis on calcareous soils

The article describes factors and processes which lead to Fe chlorosis (lime chlorosis) in plants grown on calcareous soils. Such soils may contain high HCO₃ ^- concentrations in their soil solution, they are characterized by a high pH, and they rather tend to accumulate nitrate than ammonium because due to the high pH level ammonium nitrogen is rapidly nitrified and/or even may escape in form of volatile NH₃. Hence in these soils plant roots may be exposed to high nitrate and high bicarbonate concentrations. Both anion species are involved in the induction of Fe chlorosis.Physiological processes involved in Fe chlorosis occur in the roots and in the leaves. Even on calcareous soils and even in plants with chlorosis the Fe concentration in the roots is several times higher than the Fe concentration in the leaves. This shows that the Fe availability in the soil is not the critical process leading to chlorosis but rather the Fe uptake from the root apoplast into the cytosol of root cells. This situation applies to dicots as well as to monocots. Iron transport across the plasmamembrane is initiated by Fe^III reduction brought about by a plasmalemma located Fe^III reductase. Its activity is pH dependent and at alkaline pH supposed to be much depressed. Bicarbonate present in the root apoplast will neutralize the protons pumped out of the cytosol and together with nitrate which is taken up by a H⁺/nitrate cotransport high pH levels are provided which hamper or even block the Fe^III reduction.Frequently chlorotic leaves have higher Fe concentrations than green ones which phenomenon shows that chlorosis on calcareous soils is not only related to Fe uptake by roots and Fe translocation from the roots to the upper plant parts but also dependent on the efficiency of Fe in the leaves. It is hypothesized that also in the leaves Fe^III reduction and Fe uptake from the apoplast into the cytosol is affected by nitrate and bicarbonate in an analogous way as this is the case in the roots. This assumption was confirmed by the highly significant negative correlation between the leaf apoplast pH and the degree of iron chlorosis measured as leaf chlorophyll concentration. Depressing leaf apoplast pH by simply spraying chlorotic leaves with an acid led to a regreening of the leaves.     

Corrosion of bare carbon steel as a passive sensor to assess moisture availability for biological activity in Atacama Desert soils

Here we consider that the corrosion of polished bared metal coupons can be used as a passive sensor to detect or identify the lower limit of water availability suitable for biological activity in Atacama Desert soils or solid substrates. For this purpose, carbon steel coupons were deposited at selected sites along a west–east transect and removed at predetermined times for morphological inspection. The advantage of this procedure is that the attributes of the oxide layer (corrosion extent, morphology and oxide phases) can be considered as a fingerprint of the atmospheric moisture history at a given time interval. Two types of coupons were used, long rectangular shaped ones that were half-buried in a vertical position, and square shaped ones that were deposited on the soil surface. The morphological attributes observed by SEM inspection were found to correlate to the so-called humectation time which is determined from local meteorological parameters. The main finding was that the decreasing trend of atmospheric moisture along the transect was closely related to corrosion behaviour and water soil penetration. For instance, at the coastal site oxide phases formed on the coupon surface rapidly evolve into well-crystallized species, while at the driest inland site Lomas Bayas only amorphous oxide was observed on the coupons.     

Phosphorus availability indices in calcareous lebanese soils

Summary Three indices of available P were evaluated with 20 mainly calcareous Lebanese soils using wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) in the greenhouse. Both the NaHCO₃-and anion exchange resin-extractable P were significantly correlated with P uptake. The relationship for NaOH–Na₂C₂O₄ was not significant. Langmuir isotherm and actual sorption parameters were also poorly related to uptake. In general, soil properties were not significantly related to extractable P or crop uptake. Sequential inclusion of selected soil properties with test values only slightly improved the multiple correlation coefficients.Contribution from the Department of Soils, Irrigation and Mechanization, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. Journal No. 523B. Sci. Paper Series No.297.     

The impact of recombination on short-term selection gain in plant breeding experiments

Recombination is a requirement for response to selection, but researchers still debate whether increasing recombination beyond normal levels will result in significant gains in short-term selection. We tested this hypothesis, in the context of plant breeding, through a series of simulation experiments comparing short-term selection response (≤20 cycles) between populations with normal levels of recombination and similar populations with unconstrained recombination (i.e., free recombination). We considered additive and epistatic models and examined a wide range of values for key design variables: selection cycles, QTL number, heritability, linkage phase, selection intensity and population size. With few exceptions, going from normal to unconstrained levels of recombination produced only modest gains in response to selection (≈11 % on average). We then asked how breeders might capture some of this theoretical gain by increasing recombination through either (1) extra rounds of mating or (2) selection of highly recombinant individuals via use of molecular markers/maps. All methods tested captured less than half of the potential gain, but our analysis indicates that the most effective method is to select for increased recombination and the trait simultaneously. This recommendation is based on evidence of a favorable interaction between trait selection and the impact of recombination on selection gains. Finally, we examined the relative contributions of the two components of meiotic recombination, chromosome assortment and crossing over, to short-term selection gain. Depending primarily on the presence of trait selection pressure, chromosome assortment alone accounted for 40–75 % of gain in response to short-term selection.     

Phosphorus availability to maize as influenced by organic manures and fertilizer P associated phosphatase activity in soils

Laboratory incubation and green house studies were conducted to compare the P availability of organic manures and P uptake from organic manures by maize. Various organic manures viz. Poultry manure (PM), Farmyard manure (FYM), Green manure (GM) and Crop residue (CR) and graded levels of fertilizer P were applied in Samana sandy loam and Ladhowal silt loam soils and incubated for 7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 days. Samples were analyzed for P availability, P uptake and alkaline phosphatase activity. The overall, phosphatase activity, Paranitrophenyl phosphate (PNP h⁻¹ g⁻¹), in the Ladhowal silt loam soil was higher than in the Samana sandy loam soil. As the level of inorganic P increased, the release of PNP h⁻¹ g⁻¹ soil also increased. Among different organic manures, PM registered the highest enzyme activity followed by FYM, GM and CR. Compared to 7 days incubation a slightly higher increase in PNP was noticed in samples from 90 days incubation in both soils. The differential phosphatase activity in the organic manures was further reflected in dynamic P availability. The highest amount of Olsen extractable P was in PM-treated soil followed by FYM, GM and field pea crop residue. Organic manure addition along with inorganic P, irrespective of the source, increased the Olsen extractable P throughout the incubation period. Total P uptake by maize increased with the increasing level of inorganic P in both soils. The highest uptake was obtained in PM-treated soil and lowest in the CR-amended soil. We conclude that PM more readily supplies P to plants than other organic manure sources.     

The effects of species immigrations and changing conditions on isoetid communities

Historical data from the 1930s were compared with new data gathered during the 2000s to evaluate the effects of increased numbers of larger stature submersed species (both elodeids and characeans) on resident isoetid communities. The cover and species richness of submersed species were assessed in 23 seepage lakes in northwestern Wisconsin, USA, using randomly located 1 m × 1 m plots. Water clarity, conductivity and residential land use were determined on a whole-lake basis and the sediment type and water depth were recorded at each plot. The probability of elodeids or characeans occurring in isoetid plots increased with the number of elodeids and characeans gained by a lake since the 1930s, with additions ranging from two to 15 species per lake. However, not all species were equally likely to co-occur with isoetids. Six elodeid species (Najas flexilis, Najas gracillima, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton pusillus, Potamogeton spirillus and Vallisneria americana) along with Chara spp. were the most frequent isoetid associates, while other species that were common in the lakes, such as Elodea canadensis and Potamogeton robbinsii, were less frequent in isoetid plots. The lake-wide proportion of isoetid plots colonized by elodeids or characeans ranged from 5% to 100%, with increasing conductivity and total elodeids (plus Chara spp. and Nitella spp.) the strongest predictors of this colonization. Approximately half (49.6%) of all isoetid plots sampled had elodeids or characeans present (39.2% elodeids, 7.4% elodeids and characeans, 3.0% characeans), and isoetid cover and species richness were lower when these larger stature species were present. The risks this colonization poses for the long-term viability of isoetid species appeared to depend on multiple factors, including whole-lake characteristics, opportunities for refuge, and connections among regional isoetid populations. There was evidence of a time lag between the introduction of elodeid or characean species to a lake and invasion of isoetid plots within the lake, a process that deserves further study.